AGFL Episode 105: The Queen of Triathlon, Joanne Furu

Age Grouper For Life Podcast

Join triathlon legend, Joanne Furu, who currently dominates the 70-74 age group! Joanne is a Midwestern gal from small town Michigan, living on her family farm while training for Ironman. She’s made several World Championship appearances over her tenure, and shares her perspective on how the sport has grown and changed (sometimes for better, sometimes worse) We love Joann’s passion for sport, and know it shines in this episode. Enjoy! --- Show Notes: Podcast interview with Joanne Furu to discuss her triathlon career and training approach Key Takeaways • Joanne has been competing in triathlons for over 40 years, starting when the sport first began • She grew up on a farm and feels that helped develop her into a strong triathlete • She didn't have access to many sports growing up due to lack of opportunities for girls, but played recreational basketball, softball and racquetball • She started by just training very hard without much structure or data behind the training • She has seen huge improvements in technology and data tracking over the years, going from just a stopwatch to all the metrics we have today • Nutrition has also evolved and she credits having proper on-course nutrition as key • She has overcome some recent challenges with confidence and results, but is getting back on track • Her passion for the sport after so many years is inspiring Topics: Joanne's Triathlon Career • Started competing 40+ years ago when triathlon first began • Grew up on a farm which she feels helped develop her into a strong triathlete • Competed in her first Ironman World Championship in 1999 • Has been on the podium at the Ironman World Championships • Known for being a very strong runner within the sport Training Approach and Evolution • Didn't have much structure or use data much in early days of competing • Focused more on high volume and "just working hard" • Now trains much more intentionally, following Colin's guidance on specific workouts and metrics like watts • Has seen huge improvements in use of technology and data over the years Passion for the Sport • Both Colin and Becca noted how inspiring Joanne's passion for triathlon is after competing for so many decades • She continues to love training and racing • Looking to overcome some recent challenges and get back on track with her racing Next Steps: • Joanne to compete at Ironman Wisconsin in September 2022 • Joanne to work on providing more consistent data to Colin to allow better remote coaching • Colin and Joanne to continue working together, with Colin hoping to coach her for as long as possible