Keep Showing Up: Staying active, competitive and healthy after 65
Swim. Ride. Run. Repeat.
Retirement villages are often imagined as places to slow down. At Keyton communities across the country, many residents are choosing a different pace, one shaped by movement, connection and momentum. Keep showing up.
They're well known at Hibiscus Noosa Outlook; those residents whose early mornings begin with laps in the pool, long rides and ocean swims. There’s a steady rhythm to the day, set by these residents who have no intention of easing off.
One of them is Peter, who turns 80 this year. What's an early morning for him? Training for local and international triathlons. Just a few doors down, Alex, in her 70s, spends her mornings diving into squad swims, ocean swims and saying yes to new challenges.
Their pursuits are different, but their outlook is shared. Age isn’t a limit. It’s about what you choose to keep doing. Keep showing up.
Redefining what ageing looks like
For many Australians, ageing is still tied to the idea of slowing down. Research shows that staying active is one of the most effective ways to support long term health.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. It also helps maintain cognitive function and mental wellbeing.
Yet only a small proportion of Australians over 65 meet recommended activity levels. Peter and Alex love to challenge that trend.
Peter: discipline, resilience and consistency
Staying active isn’t something Peter started later in life. It’s something he never stopped.
“I started triathlons in 1984,” he says. “I never imagined I’d still be competing at 80.”
What began as a way to get fit and keep up with his daughter became a lifelong habit, built on structure and consistency.
“It’s just something I’ve always done. It’s a habit now. It’s the routine,” he says.
That routine is a serious commitment. His weeks include early morning rides of up to 100km, regular swim squads and runs along Noosa Sound.
But it’s not just about the training. It’s about the people.
“It’s very important to surround yourself with people who are on the same page,” Peter says, adding that group coffee is “more or less compulsory” after a long ride.
Despite more than 250 race wins - no, that is not a typo - including this year’s Mooloolaba Triathlon Sprint, and competing in 12 world championships, Peter stays focused on what matters to him most.
“I just do it because I like to do them. Winning is an added bonus.”
His journey hasn’t been without setbacks. After undergoing 49 bouts of radiation for prostate cancer and a knee replacement, Peter would be forgiven for easing off. He didn’t.
Peter lives by the motto: “When nothing is certain, everything is possible.”
His health setbacks didn’t hold him back. He rides just as well as he did 10 years ago.
For anyone thinking about starting some form of movement, Peter’s advice is simple: don’t go it alone.
“You shouldn’t really train on your own,” he says. “You need people around you. People you can talk with, laugh with and who’ll push you along.”
When he’s not training, Peter enjoys time at home with his wife, Carol, and stays active within the Hibiscus Noosa Outlook community. He helps at village events, barbecues and pours drinks at the bar.
“There’s plenty for everyone to do here,” he says. “Happy hour, darts, coffee mornings, the pool. Then you get to walk back home. It’s an easy place to live, filled with good people."
With events locked in for the rest of the year and plans to compete at the 2027 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Hamburg, Germany, Peter isn’t changing pace anytime soon.
“I intend to live past 100,” he laughs. “So I may still be doing triathlons then.”
Alex: choosing curiosity over comfort
While Peter’s story is grounded in decades of discipline, Alex’s is about starting something new.
Since moving to Hibiscus Noosa Outlook, Alex has become a regular at the Noosa Aquatic Centre. She swims two to three times a week with the Noosa Masters Swimming Club. Introduced by a fellow Keyton resident, it was the post‑swim endorphins and sense of community that kept her coming back.
As her confidence grew, Alex began trying new water based sports, including endurance challenges and surf lessons.
“I absolutely loved them,” she says. “In the last lesson, I got up and surfed three times. It was such a joy.”
She’s since swapped surfing for bodyboarding and can often be found riding small waves at Noosa Main Beach.
“Life is too short to become stagnant,” Alex says. “You’ve just got to give it a go.”
With a full schedule, Alex values the calm and convenience of life at Hibiscus Noosa Outlook.
“I’m so grateful for where I live,” she says. “It’s 10 to 15 minutes from the beach and 15 minutes from the pool.”
Now, she’s preparing for her next challenge: an ocean swim in Fiji later this year, where she’ll complete daily 1km and 3km swims. It will be her first international event.
Within the village, Alex reminds others that there’s rarely a perfect time to try something new.
A new way to age
Together, Peter and Alex embody the driven, adventurous mindset that "Keep Showing Up" represents.
For Peter, it’s decades of consistency.
For Alex, it’s curiosity and the confidence to begin.
The idea is simple: keep showing up. Choose consistency over intensity. Curiosity over comfort. Community over isolation.
Whether competing on the world stage at 80 or diving into a first ocean swim in your 70s, it’s never too late to move, participate and try.
It isn’t about speed. It’s about how you choose to show up each day, regardless of age.
For more information about the lifestyle and support offered at our retirement villages, call our customer service team on 1800 550 550 or send us an email here.
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