Theresa Frost, from Newquay, is an athletic superstar.
Representing Great Britain, the 68-year-old won gold at the European Aquabike Middle Distance event in Belgium this August, silver at the 2023 World Aquabike Long Distance Championship in Ibiza and has just qualified for the Aquabike European Standard Distance Championship in Malaga next year.
Remarkably, Theresa has had a double hip replacement yet still entered the Barcelona Ironman last year which required a 3.8k swim, a 180k bike ride and a running marathon. She was the oldest woman to finish and came first in her age category.
“Finishing the Ironman was my biggest achievement to date,” said Theresa. “It has always been my goal.”
Theresa is one of 84 Cornwall-based athletes to be awarded support by the GLL Sports Foundation (GSF) this year.
“Getting GSF help means I have free entry to any GLL leisure centre in the country – including Newquay Leisure Centre where I regularly do my swim training,” she said. “I go there early in the morning as I run a smallholding with my husband and like to get my daily exercise routine done before taking on the physical chores that my day job requires.”
As a former PE teacher, Theresa has always loved sport – competing in marathons and triathlons before choosing to re-focus on cycling and swimming.
“I’m a firm believer in the value of exercise – both from a physical and mental point of view. My family are the same. Peter, my husband, was a keen kayaker before developing a brain abscess in 2020 but still managed to walk 125 miles from Devizes to Westminster recently, and my daughter Harriet is a runner.”
GLL is a not-for-profit social enterprise that has been running the GSF award scheme for the last fifteen years.
“As the cost of living continues to bite, it has never been more important to support UK athletes,” said Karen Edmond, GLL’s Cornwall Community Sports Manager.
“We’re proud to be able to help people like Theresa achieve their sporting potential. With her outstanding results, she more than proves that age is no barrier to athletic success.
“She’s a credit to Cornwall and to her country.”
