Triathlon

Joyful and Refreshing: A Commentator's Experience at Kona 2022

So super question, how did I feel during Kona 2022? I will probably have a different answer than some of the people that actually raised it. I was in an air conditioned commentary booth, so I felt fantastic compared to some of the athletes out there. Honestly, my overwhelming emotion during the Ironman World Championship in 2022 was just great joy. Being back in Hawaii after two years being away due to the pandemic. It was just great that we could all be together again. And I love my job as a commentator and bringing the stories and the action and trying to generate some excitement for our sports. I absolutely love it. So my emotions were quite joyful and happy. And I had a nice cold beverage next to me, some snacks that were provided by our great crew and a comfy chair. So my experience was probably a little different than some of the athletes, but it was great to be back in Hawaii. But I'm looking forward to the new format coming in 2023, where the women will be returning to Kona and the men will take to their Ironman World Championship course in Nice. I think it's going to be an exciting new format and I can't wait. Thanks.

My emotions during the IRONMAN World Championship in 2022 were full of joy and happiness being back in Hawaii after two years due to the pandemic. I was also excited for the new format coming in 2023 where the women will be competing in Kona and the men in Nice.

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During Kona 2022, I felt fantastic in the air-conditioned commentary booth. My overwhelming emotion was great joy, as it was wonderful to be back in Hawaii after two years due to the pandemic. Being able to gather together again was a special experience. As a commentator, I love my job and bringing the stories and action of the event to viewers. My emotions were filled with happiness and joy. I enjoyed having a cold beverage and snacks provided by our crew while sitting comfortably in a chair. While my experience may have been different from the athletes', it was still amazing to be back in Hawaii. I'm also excited about the upcoming new format in 2023, where women will return to Kona and men will compete in Nice for the Ironman World Championship. It promises to be an exciting change, and I can't wait for it to happen.

What inspired you to transition from a career on Wall Street to a professional triathlete?

From Wall Street Trader to Pro Triathlete: The Inspiring Leap

So, an anonymous user has sent me my first official question here on any question. What inspired you to transition from a career on Wall Street to a professional triathlete? Truth be told, oftentimes I wonder if I fell down and smacked my head on the pavement when I made that decision. Just kidding. I loved my job on Wall Street. I was an equity trader. I started on the sell side working for Lehman Brothers in Manhattan and then moved up to a buy side firm, a mutual fund company in Boston called MFS Investment Management. I loved the trading desk. A lot of my business school classmates made fun of me that I spent two years in business school just to become a trader. It's not thought to be one of the more complicated jobs on Wall Street, but I loved the vibe of the trading desk. It was fast paced. It was competitive. It was stressful. It was very rare that I was bored. But when my very first coach in the sport, Karen Smyers, asked the question, would you ever consider quitting your job and racing professionally, something in my gut just, the words came out of my mouth before my brain could even think about it. It was one of those questions I just knew the answer to before I could even think about it and I can't say I have any regrets at all. Thanks for your question.

I transitioned from a career on Wall Street to a professional triathlete after being asked the question by my first coach. Despite the shock of the decision and the jokes from my business school classmates, I don't regret it at all.

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What inspired me to transition from a career on Wall Street to becoming a professional triathlete? To be honest, sometimes I question if I hit my head on the pavement when I made that decision. Just kidding! I actually loved my job on Wall Street as an equity trader. Starting at Lehman Brothers and then moving to MFS Investment Management in Boston, I enjoyed the fast-paced, competitive, and often stressful environment of the trading desk. Many of my business school classmates teased me for spending two years in business school just to become a trader. Although it may not be considered one of the more complex roles on Wall Street, I thrived in that atmosphere and rarely experienced boredom. However, when my first coach in the sport, Karen Smyers, asked if I would ever consider quitting my job to race professionally, something instinctual within me blurted out the answer before my brain even had a chance to process it. It was one of those moments where I just knew the answer deep down, and I can honestly say that I have no regrets about making that decision. Thank you for your question!

What is the significance of your 2016 12-hour Time Trial World Championship win?

Overcoming Injury and Discovering a New Racing Passion

Hey, thanks for your question, which is, what is the significance of your 2016 12-hour time trial world championship win? At the time, it was super significant because I was really run injured when I did that event. So it really gave me a great outlet competitively because I hadn't been able to race any multi-sport for quite some time due to injury. So it was great to have a competitive outlet. Once I got into the event, it sort of occurred to me that not only might I have some ability at some of the ultra-distance racing, but I actually quite enjoyed it, which is also really important. So it was a really great combination at the time, giving me a competitive outlet during a period of injury and opened the door to a whole new kind of racing.

