80-year-old woman breaks record as oldest person to complete the Ironman World Championship

Whilst most of us are sitting on the couch watching tv, eating an unhealthy treat and thinking about going for a walk, one individual has just proved that anything is possible. 80-year-old Natalie Grabow has put us to shame in incredible circumstances.

At 80 years old, Natalie Grabow made history as the oldest woman ever to complete the Ironman World Championship, finishing the grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run in 16 hours, 45 minutes, and 26 seconds which is safely under the 17-hour cutoff.

Even more impressively, Natalie didn’t learn to swim until she was 59, when she also entered her very first sprint triathlon.

Speaking on the Living in the Comments, PK Humble even claimed that he needed a woman like that in his life.

Hosted by PK Humble and Kimberley Cumberbatch, Living in the Comments dives each week into the funniest, wildest, and most talked-about stories from social media, along with the internet’s best (and most unfiltered) comment-section reactions.

Episodes are short and snappy, usually around 20 minutes, with a focus on lighthearted fun rather than heavy politics or negativity.

When PK and Kimberley covered Natalie’s story, one listener perfectly summed it up in the comments:

“She didn’t just finish an Ironman, she finished everyone’s excuses.”

Hard to argue with that. Some people can’t be bothered to walk to the shops, while an 80-year-old just conquered one of the toughest endurance events in the world.

Another commenter chimed in:

“Yeah, but what age did she start the race?”

Fair point, most of us would need 80 years to finish an Ironman, not just 16 hours.

The segment wrapped up with PK joking, “I need a woman like Natalie,” before adding, “Natalie, if you’re single, put me in your will.”

Living in the Comments, brought to you by KFC, is available every Thursday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Other topics on the podcast involve viral pranks, internet stunts, bizarre memes, and the funniest comment-section reactions from around the web.

Catch up with all the previous podcasts now ahead of the new one dropping this Thursday.