At 90, Margie Hennesy pushes a 200-pound sled — and next month she races for charity

Margie Hennesy was 83 when her husband of 62 years died, and well-meaning friends urged her to hire help for the heavy household work. Instead she took it on herself — mowing, hauling, lifting — and found it empowering. After her 90th birthday, her daughter-in-law Becky, an experienced international competitor, watched her hoist a 40-pound bag of mulch and suggested they enter a HYROX fitness race together. Months of training three days a week followed: Margie built her sled push from 60 pounds to 200, learned to throw a 10-pound wall ball overhead, and walks four to eight miles on her off days. In November the pair will compete as a relay team in Dallas, raising money for Race for Impact, a charity working on access to healthcare, nutrition and vaccinations. 'Motivation comes and goes,' she says, 'but determination is what keeps me showing up.'