A Lyttle goes a long way as Foyle Arena member Robert storms to Ulster and Irish titles
31 July 2025
A 72 year-old Waterside man who was retired from competitive athletics for 50 years has made the mother of all sporting comebacks by claiming Masters titles at the recent Irish and Northern Irish Masters Track and Field Championships.Robert Lyttle signed up for a gym membership at Derry City and Strabane District Council Leisure Centre the Foyle Arena seven years ago to work on his fitness after his retirement as a Solicitor.
His return to physical activity after a lifetime working behind a desk rekindled his love for athletics and ultimately led to him claiming gold medals in the long jump and triple jump at last month’s national championships at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast and a gold and silver in the Irish Finals in Tullamore, County Offaly at the weekend.
“I would have been very sporty at school and competed at Ulster Schools level in sprinting and jumping but I had done no sporting activity at all for 50 years until I retired at 65,” he explains.
“I’d had a fairly sedentary lifestyle and sat behind a desk all day but when I retired seven years ago I decided I wanted to get active again and make that part of my daily routine.
“I retired on the Friday and signed up for a gym membership at the Foyle Arena that weekend and it changed my life.
“I love the friendly atmosphere on the gym floor and in the various classes and I’ve met loads of new friends.”
Married to Valerie, herself a keen Hyrox competitor, they have two daughters Camilla and Corinn, a son Andrew and four grandchildren.
It was one of Robert’s old school friends who attends the Foyle Arena who noticed his fitness was improving at an impressive rate and suggested he enter the over 70s section of the Masters Championships this year.
He made the trip to his first championships in Belfast last month with no expectations of the result and a goal of enjoying the experience.
“I’d never even been to the Mary Peters Track before and I had to get myself a City of Derry Spartans vest that week to compete,” he laughed.
“I booked into a Bed and Breakfast in South Belfast the night before and located the venue so I knew where to go in the morning.
“My performance surpassed my expectations and I came away with two golds and broke the existing Northern Ireland record for the over 70s long jump and triple jump.”
Robert followed that win up by breaking his own Long Jump Masters record in claiming silver in Tullamore at the weekend as well as gold in the Triple Jump at the same meet.
Now an Irish and two time Ulster champion and record holder, Robert’s friends at the Foyle Arena helped keep his feet firmly on the ground when he returned to the gym floor sporting his gold medals.
“One of them told me not to wear them out in the sun in case the chocolate melted and another suggested I bought the medals before Jobby Crossan’s Sports Store closed,” he laughed.
“To be honest though, the staff and other members have been very supportive of my return to competitive athletics and without their guidance and the fitness and strength and conditioning work I did there I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
“I hope it inspires other people and shows them that it’s never too late to return to physical activity and enjoy all the health and fitness benefits that goes with it.”
The Foyle Arena on Limavady Road is open seven days a week and has a gym, 25 metre swimming pool, climbing wall and a wide range of fitness classes.
An all inclusive membership offers access to Council leisure centres at the Foyle Arena, Riversdale Leisure Centre, Derg Valley Leisure Centre, Templemore Sports Complex, Melvin Sports Complex and Brooke Park Leisure Centre.Individual centre memberships are also available.
For full details of Council’s Leisure Services, including timetables and Membership rates visit derrystrabane.com/leisure.