At an age when most people are happy to slow down, 95-year-old Tasmanian fitness legend Eddie Westburgh is still up before dawn for a session at the gym.

The former ultramarathon runner, now living in Battery Point, Hobart, who once clocked up thousands of kilometres on foot across Australia, says his secret to longevity is simply to keep moving.

Eddie told ABC Radio Hobart’s Joel Rheinberger during a recent interview that he hits the gym five days a week at five o’clock in the morning without fail.

‘My legs and my arms, those are the main things you have to keep going,’ he said.

It’s a routine that’s as impressive as it is inspiring especially considering Eddie’s extraordinary athletic history.

Back in his prime, he was known for his superhuman endurance, regularly running 50 to 60 kilometres a day just to keep fit.

‘I’d run up and down Sandy Bay Road,’ recalled Fast Eddie, as he was affectionately nicknamed in his heyday, during his on-air chat.

He also shared that he used to run from Sandy Bay Road to Huonville two or three times a week – a 75-kilometre Tasmanian round trip – just as part of his training.

When Rheinberger asked what it was like to compete in ultramarathons, including mind-boggling 200-kilometre events, Eddie casually dropped a detail that left listeners stunned.

‘When I used to run Sydney to Melbourne, that was 1000 km,’ he said.

He completed the distance in just five days, according to Eddie, who has become a ‘legend‘ and cult figure in his small community in Tasmania.

According to an online Battery Point Community Pagehis passion for long-distance running began in the army where he quickly demonstrated his skill for the sport.

He won a variety of events while in the army and has won many events since then, including City to Casino, 10 Mile Tasmanian Veteran Run, King of the Mountain, Oatlands to Hobart and Launceston to Hobart races.

In 1985, Eddie completed the Melbourne to Colac Ultra Marathon, a distance of 207.2 kilometres, in an astonishing 21 hours, 28 minutes.

When it comes to his diet, he avoids tablets and instead follows the advice of record-breaking Greek ultramarathon runner Yiannis Kouros, drinking pomegranate and lemon juice daily to ward off the flu.

While his long-distance running days are behind him, Eddie still shows no signs of slowing down.

His current gym routine, which he maintains religiously at the crack of dawn, keeps his body and mind strong.

Listeners were quick to praise the Hobart local, flooding social media with comments calling him an ‘inspiration’ and ‘a machine’, while others complimented his glowing complexion.

‘Doesn’t look a day over 80. What a legend,’ commented one.

‘What an inspiration. Just such a terrific man, humble and a true veteran,’ another fan echoed.

‘Me reading this post on my couch in my mid 30s,’ a view joked, clearly not quite up to Eddie’s impressive endurance.

If running isn’t for you though (or waking up at the crack of dawn), a gentler approach to fitness has been proven to add years to your life.

Instead, leading longevity researcher Dan Buettner says the biggest boost to your lifespan comes from something free, simple and available to almost everyone – and it takes just 20 minutes a day.

Dan, who has spent decades studying the habits and diets of the world’s longest-living people, says walking is the most powerful tool we have for adding years to our lives.

‘There’s no pill, there’s no supplement, no longevity hack that’s been shown to add years to your life expectancy,’ Buettner revealed on Instagram.

‘But there’s one simple thing that most people can do to get three more years.

‘If you’re sedentary, if you move from getting zero physical activity to just 20 minutes of walking a day, it adds three years to your life expectancy.

‘Very simple hack, costs you nothing, and we’ll see you when you’re 100.’

Walking is not just low-impact and accessible – it also works the cardiovascular system, improves circulation, boosts mood, and can even reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Research consistently links daily movement to improved quality of life, particularly in older adults.

Studies show that regular walking can also help maintain mobility, balance, and independence well into old age.