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IRONMAN Kona 2024: 84-year-old heads INSPIRATIONAL Age Group triathletes accepting BRUTAL Hawaii challenge

Meet just a few of the inspiring amateur triathletes overcoming adversity and defying the odds to fulfil their dream of crossing the finish line in Kona.
Writer & Long Course Triathlete
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On Saturday October 26, more than 2,400 male triathletes will return to the Big Island of Kona to compete in this year’s men’s IRONMAN World Championship.

Many eyes will be on the star-studded men’s PRO field as the likes of Kristian Blummenfelt, Sam Laidlow and Magnus Ditlev battle it out for the 2024 world title. But further back down the road, a field of age-group triathletes will push their limits and battle against the brutal Kona elements, to finally cross the finish line they’ve spent so many days, months and years dreaming about.

There are 85 different countries, regions and territories represented in the age group field. And a 64-year age gap between the youngest and the oldest competitor. There are countless stories of determination and perseverance to tell from the age group field including that of former motor racing prodigy, Billy Monger who aims to set the fastest time for a double amputee racing with prosthetic legs.

Each individual has their own story, their own motivation and their own struggles they’ve had to overcome to make the start line. We take a look at just a few of the inspiring age groupers taking to the start line in Kona this weekend.

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Team Agar: The USA father and son duo determined against all odds to finish what they started

Hailing from Rockford, MI, USA, Jeff and Johnny Agar are the father and son duo who make up Team Agar. Johnny has cerebral palsy, but that hasn’t stopped him and his father Jeff from pushing their limits with endurance challenges. Starting with their first 5km together in 2009, to their first half Ironman triathlon in 2015. This is a family who are no strangers to determination. In 2012, Johnny decided he wanted to walk a mile in a race – having only ever walked 23 steps before. Nine months later, he completed a mile in a 5km race with hundreds of people cheering him on.

The duo first had the opportunity to race in Kona in 2016, but the day ended in disappointment when they missed the bike cut off. Not discouraged, this was to be the start of their journey – not the end. The pair has since completed multiple 70.3s including IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder, IRONMAN 70.3 Traverse City, and IRONMAN 70.3 Muncie. But they held on to the dream to complete a full IRONMAN and have the opportunity to finish what they started in Kona. In September 2022, after five failed full Ironman distance attempts, Jeff and Johnny – Team Agar – completed IRONMAN Maryland, with four minutes to spare. Johnny walked across the finish line.

Team Agar IRONMAN World Championship photo credit IRONMAN
Team Agar [Photo credit: IRONMAN]

This Saturday, Team Agar will return to Kona seeking redemption and the chance to realise a dream they’ve pursued with grit, determination and unwavering self-belief – choosing to persevere where many would have given up long ago.

Paul Bradford: From learning to walk again to the Kona start line in 2 years

Paul Bradford from the UK entered IRONMAN Austria in 2012 as a tribute to his late father who inspired him during his teenage years. Hooked on the sport after that first IRONMAN race, like so many age-groupers Paul was determined to achieve the goal of qualifying for Kona.

But in 2022, just four weeks before he was due to line up on the start line at his first IRONMAN World Championship race, tragedy struck. Paul was involved in a bike crash, sustaining a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures to his skull, jaw and ribs. His medic training partner kept him alive at the scene until the air ambulance arrived. Given a 10% chance of survival, Paul was in a coma for 7 days and spent 3 months in hospital. And yet, despite having to learn how to walk and talk again, Paul was determined to make it to the Big Island. Two years after that training ride ended in disaster, he’ll be one of the 2,400 men standing on the start line at Kailua Bay this weekend.

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Douglas Griffiths: Showing cancer who’s boss

Douglas Griffiths from Vincentia, Australia has dreamed of competing at the IRONMAN World Championship for almost his entire life. Inspired by Kona, he took on his first triathlon aged 16 in 1986. In 2024, he’s finally about to make his lifelong dream come true as he gets ready to step onto the Kona start line 38 years later.

But the IRONMAN phrase ‘Anything is Possible’ has taken on a new meaning for Griffiths after 35 years of active duty as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy. He returned from duty in February 2023 and received a devastating diagnosis: Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma. A form of blood cancer which prevents him from producing red blood cells and impacts his bone marrow. Determined not to let cancer win, he races in Kona to prove that Anything is Possible and to finish a dream he’s held since he started the sport.

Brent and Kyle Pease: The brothers helping to support other athletes with disabilities

Brent and Kyle Pease from Atlanta, USA are brothers united by a special bond: competing in marathons and triathlons as a duo, with Brent pushing and pulling his younger brother Kyle who has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy.

