Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

80 Year Old Finishes World Championship

Natalie Grabow, an 80-year-old grandmother from New Jersey who didn’t learn to swim until age 59, just became the oldest woman to finish the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. She swam 2.4 miles in the ocean, cycled 112 miles through lava fields and coastal crosswinds, then ran a full 26.2-mile marathon with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain, finishing in 16 hours and 45 minutes. When she crossed the finish line to loud cheers and crowds chanting her name, the first person to greet her was Cherie Gruenfeld, the woman whose record she had just broken who was 78 when she finished the same race in 2022. Grabow learned to swim in 2005 specifically to overcome her fear so she could compete in triathlons, starting with a sprint distance that same year before attempting Kona in 2006.

This was Grabow’s 11th Ironman World Championship in Kona, and she was the sole entrant in the 80-84 age group, supported by her daughter Amy and coach Michelle Lake who calls her the definition of grit and gratitude. Growing up, girls and women didn’t have many sports options, and as a software engineer she became a dedicated runner but suffered frequent injuries until the cross-training aspect of triathlon appealed to her. She says triathlon allows her to feel strong both mentally and physically while satisfying her competitive spirit, and she’s already signed up for two half Ironman races in 2026. Her advice to others is simple: listen to your body, take time off when needed, and most importantly just enjoy the journey because the day-to-day training is what she loves most.

PrevPreviousWhat Used To Take Days Of Treatment Now Happens In One Hour
NextShe Played This Instrument During Her Brain SurgeryNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

Bamboo May Be Replacing Plastic Soon

October 25, 2025

Dawei Zhao at Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in China developed a way to turn bamboo cellulose into a rigid biodegradable plastic that actually outperforms regular plastic for mechanical strength and heat resistance. His method uses zinc chloride and simple acid to break up the complex bonds in bamboo fiber,

Read More
Happy News

Thrift Shop Discovery Became A Massive Historical Find

October 25, 2025

Richard Drummond spotted a colorful stained glass window for sale in a Moffat, Scotland thrift shop for just $25, and was told it came from an old house in the area that had been abandoned for years. When he cleaned off decades of grease with a brush, he discovered stunning

Read More
Happy News

The Internet Is Rooting For This Butterfly

October 25, 2025

When a woman brought a stranded monarch butterfly with a broken wing to the Sweetbriar Nature Center in New York, wildlife rehabilitation director Janine Bendicksen had to think fast and try something nobody had ever attempted before. She found a dead monarch in her vivarium that could serve as a

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 HappyNews.