This week we’re coming at you from the last all-women’s Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Unfortunately, it’s the end of an Ironman era (for now!) — but we’re going out with a bang.
We’ve got all the race drama from the ground — including two frontrunners collapsing while leading the race, a rookie champ who took the world by surprise, podium interviews poolside, and one incredibly badass 80-year-old woman who made history.
But first — as always — what happened in women’s sports this week:
- Athlos NYC brought track to Times Square – The vibes? Rock star. Masai Russell, Brittany Brown (who doubled in the 100m and 200m with endometriosis, btw), Marileidy Paulino, Keely Hodgkinson, and Tara Davis-Woodhall all showed up and showed out. Oh, and Faith Kipyegon ran the fastest women’s mile ever on U.S. soil: 4:17.78.
- The Chicago Marathon: Hawi Feysa from Ethiopia dropped a 2:14:56, the 5th fastest woman’s time ever run.
- UCI Gravel World Championships: Lorena Wiebes outsprinted Marianne Vos for a dramatic finish on this dirt championship that looks and feels a lot like road…
- Weightlifting World Championships: Olympic gold medalist Olivia Reeves is still breaking all the records. She put up 122kg in the snatch and 154kg in the clean & jerk. That’s 339 pounds, people. How did she break world records and another broke her records? A shift in weight classes cut the number of categories from ten down to eight.
- WNBA Finals: The Aces took it in four over the Phoenix Mercury. But the real talk is about negotiations over the players’ collective bargaining agreement — with team valuations skyrocketing (yes, over $100 million in the last year), the stakes are high and the money’s moving.
- COMING UP: Red Bull Rampage is this Thursday and Chelsea Kimball will be throwing down
THEN: All things KONA
- Why this was the final all-women’s Ironman World Championship in Hawaii
- The race: Absolute chaos and courage — Lucy Charles-Barclay and Taylor Knibb both collapsed, and Norwegian rookie Solveig Løvseth stayed steady and strong for the win
- The podium: Hear from Solveig, Kat Matthews (who ran a marathon course record in the heat and humidity), Laura Philipp, and Hannah Berry
- The real legend: Natalie Grabo, 80-year-old woman became the oldest woman to ever finish the Ironman World Championships. (If you’re wondering: While Sister Madonna was 82 (!) when she finished Ironman Canada in 2012, no one has ever been able to make the cutoff times in Hawaii’s brutal conditions. Until now)
- The heat, the heartbreak, the heroics — all of it, straight from Kona
Feisty Picks of the Week
SARA: Yep, it’s Solveig, our new Ironman World Champ
KELLY: And did you know J.Lo ran a 4:49 mile in high school??
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome to The Feist: Live from Hawaii
00:28 – Athlos NYC: Track Vibes in Times Square
04:24 – Endometriosis Doesn’t Slow Brittany Brown
05:57 – Fast Roads in Chicago
08:07 – Gravel Worlds = Chaos & Champions
12:21- Weightlifting World Records
15:47 – WNBA Finals and $$$ Talks
19:36 – Ironman Kona: The Final All-Women’s Edition
30:43 – Race Recap: Collapses, Comebacks, and Surprises
31:34 – Poolside with the Podium: Solveig, Kat, Laura & Hannah
53:20 – Natalie Grabow, Age 80, Finishes Kona
01:01:41 – Final Thoughts from Hawaii
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General - Women's Sports