Feisty Triathlon · Feisty Triathlon podcast

Should Dede Griesbauer become an influencer in retirement?

·1 hr 6 min·3 clips

I've sucked every last drop from this career bone—there's nothing left I want to prove or achieve.

Hosts Joanne and Kelly welcome professional triathlete Dede Griesbauer to discuss her recent retirement after a 21-year career. The conversation explores her transition from professional racing and whether she should embrace social media influence in her next chapter. Griesbauer reflects on the most exciting race of the year, the Women's World Championship in Kona, where the lead dramatically changed in the final 5K. She also discusses Lisa Norden missing her Kona slot at Ironman Cozumel due to arriving three minutes late for the awards ceremony. The upcoming T100 race in Qatar is highlighted as a decisive winner-take-all event for the series title between Kate Waugh, Julie Derron, and Lucy Charles-Barclay. Griesbauer reveals she is still training about 12 hours a week, focusing on running to change her self-perception as "triathlon's worst runner." She contrasts her approach with other retired pros like Lauren Brandon and Katie Zaferes, who have stopped swimming entirely. The hosts note other recent retirements, including Alice Visser and Mel McQuaid, speculating financial pressures and increased media demands may be driving veterans out. A surprising insight is Griesbauer's admission that she never embraced social media because she didn't think people would care about her daily life. She observes that today's top pros have entourages and constant media obligations that she finds exhausting. Joanne argues that age-group influencers like Noel Mulkey prove audiences crave authentic personal stories, suggesting Griesbauer start sharing hers now. Griesbauer believes the professional sport now rewards burning "hard and fast" over longevity, making her 50-plus career a rare artifact. She decided to retire when she felt a settled "doneness," with no regrets or unmet goals. The episode has a conversational, reflective tone as friends discuss a major life transition with humor and candor. Longtime triathlon fans and age-group athletes seeking inspiration from a veteran's perspective will appreciate this episode. Listeners obsessed with current pro drama or social media trends might find the retrospective pace too slow.

As heard by us

A warm retirement chat that moves from holiday banter into a reflective look at 21 years of racing.

DeeDee Griesbauer's retirement chat opens in holiday mode, with Boulder snow, festive banter, and a quick nod to the Fit for Christmas challenge before settling into the harder question of what comes after 21 years of racing.

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Why you'd press play

Hear how a triathlon career ends, and what comes after.

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