Margaret Lim, 51, and Seah Seow Ping, 54, took on one of the world’s toughest functional fitness races at the Puma Hyrox World Championships in Stockholm last month. The Singaporeans competed in the Women’s Pro Doubles category, pushing a 152kg sled across 50 meters and conquering seven other grueling workout stations interspersed with 8 kilometers of running.
Both working mothers, they qualified after placing second in their age category at AIA Hyrox Singapore 2025. The Pro division demanded they lift the equivalent of the Men’s Open weights.
“We may not be the fastest, the fittest, or the strongest athletes out there, but we didn’t give up,” Lim said. Seah added that many women underestimate what they are still capable of in their 50s.
Their journeys began with a focus on aging well. A 2024 health screening revealing low bone mass pushed Lim to shift from an active lifestyle to intentionally building muscle and skeletal density. For Seah, a largely inactive career until age 45 led her to complete a marathon before turning to functional training to manage a knee problem and metabolic health concerns.
Training six to nine hours weekly while balancing careers and family required discipline. They trained separately during the week but met on weekends for simulations, building a partnership anchored in trust. During the race, they divided the workout stations according to their strengths.
Facing skepticism, including comments that they were not young anymore, the pair noticed critics become encouragers once they saw consistent, injury-free progress. Seah noted that the trust between them is often unspoken. “You can sense when your partner needs more support or needs you to take over.”
Competing in Stockholm was not just about rankings. Lim stated that the body responds when given the right stimulus, arguing that decline is often due to lack of movement rather than age. For both women, the championship marked the beginning of a deeper commitment to aging well, defined by physical capability and mental curiosity rather than chronological age.
