In August of 2023, when Carolyn retired at age 66 from her job as a music professor, she didn’t slow down, she literally shifted gears. What had once been her yearly participation in short-distance triathlon racing—limited to the summer season due to the demands of her job—became her new full-time focus: training, racing, and redefining what aging can look like.
Carolyn on the bike course of the 2024 Ironman World Championships in Nice, France
Carolyn’s retirement chapter has been marked by extraordinary athletic achievements.
With an awareness that she wanted to do something meaningful with her newly-found free time, she jumped into training for what would be her first Ironman distance triathlon— which includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike course, and a 26.2 mile run—Ironman Florida, in the fall of 2023. Coming in third place in her age group, she qualified and competed at the 2024 Ironman World Championships held in Nice, France in the fall of 2024. With an awareness that every triathlete’s biggest dream is to compete at the iconic Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii—where the race would be held for women pros and amateurs in 2025—she accepted an invitation to raise money and race for the Ironman Foundation, the charitable giving sector of the Ironman brand.
In competing in the Ironman World Championships in Kona in October 2025, Carolyn finished 10th out of 42 athletes in her age group. She also competed at the 70.3 (half Ironman) World Championships in Spain one month later, placing 18th out of 62 competitors. Her fastest full Ironman time to date is an impressive 14 hours and 9 minutes, and she’s already setting her sights on breaking into the 13-hour range. She’s currently training for Oceanside (CA) 70.3 in March and Chattanooga 70.3 in May, with the hope to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships in Nice later this year.
2025 Ironman World Championships Kona, Hawaii
“I don’t consider myself an elite athlete,” Carolyn says. “But I love the sport, and I believe in doing the work and showing up. I want people to see what’s possible, not just for racing, but for life.”
Her journey into triathlon didn’t begin until her 40s, when a friend encouraged her to try her first shorter-distance race in Guntersville. With a background as an artist/teacher of trumpet, Carolyn found familiar parallels between music and endurance sports. Both require discipline, daily practice, mental focus, and the ability to perform under pressure. She says that years spent practicing and performing music taught her not only how to build skills with patience, but also how to push through moments of real physical challenge.
Carolyn being cheered on by Michellie Jones
In this retirement chapter, Carolyn trains up to 15 hours per week, swimming, biking, and running under the guidance of world-class coaches. She works out with local personal trainer Leslie Jeffrey, and remotely with triathlon coach Michellie Jones. As a former pro triathlete and the winner of 11 world championship races, she continues to dominate the field as an age-group athlete at 56 years old.
But Carolyn’s motivation extends far beyond finish lines and podiums. Her deeper mission is to challenge the cultural narrative around aging. “As older adults, we’re constantly being bombarded by TV commercials and other social media outlets that tell us what we can expect to lose physically as we get older,” she says. “I want to move the needle in the other direction — to remind people that they can still trust their bodies as they get older, with the ability to remain physically active to a much higher degree than they may have thought possible.”
Through her partnership with the Ironman Foundation as a Team IMF athlete, Carolyn has found meaningful ways to give back while pursuing her goals. The foundation has raised more than $60 million for community programs, including youth sports initiatives, swim and run programs, and bike giveaways. Carolyn earned her Kona slot through the foundation after fundraising efforts supported in part by the Vector team, a relationship she deeply values.
“Having thoughtful financial guidance made it possible for me to retire with confidence and pursue something both fun and demanding,” Carolyn says. “Every time I leave the Vector office, I feel super excited about what the future holds for me.”
Carolyn credits those future-focused conversations, from supporting charitable giving to thoughtfully planning major purchases like her recent purchase of a “Go Big or Go Home” cutting-edge, super-fast triathlon bike, with allowing her to fully embrace this season of life. Retirement for her isn’t about slowing down — it’s about stepping fully into a life focused on giving back, filled with purpose, joy, and fun.
After decades of discipline, planning, and commitment, Carolyn’s retirement reflects the same principles that guide her training: consistency, intention, and belief in what’s possible. Whether crossing a finish line or encouraging someone to take their first walk around the block, she’s proving that age is not a limitation, it’s an opportunity.
Carolyn crossing the finish line in the 2023 Ironman Florida.
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