What if the version of yourself you’re most afraid of is the one you never actually have to become?
In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Hobson, a former headteacher who didn’t take up running until she was well into her sixties, and has since completed over 125 marathons across all seven continents, becoming a Guinness World Record holder along the way.
We talk about the “black hole” she felt she was staring into at retirement, the sentence from her mother-in-law that shaped her whole career, and how an injury led her to discover powerlifting, where she can now deadlift one and a half times her bodyweight.
We also get into her unexpected second act as a digital creator in her seventies, why some of her posts have reached millions of views, and what she’d say to anyone who feels like life has narrowed rather than opened up.
Whether you’re approaching retirement, feeling stuck, or just want to know what’s really possible later in life, this one is for you.
CHAPTERS
01:00 — Chris before retirement
04:17 — The head teacher years and the retirement “black hole”
07:15 — The start of running
11:57 — The stranger in a 100 Marathon Club t-shirt
15:53 — 125 marathons and a Guinness World Record in Antarctica
17:37 — Crying at the start line: what retirement really took from her
23:40 — Her mother-in-law’s advice, and what ChatGPT told her about her own success
34:30 — Why her content shifted from running to weightlifting and lifestyle
37:09 — Going viral on TikTok
46:06 — Her advice for anyone feeling stuck
53:18 — Training for life, not looks
About this weeks guest:
CHRIS HOBSON
Christine Hobson, 73 years old and lives in Yorkshire.
She spent her career in education, first as a teacher, then a headteacher and finally as principal of an Academy Trust in Sheffield.
She started marathoning at 60, her first being London marathon, two days after retiring. She has since done 125 marathons on all the continents including Antarctica, where she became a Guinness World Record holder as the oldest woman to complete the Antarctic Ice marathon.
During a period of injury, she took up powerlifting as her second sport. She can deadlift 1.5 times her body weight.
More recently, at age 72, she became a digital creator on TikTok and Instagram to encourage people to exercise. One of her favourite strap lines is “Train for Life (not looks)”. She shares how different lifts support fitness for everyday life. During the last few months three of her posts went viral on IG, including one post with over 13 million views.
Connect here:
Instagram: @christinehobson60
Watch the video of the conversation here:
