Inside the routine of 80-year-old Natalie Grabow, the oldest woman to finish the Ironman World Championship

At an age when most people have long retired from competition, Natalie Grabow is still chasing finish lines, and rewriting history while she’s at it. The 80-year-old American athlete became the oldest woman ever to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, finishing the legendary course in 16 hours, 45 minutes, and 26 seconds, according to Reuters.

Grabow’s path to triathlon greatness began later than most. A lifelong runner, she turned to triathlons in her early 60s after recurring injuries made running alone unsustainable. Rather than give up, she learned to swim, started cycling, and entered her first Ironman. In 2006, she finished third in her age group at the Ironman World Championship, a moment that lit a fire that never went out.Since then, she’s raced consistently, with only the pandemic briefly interrupting her streak.

In recent years, Grabow’s focus and discipline have paid off handsomely. She has won every race she entered since 2022. After a second-place finish in Kona that same year, a result that nearly made her quit- she came back stronger than ever to claim her world title. In doing so, she surpassed the record of Ironman Hall of Famer Cherie Gruenfeld, who had completed Kona at age 78.“All of us in sport are competitive and want to do well, but it's the journey that matters,” Grabow told Reuters.

The power of resilience and discipline

Grabow’s coach, Michelle Lake, credits her athlete’s success to an extraordinary mindset. “She’s resilient. She’s disciplined,” Lake said, describing how Grabow pushes herself to outperform not just women in her category, but even men in similar age groups. “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,” Lake told Reuters.Even the brutal Hawaiian heat and humidity couldn’t deter her.

Grabow crossed the finish line smiling, a symbol of passion triumphing over pain and proof that aging is no barrier to peak performance.

A look inside Natalie Grabow’s routine

Training, for Grabow, is more than preparation, it’s a lifestyle. “She doesn’t miss workouts,” Lake shared. “Her training volume is high for her age. She loves long bike rides, mobility routines, and even when I suggest rest, she keeps moving.”

Her regimen is a careful blend of endurance and recovery. This year, she began incorporating one-on-one strength sessions and mobility exercises to maintain flexibility and prevent injury.

She even jokes about her “fast shoes”, her nickname for the latest super shoes designed to improve running efficiency.“She’s always curious, always learning,” Lake added. “Watching her passion and dedication is inspiring.”As the Ironman community celebrated 13 female age-group champions in Kona 2025, it was Grabow’s performance that truly captured the world’s imagination, not just for breaking records, but for reminding everyone that purpose, joy, and grit don’t retire at any age.