For most of Natalie Grabow's life, she didn't know how to swim. At age 59, she decided to change that, so she could face an even bigger challenge.

"It was a big hurdle I had to overcome," Grabow told NPR via email, "in order to do a triathlon."

Grabow is now being hailed as an inspiration. Not only did she learn to swim and then compete in a triathlon, but the 80-year-old grandmother just became the oldest woman to finish the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

"Absolutely incredible," the PA announcer said as Grabow crossed the finish line to loud cheers and a crowd chanting her first name.

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Grabow, who lives in Mountain Lakes, N.J., plunged into the ocean water of Kailua Bay on Sa

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