Ep. 7: From Horses to Ironman: Holly’s Endurance Origin Story (and the Teams Behind Average Age Groupers)

Laura, Holly, and Maggie introduce Average Age Groupers, explain they’re part of Waterfall Racing, and share details about their local community team, Forward Endurance Club (formerly Forward Tri Club), built around uncoached group workouts and post-training coffee and tacos. They then dive into Holly’s background: early track, years running a horse training business, returning to running after burnout, completing 5Ks and the 2016 Madison Half, and a rapid leap into ultras through MadPower and Her Madison, culminating in a grueling Fall 50-mile race marked by headwinds, strict cutoffs, celiac-fueled self-support, and finishing unofficially in the dark. After a long break from running, Holly transitions toward triathlon, learns to swim during COVID, completes a local “Last Tri Series,” then races Door County Sprint and Boulder 70.3, later adding Wisconsin 70.3, North Carolina 70.3, and Ironman Wisconsin 2024, with future episodes and guests teased and a request to like, comment, rate, and engage for algorithm support.00:00 Meet the Hosts00:37 Shoutouts and Listener Love01:09 Waterfall Racing Explained03:59 Forward Endurance Club Vibes06:43 Holly Concussion Update07:39 Early Sports and Horses11:32 Back to Running and First 5Ks13:38 First Half Marathon Lessons18:42 MadPower and Ultra Leap23:35 Fall 50 Training Grind27:49 Race Day Headwind and Finish37:00 Finish Line Letdown38:10 Post Race Breakdown39:42 Why Keep Racing43:31 Chicago Marathon Takeaways46:22 Tri Bike Leap48:08 Learning To Swim49:14 COVID Open Water Era53:00 First Official Triathlons53:39 Boulder Breakthrough57:22 All In On Triathlon01:00:53 Gravel Goals Next01:01:25 Wrap Up And Next EpisodesListen to the Pod here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFphttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYFKP1OYAMiMR1Ve36fOAwhttps://www.instagram.com/averageagegroupers/