Arthur Gilbert (1921 – 23 October 2015) was an English

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...

competitor who came to notice in 2012 as the world's oldest

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

Early life

Gilbert was born in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, Hampshire in 1921. He was a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He became a helicopter engineer at

Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters was a British aircraft manufacturer. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It was amalgamated with several other British firms in 1960 and 1961. In 2000, it merged ...

in Somerset and used to cycle the 20-mile

journey to work Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

Triathlon

Gilbert began running competitively in the 1970s and first competed in a triathlon when he was 64 years old. He subsequently competed in over 40 multi-event races. His training regime included 50 lengths of his local swimming pool every day, 3 visits to the gym each week and 25 km on a bicycle on Sundays. He was awarded the MBE, presented by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

in 2008, for his charity fundraising. Gilbert became Britain's oldest triathlete aged 90, when he completed the Burnham-on-Sea Triathlon in April 2011. His time was 1 hour 20 minutes and nine seconds. In December 2011 the ''World Record Academy'' confirmed the 90-year-old was also the oldest triathlete in the world. In May 2012 he was an Olympic torchbearer and jogged the 300-metre stretch through

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and close to the Exmoor National Park. T ...

, Somerset. As a local celebrity, in July he opened a new

care home Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (England) West Midlands, Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency team, a team of doctors & ...

, Kingfisher Lodge, in nearby

Saltford Saltford is a large English village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Bath, and adjoins Keynsham on the same route. Saltford Manor House (built about 11 ...

. Gilbert competed in his 41st triathlon, the Burnham Sprint Triathlon, in early June 2012. It involved a 500-metre swim, 20 km bike ride and a 5 km run. The swim took 31 minutes and 54 seconds, one hour 11 minutes and 8 seconds for the cycling phase and 59 minutes and 20 seconds for the run. "It was really tough. As the years go by it gets harder and harder, you do go backwards as you get older," he commented. He was fortunate with injuries, his only major problem being a ruptured ankle tendon which he incurred in the mid-1990s. After completing another Burnham Triathlon in April 2013, Gilbert suggested it would be his last, preferring to help marshal the Burnham event in 2014.

Personal life

Gilbert lived in

Burnham-on-Sea Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...

, Somerset. His wife died in 2009 and his son died in the same year, aged only 55. Gilbert said his sports activities helped him through these losses. He attributed his abilities to a stress-free life, eating bananas and regularly giving blood. He died on 23 October 2015 aged 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Arthur 1921 births People from Burnham-on-Sea English male triathletes 2015 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire British military personnel of World War II 20th-century English sportsmen