Natalie Grabow makes history as she becomes the oldest female to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 11.
During the Championship, Grabow swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, and ran 26.2 miles with elevations of more than 1,000 feet. She finished in 16:45:26.
Grabow was encouraged by her friends who do triathlons. Grabow states, “Seeing my running friends take up triathlons motivated me to try it for both the challenge and the fun.”
Grabow enjoys doing triathlons along with the training that comes with it. Grabow says, “The cross-training aspect of triathlon appealed to me, and this type of training reduced getting injured.” Grabow’s training consists of swimming at the YMCA. She also runs at a high school track and rides on a cycling trainer. Grabow had also completed half marathons previously.
Michelle Lake, Grabow’s coach, is very proud of her accomplishments. Lake states, “Natalie is the definition of grit and gratitude. 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.”
Grabow has completed 11 Ironman World Championships during this 20-year process. However, Grabow hasn’t always been this involved. Grabow learned how to swim at the age of 59. Grabow says, “In 2005, the same year I turned 60, I started learning to swim.” This was a difficult task for Grabow, but necessary for her next challenge. Grabow states, “It was a big hurdle I had to overcome in order to do a triathlon.” Within the same year that Grabow learned how to swim, she competed in a sprint triathlon.
Though Grabow has just made history, she is ready to take on her next adventure. Grabow says, “I’ve already signed up to do two 70.3 [half Ironman distance] races in 2026: Eagleman in June and Musselman in July.”
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/nx-s1-5575128/ironman-oldest-female-finisher-natalie-grabow
