Eighty-year-old becomes oldest woman to finish Ironman World Championship
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Natalie Grabow completed the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run in 16 hours, 45 minutes and 26 seconds,
PHOTO: LEEGRUENFELD/X
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KONA – Natalie Grabow proved that age really is just a number when the 80-year-old became the oldest woman to complete the gruelling Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on Oct 11.
The American completed the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run in 16hr 45min 26sec, winning the female 80-84 division in her 10th start at the iconic event on the Big Island.
Grabow, from New Jersey, discovered triathlon in her 60s after years of running and qualified for the 2025 World Championship in 15hr 53min at Ironman Maryland, becoming the first woman in the 75-79 category to complete that race.
“All of us in sport are competitive and want to do well, but it’s the journey that matters,” she said ahead of the Kona race.
“If you’re an age-grouper, people rarely remember how you did in a race. But they remember that you had a good attitude, had a smile on your face and were happy with your effort.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do this, so I race with gratitude.”
Her coach Michelle Lake described her as “resilient” and “disciplined”, praising her steady training approach.
“Natalie’s just so resilient. That’s the one word I’d use to describe her,” she said.
“She’s competitive. She doesn’t just race against her peers – she studies the men in her age group and finds ways to beat them.
“She doesn’t miss workouts. Her training volume is high for her age.
“She loves long bike rides on the trainer, has mobility routines, and even when I suggest rest, she keeps moving. Watching her passion and dedication is inspiring.”
She surpassed the oldest female record held by Ironman Hall of Famer Cherie Gruenfeld, who completed Kona at age 78 in 2022.
Race organisers celebrated Grabow’s achievement, calling her “an icon of endurance” and highlighting her determination, with the phrase “age is just a number” on social media posts.
In the professional field, Norwegian rookie Solveig Lovseth won in 8:28:27, with Britain’s Kat Matthews second (8:29:02) and 2024 champion Laura Philipp from Germany (8:37:28) third.
The men’s event was held in September, with Norway’s Casper Stornes triumphing in 7:51:39.
Lovseth took home the US$125,000 (S$162,000) winner’s prize money and 6,000 points in the Ironman Pro Series.
“It has been hard to wrap my head around it,” she said after her victory. “I didn’t have the best swim but felt like I kept my calm.
“Out of the bike, I felt really good and couldn’t really believe it when I started the run.
“But the run was really hard from the start, I genuinely didn’t know if I was going to be able to get to the finish line.
“I started to feel a bit better about halfway, which is unbelievable, because I really didn’t expect that. I was trying to keep my calm the whole way.”
More than 1,700 age-groupers also completed the race in sweltering heat and high humidity, testing the limits of every athlete. REUTERS
