# Ruth Frith > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruth_Frith > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruth_Frith.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Frith > Source revision: 1317302177 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Ruth Pauline Frith** (born **Ruth Pursehouse**, 23 August 1909 – 28 February 2014) was an Australian centenarian [masters athlete](/source/Masters_athletics), and was the oldest active athlete.[1] She is the current holder of the [masters world record](/source/List_of_world_records_in_masters_athletics) in numerous events including the W85 Triple Jump, W100 Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw, Weight Throw and Javelin Throw and was the oldest competitor to complete a [Throws Pentathlon](/source/Throws_Pentathlon) and thus holds the record in that event.[2] In younger age divisions, she held many more records that have been surpassed. Her famous quote for longevity: “Don’t eat vegetables, because I never eat vegetables. I know people that like diets that will scream at me, (but) don’t eat vegetables. I never have.”[3] She was the mother of Australian Olympic jumper and pentathlete [Helen Frith](/source/Helen_Frith),[4][5] who under her married name of Searle is also a multiple masters world record holder. ## Early life **Ruth Pursehouse** was born in [Goulburn, New South Wales](/source/Goulburn,_New_South_Wales). She attended [Goulburn High School](/source/Goulburn_High_School), [a NSW selective school](/source/Selective_school_(New_South_Wales)), and was originally planning on becoming a solicitor. She won the state title in the 100 yard dash at the [Sydney Cricket Ground](/source/Sydney_Cricket_Ground) and played [field hockey](/source/Field_hockey) as a girl. It was on a hockey trip to [Dubbo](/source/Dubbo) that she met her future husband Ray Frith. They were married in 1933. She became active in sports administration as a young girl. ## Sports athlete An accomplished musician with the [Sydney Conservatorium of Music](/source/Sydney_Conservatorium_of_Music), she served as the student representative to the Sports Union for Athletics. After playing with the Gouldburn Hockey Club, she served on the team committee. Her husband's work as a civil engineer took them to [Darwin](/source/Darwin,_Northern_Territory) where she was Secretary of the [Darwin Golf Club](/source/Darwin_Golf_Club). After 5 years in [Lithgow](/source/Lithgow,_New_South_Wales), where Ray surveyed the athletics fields for Dubbo, [Orange](/source/Orange,_New_South_Wales), [Bathurst](/source/Bathurst,_New_South_Wales) and Lithgow the couple lived in [Sydney](/source/Sydney), where they were the power couple of athletics officiating. She was a leader with the [Women's Amateur Athletics Association of NSW](/source/Women's_athletics_in_Australia) serving as Country Secretary, Records Officer, State Executive, and Secretary of the Northern Suburbs Women's club and Mid-west club. She also coached [long jumping](/source/Long_jump), in which her daughter excelled. She took up being an active athlete in 1982 at the age of 73. ## Recognition Prior to her sporting career, she worked with the Northern Territory Indigenous Community in which she was given the [Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal](/source/Queen_Elizabeth_II_Coronation_Medal) in 1953. She was awarded the [Medal of the Order of Australia](/source/Medal_of_the_Order_of_Australia) in recognition of service to athletics in the 1994 Australia Day Honours,[6] and in 2000 was a recipient of the [Australian Sports Medal](/source/Australian_Sports_Medal).[7] ## Later life She moved to [Queensland](/source/Queensland) to be with her daughter. Helen estimates she set as many as 25 world records in her career. Ruth was featured in the [ABC](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation) documentary about and entitled the [100+ Club](/source/Queensland_Community_Care_Network#100+_Club).[8] She died in [Algester](/source/Algester) in February 2014, aged 104. ## Additional - [List of centenarian masters track and field athletes](/source/List_of_centenarian_masters_track_and_field_athletes) ## References 1. Kim Stephens (2013-10-18). ["Masters athlete Ruth Frith dies aged 104"](http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/masters-athlete-ruth-frith-dies-aged-104-20140311-34jtu.html). Brisbanetimes.com.au. Retrieved 2014-07-16. 1. ["Records Outdoor Women"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120111105152/http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-women). World-masters-athletics.org. 2014-05-28. Archived from [the original](http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-women) on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2014-07-16. 1. ["Ruth Frith dies at 104; Australian grabbed global attention at WMG"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140604070450/http://masterstrack.com/2014/03/28489/). masterstrack.com. Archived from [the original](http://masterstrack.com/2014/03/28489/) on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-07-16. 1. ["Helen Frith Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200418072510/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/helen-frith-1.html). Sports-reference.com. 1939-07-12. Archived from [the original](https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/helen-frith-1.html) on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2014-07-16. 1. ["Ruth Frith"](http://www.fitandwell.com.au/inspiring-women/ruth-frith). Fitandwell.com.au. Retrieved 2014-07-16. 1. ["FRITH, Ruth Pauline - Australian Sports Medal"](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/980540). Australian Government. 8 June 2000. Retrieved 4 April 2018. 1. ["FRITH, Ruth Pauline - Medal of the Order of Australia"](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886318). Australian Government. 26 January 1994. Retrieved 4 April 2018. 1. ["Vale Ruth Frith OAM 1909-2014"](http://nswathletics.org.au/News/ArtMID/1740/ArticleID/414275/Vale-Ruth-Frith-OAM-1909-2014). Nswathletics.org.au. Retrieved 2014-07-16. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruth Frith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Frith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Frith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.