80-year-old grandmother becomes oldest woman to finish the Ironman World Championship

For most of Natalie Grabow’s life, she didn’t know how to swim. At age 59, she decided to change that, so she could face an even bigger challenge.

“It was a big hurdle I had to overcome,” Grabow told NPR via email, “in order to do a triathlon.”

Grabow is now being hailed as an inspiration. Not only did she learn to swim and then compete in a triathlon, but the 80-year-old grandmother just became the oldest woman to finish the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

“Absolutely incredible,” the PA announcer said as Grabow crossed the finish line to loud cheers and a crowd chanting her first name.

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Grabow, who lives in Mountain Lakes, N.J., plunged into the ocean water of Kailua Bay on Saturday morning. She swam 2.4 miles and then hopped on her bike to cycle 112 miles on a highway twisting through lava fields and notorious coastal crosswinds. She then ran the 26.2-mile road course — the length of a marathon — where steep stretches contribute to an elevation gain of more than 1,000 feet. She finished the unforgiving course well within the race’s 17-hour cutoff time, at 16:45:26, on a day when more than 60 other athletes in the field of more than 1,600 failed to finish.

“I am so happy and grateful that I can still race in this sport at my age,” Grabow says, when asked about what motivates her. “Triathlon allows me to feel strong both mentally and physically, and it satisfies my competitive spirit.”

Grabow — who swims at her local YMCA, rides on an indoor cycling trainer and often runs at a high school’s outdoor track — was the sole entrant in the 80-84 age group at the women’s championship in Hawaii. At the race, she was supported by her daughter, Amy, and her coach, Michelle Lake of Fiv3 Racing.

“Natalie is the definition of grit and gratitude,” Lake told NPR via text message. “Grateful to make it to the start line, grateful to get to do something she loves everyday and grateful to inspire so many others. And she’s truly gritty.”

When Grabow crossed the finish line, the first person to greet her was the woman whose record she had just broken. Cherie Gruenfeld, who embraced Grabow, had become the oldest female ever to finish the same race in 2022, when she was 78 years old.

The oldest person to complete the prestigious competition is Japanese male athlete Hiromu Inada, who was 85 when he raced in 2018.

For Grabow, her successful finish puts an exclamation mark on a 20-year process that has seen her rack up wins in shorter Ironman 70.3-mile events, known as a half Ironman, in recent years.

“In 2005, the same year I turned 60, I started learning to swim,” Grabow says. Later that year, she entered a sprint triathlon, one of the shortest triathlon distances. But by 2006, she was coming to Kona for a shot at the full-distance Ironman course.

“This was her 11th Ironman World Championships in Kona,” Lake says.

In previous interviews, Grabow has spoken about how girls and women didn’t have many options for sports when she was growing up. During her career as a software engineer, she became a dedicated runner. But she often endured setbacks from injuries.

“The cross-training aspect of triathlon appealed to me, and this type of training reduced getting injured,” Grabow says. “Seeing my running friends take up triathlons motivated me to try it for both the challenge and the fun.”

That also meant learning to swim. Grabow says it wasn’t easy, but she adds, “If you are motivated and willing to work hard, it’s never too late to take on a new challenge.”

Asked whether she has any tips for prospective athletes, Grabow says, “My advice to others is to listen to your body, take time off when you need to and, most importantly, just enjoy the journey. The day-to-day training is what I love the most.”

Now she’ll take some time off before getting back to training, to start preparing for races next year.

“I’ve already signed up to do two 70.3 [half Ironman distance] races in 2026: Eagleman in June and Musselman in July,” Grabow says, adding that she’s looking for at least one more race to add to the first half of the year.