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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.

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