• Natalie Grabow set the world record as the oldest to finish the Kona Ironman World Championship. • She began to compete in triathlons when she was 60, a year after learning to swim. • The grandmother of four said she plans to take part in triathlons for "as long as I can."
This story is based on a conversation with Natalie Grabow, 80, of Mountain Lakes, New Jersey.
I don't feel 80. I'll read a newspaper article that says a particular person is 75. I'll think to myself, "That's old." Then I'll think, "Oh, wait a minute, I turned 80 in August."
As a so-called octogenarian, I was excited to enter the 80- to 84-year-old age category in the famous Kona Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.
There were no other women taking part in that category, but my competitor was the clock because