The TriDoc Podcast, triathlon and health in one place · Dr. Jeff Sankoff

Ep. 183: Glucosamine and Triathlon at 80: The Unbelievable Journey of Natalie Grabow

·1 hr 7 min·4 clips

Natalie says triathlon became “my sport” after running and learning to swim at 59.

1. The TriDoc Podcast episode combines a glucosamine mailbag with Natalie Grabow’s triathlon story and a Marbella, Spain race preview. 2. Jeff Zankoff hosts, Juliette Hockman joins the medical segment, and Natalie Grabow is the guest because she became the first woman in the 80 to 84 age group to finish Kona. 3. The episode asks whether glucosamine helps cartilage and why an 80-year-old triathlete is still racing Ironman and 70.3 events. 4. Jeff opens with the 2025 Halloween edition, notes that he is heading to Marbella, Spain, and says the women’s 70.3 race is on Saturday and the men’s on Sunday. 5. He says the race-course elevation on his Garmin GPX file is about 5,000 feet, the Ironman website shows about 5,700 feet, and an organizer Facebook video says 5,900 feet. 6. He names Taylor Nibb, Lucy Charles Barkley, Kat Matthews, and Paula Finlay while discussing how athletes may respond after the Kona heat stress race. 7. Jeff points listeners to Tempo Talks for a fuller start-list preview and says he will try to post content from Marbella on Instagram at try.coaching. 8. Juliette and Jeff answer a Facebook-group question from Matthew Llewellyn about glucosamine supplements and cartilage repair. 9. Juliette says glucosamine is a building block of cartilage, which is avascular and does not repair itself well after injury. 10. She distinguishes glucosamine sulfate from glucosamine hydrochloride and says the hydrochloride form is the one studied most often. 11. Juliette says a radioactive-tag study showed dietary glucosamine can be taken up into cartilage, including supplements made from shellfish shells. 12. She notes a shellfish-allergy caution because some glucosamine supplements can have cross-contamination. 13. She says studies in osteoarthritis do not show a meaningful delay in worsening symptoms or prevention of osteoarthritis. 14. She says athlete studies in cyclists and soccer players did not show clear injury-prevention or recovery benefits. 15. She cites one acute knee-injury study using 1,500 milligrams per day for four weeks that showed improved knee flexion on day 28 but no change in swelling, pain, or overall outcomes. 16. She also mentions a biomarker study that found lower markers of cartilage turnover in people taking glucosamine, but without symptom improvement. 17. Jeff and Juliette describe the discussion as a practical review rather than a strong endorsement, and Juliette says there is no compelling evidence that glucosamine does much of anything. 18. The conversation is conversational and technical, with back-and-forth clarification about tubes, supplements, and the limits of the evidence. 19. People interested in triathlon supplements, cartilage injury questions, and older-age-group racing would likely enjoy this episode. 20. People wanting a pure race recap or a science-heavy supplement deep dive may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The TriDoc Podcast, triathlon and health in one place