In 2011, after completing their first triathlon, the brothers established the Kyle Pease Foundation – aiming to help athletes with disabilities to share the joy of racing. Since then, the brothers have completed dozens of endurance challenges together and their foundation has supported hundreds of athletes along the way.

Kyle and Brent Pease IRONMAN Florida 2021 Photo credit: Julio Aguilar, Getty Images for IRONMAN
Kyle and Brent Pease at IRONMAN Florida [Photo credit: Julio Aguilar, Getty Images for IRONMAN]

The start line in Kona this weekend will mark a continuation of their inspiring journey, after they became the first ever push-assisted team of brothers to finish the race in 2018.

Beau Jones: Dancing with the black dog of depression

Australia’s Beau Jones was diagnosed with PTSD after the events surrounding his son’s birth, and spent weeks dancing with the black dog of depression. Since then, he’s been on a mission to ensure that no one suffers with their mental health in silence. He took up triathlon as part of his drive to affect positive change, and completed his first IRONMAN at the 2022 IRONMAN Australia, Port Macquarie.

As he gets ready to line up in Kona, Beau is a vocal advocate for mental health and is dedicated to using the sport of triathlon as a vehice for change, sharing a positive mental health message with the community.

Beau Jones completed IRONMAN Australia in 2022 Photo credit: Sportoograf for IRONMAN
Beau Jones at IRONMAN Australia [Photo credit: Sportoograf for IRONMAN]

Jonathan Pascual: Overcoming impossible odds and shaping a legacy

Jonathan Pascual’s road to achieving Legacy Athlete status, completing 15 IRONMAN triathlons and gaining an entry to the IRONMAN World Championship, has been anything but smooth sailing. In 2007, the Californian triathlete was diagnosed with a brain tumour which he was able to have resected. But in 2022, he was diagnosed with a rare stage IV cancer with had spread throughout his lungs and bones. The cancer is incurable, and Jonathan was told he had around five years left to live. The terminal diagnosis brings with it chronic pain, and unnerving symptoms such as difficulty breathing – especially when he is in the prone position of swimming. But that hasn’t stopped Jonathan from being determined to make the most of the time he has left. Spending time with friends and family, travelling, continuing to work as a nurse. And competing in triathlons and marathons.

Despite the adversity he faces, Jonathan trains 7 days a week – getting ready for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, and separately a 100-mile ultra marathon. He wants to use the sport as a way to spread the message of early detection of cancer, to show that cancer isn’t an outright death sentence and to show that resilience can enable people to overcome impossible odds.

Michael Andreasen: Disability need not stand in the way of accomplishments

Michael Andreasen of San Diego, USA has hypochondroplasia – a form of short limbed skeletal dysplasia – and stands at 4 foot 7 inches tall. And while this brings its limitations, Michael has a determination to push the boundaries of what his body can endure – never letting his disability define him, or what he is able to accomplish.

Andreason will take to the start line on Saturday with the support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Warren Hill: Age is just a number

Finally we need to talk about Warren Hill. The 84-year-old New Zealander will be the oldest competitor at this year’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. This will be Warren’s 3rd time racing on the Big Island. He completed his first ever IRONMAN race in 2017 – proving it’s never too late to pursue a big goal – and qualified for Kona 2018. But just days before the race, he crashed his bike while riding on the Queen K. Talking to Tri NZ in 2022, his son Paul (who was also due to race in 2018) reflected on the crash saying: “They thought he wouldn’t make it, but they didn’t know dad.”

Warren returned to Kona in 2019, and not only did he complete the race – he won the 80-84 age group and became a world champion in the process. He was back on the Big Island for the 2022 edition of the race, where he finished second in his category.

Warren Hill will be the oldest competitor at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship Photo credit: FinisherPix
Warren Hill will be the oldest competitor at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship [Photo credit: FinisherPix for IRONMAN]

Just like so many other age-groupers, those featured in this article and the hundreds who will line up on the start line this Saturday, Warren’s is a tale of overcoming adversity. But also a reminder that age is just a number!


The men’s IRONMAN World Championship action kicks off in Kona at 06:25 local time on Saturday 26 October. Read our race preview to find out how to watch live!

Jenny Lucas-Hill
Written by
Jenny Lucas-Hill
Jenny Lucas-Hill is a writer, content creator and communications professional. A long-distance triathlon enthusiast, she has five full Iron-distance finishes to date & also loves watching the sport.
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