IRONMAN’s New Women’s Community… and Our Real Kona Podium Picks

Laura, Holly, and Maggie introduce their podcast Average Age Groupers and react to IRONMAN’s new women-focused community, “Woven,” describing its Strava/Instagram presence, member events, race meetups, and perks while questioning what concrete support it will provide beyond connection. They discuss how women-only racing (like IRONGIRL/Wisconsin Women’s Tri and separate-day 70.3 Worlds) can feel more positive and could boost women’s participation, and note Kona will be back to men and women racing the same day. The conversation shifts to favorite endurance athletes and why they’re fun to follow, including Heather Jackson, Paula Findlay and Eric Lagerstrom, Kat Matthews, Jenna & Logan, Justin R., India Lee, Jason West, Gustav Iden, Lionel Sanders, Nick Chase, Matthew Marquardt, Cam Wurf, and others across gravel, road cycling, and ultrarunning, plus playful, “emotional” Kona podium picks and a brief tangent on frequent collarbone breaks.

00:00 Ironman Woven Email

01:55 Skepticism and Real Support

03:35 Meet the Hosts

04:29 Women Only Racing Vibes

07:44 What Woven Should Do

10:37 Kona Format Changes

13:59 Pros We Love Following

14:17 Heather Jackson Spotlight

17:29 Triathlon Life and Kat

22:59 More Favorites and Norwegians

28:49 Lionel Sanders and RTS

30:27 Pro Favorites Rundown

31:47 Sam Long Spotlight

32:27 Racing With The Pros

34:17 Collarbone Season Talk

35:18 Cam Wurf Fan Moment

37:13 Dream Kona Podiums

40:37 Gravel Riders To Follow

44:26 Road Worlds And Cycling Crushes

46:54 Ultra Legends And Mindset

51:41 More Tri Names And Injury Wave

55:00 Wrap Up And Next Episodes

Listen to the Pod here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099

https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFp

https://www.pandora.com/podcast/average-age-groupers/PC:1001121141

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYFKP1OYAMiMR1Ve36fOAw

https://www.instagram.com/averageagegroupers/

https://averageagegroupers.substack.com/