Three generations complete Ironman in Taupō, led by Napier’s 75-year-old Jane Lee

When Taradale grandmother Jane Lee decided she was going to do an Ironman at age 75, she wasn’t going to let her family just sit on the couch while she trained.

So it was that three generations of Hawke’s Bay athletes completed the Ironman 2025 – 3.8km of open-water swimming, 180km of cycling and a full marathon of 42.2km to close – in Taupō on Saturday.

Jane Lee was the oldest participant to line up at the sunrise start line and crossed the finish line 16 hours and 42 minutes later, just 18 minutes before the cut-off time.

Jane Lee, 75, the oldest competitor in the Ironman 2025, crossing the finish line just minutes before the cut-off. Photo / Ironman New Zealand

As she raced towards the line she wasn’t just pushing her own limits, she was leading a family legacy.

In her third Ironman, this time Lee was racing alongside one of her two daughters, Sarah Lee, 52, and her grandson Oliver Larbi, 26, who is Sarah Lee’s nephew.

What had started as a casual family dinner conversation, turned into months of rigorous training, shared sacrifices, and ultimately, a finish line they would cross together.

Jane Lee completed her first Ironman at 65, another at 70, and when her 75th birthday approached, she decided she wasn’t done yet.

“I was having dinner at my other daughter’s place one Sunday night, and I turned to Oliver and asked, ‘Would you do an Ironman with me?’” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

His response was immediate: “No.”

But 10 minutes later, something shifted.

“I wasn’t too keen. But you can’t say no to your grandma, so I’m happy I did it,” Larbi said.

For him, the experience was a leap into the unknown.

“I didn’t even have a bike.”

With some borrowed gear and months of family training, Larbi found himself at the start line, ready to take on a challenge he had never expected.

Jane Lee, 75 (centre), her daughter Sarah Lee, 52 (left) and grandson Oliver, 26, took on the Ironman race together, proving that determination runs in the family.

His aunt, Sarah Lee, was no stranger to the race.

“I’ve done an Ironman before with my mum. She was 69 when she asked me to do it with her. I couldn’t say, ‘No, I’m too old for that.’ So, we did,” Sarah Lee said.

Preparation for the Ironman race wasn’t just about physical endurance, it became a family ritual and a constant topic at family dinners.

Jane and Sarah Lee trained together, spending weekends on six-hour bike rides, pushing through long swims, and motivating each other on tough days.

“Oliver trained too,” Jane Lee said, “but he was always way out ahead of us.”

The competition day was a test of body and mind.

Throughout the race, the family would cross paths, offering words of encouragement.

“You’d see each other on the course, yell something, cheer, and then push on,” Sarah Lee said.

For Larbi, the hardest part was the run.

“By the end, it felt like my legs were going to tear apart,” he said.

But crossing the finish line brought different emotions.

“Seeing my grandma do it at 75, after doing it myself, I realised just how incredible that is,” Larbi said.

For Sarah Lee, it was about pride.

“We weren’t just racing. We were creating memories as a family,” she said.

And for Jane Lee? “Relief,” she laughs.

“But also, gratitude. Three generations doing an Ironman. And it was the journey even before, not just the whole weekend. That’s what it was really about.”

The trio celebrating together after the competition.

Now, they need to find a new topic for family dinners.

“We don’t know what we are going to talk about now,” Sarah Lee says.

As for Larbi, he is not in a rush to do another full Ironman.

“Maybe a shorter one,” he says.

Jane and Sarah Lee are already eyeing new challenges, such as the Hawke’s Bay Marathon in May, and they are hoping to recruit more family members.

“I’m trying to get Oliver’s mum to do the full with me,” Jane Lee says.

For her, age is never an excuse.

“People think they’re too old to start something, but you’re never too old,” she says.

“It’s about taking small steps, staying active, and finding something you love.”

Ironman New Zealand said in a statement that Jane Lee was living proof that this philosophy works.

“Seeing a three-generation family cross the finish line together is truly inspiring ... Congratulations to Jane and her family for showing us all that anything is possible,” it said.

Jane Lee stands proudly by a wall of medals, reflecting on decades of competition, while a photo with her daughter Sarah Lee from a past Ironman reminds her that this journey has always been about family. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Sarah Lee said her mother had always served as a role model.

“At 75, most people are planning cruises,” she says.

“My mum planned an Ironman. You don’t say no to that, you just lace up and start running.”

And maybe, just maybe, you inspire the next generation to do the same.

With over 10 years of experience as a journalist in Brazil, Rafaella Melo – who has worn many hats, from radio and TV presenter to magazine editor – joins the Hawke’s Bay Today team as a multimedia journalist, covering all that matters to the community.