Winning the 2016 12 hour time trial World Championship was significant to me because it provided a competitive outlet while I was injured and opened the door to a new type of racing that I enjoyed.

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The significance of my 2016 12-hour Time Trial World Championship win was twofold. Firstly, it provided a significant outlet for competition during a period when I was dealing with a running injury. Being unable to participate in multi-sport events for some time, this win allowed me to channel my competitive spirit. Secondly, during the event itself, I realized that I not only had the potential for success in ultra-distance racing but also found great enjoyment in it. This victory opened the door to a whole new realm of racing for me.

How did you manage to overcome your crash in 2011 and return to the race course?

Triathlete's Road to Recovery: Patience and Perseverance

Hey, thanks for your question. Question is, how did you manage to overcome your crash in 2011 and return to the race course? It was a hard lesson in patience. One I'm still not sure I have mastered, but I had a crash at Ironman Frankfurt in 2011 where I broke six bones on the left side of my body. I broke my elbow, two ribs. I broke my pelvis in two different places, and I broke my hip. It was a long period of doing absolutely nothing at all so that the bones could heal, and then starting the rehabilitation process, which I misinterpreted and actually probably overdid quite a bit and tried to exercise before I was actually ready and wound up with a number of trickle-down injuries subsequent to that. Chest fracture in my sacrum, some Achilles issues because I was tremendously imbalanced. Biggest takeaway there was be really patient with major injuries like that because they do take time. Never lost my joy though and was thankful once I started seeing progress to get back out there. The psychological impact also took me a while to get my confidence back from riding in the rain. It had been raining when I crashed, and that took a bit as well, the psychological part of it, so it's a process.

After my crash in 2011, it took a long period of patience and rehabilitation to get back on the track. I had to be really patient with major injuries like that because they do take time. I also had to work on getting my confidence back for riding in the rain, which was an important psychological hurdle to overcome.

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Overcoming my crash in 2011 and returning to the race course was a lesson in patience. I had a crash at Ironman Frankfurt where I broke six bones on the left side of my body, including my elbow, ribs, pelvis, and hip. I had to endure a long period of rest to allow the bones to heal before starting the rehabilitation process. However, I misinterpreted the rehab and pushed myself too hard, resulting in additional injuries like a chest fracture and Achilles issues due to imbalance. The key takeaway from this experience was to be patient with major injuries as they require time to heal properly. Despite the challenges, I never lost my joy for racing and was grateful once I started making progress towards getting back out there. Rebuilding my confidence took time, especially when it came to riding in the rain since it had been raining when I crashed. It was a psychological process as well.

What motivates Dede to keep pushing herself and competing in triathlons?

Triathlete Dede Finds Motivation in Challenging Herself

Thanks for your question, which is what motivates Didi to keep pushing herself and competing in triathlons? Yeah, I think I've said in another answer, I'm just really lucky that I love what I do. I love the process. And I just feel really fortunate to get to do this for the time I get to do it. So that definitely keeps me motivated. And at this stage of my career, I'm just curious what level of achievement and performance is possible. Obviously, I'm on the downward slope because of my age, but just curious to see what sorts of performances I can put out when competing against women who are oftentimes half my age. So it's definitely a big challenge, but one that I'm up to and enjoying seeing what's possible. Thanks. Thanks.

What motivates DD to keep competing in triathlons is her love of the process and her curiosity to see what level of performance she can reach despite being at an advanced age compared to her competitors.

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What motivates me, Didi, to keep pushing myself and competing in triathlons? Well, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to love what I do and enjoy the entire process. I feel grateful for the opportunity to pursue this passion for as long as I can. At this stage of my career, I am driven by curiosity about the level of achievement and performance I can reach. Despite being on the downward slope due to my age, I am intrigued to see what kind of performances I can deliver when competing against women who are often half my age. It's definitely a significant challenge, but one that I embrace and find fulfillment in pushing my limits to see what's possible. Thank you!

You commentate for IM (great job btw) but how do you handle any negative comments you receive?

Facing the Challenge: Handling Negative Comments as an IM Commentator

This is a tough one. I'm really struggling to answer this. It's the question you commentate for Ironman. And it says we do a great job. I don't know. We try to do a great job. We don't always, but we really do try. How do you handle any negative comments you receive? Yeah, it's hard because we do try so hard to do a good job. It's not an easy job. Yeah, I appreciate the constructive feedback. If people disagree with what we've said or if we've misstated something, I love when people correct so that we can set the record straight. I love when we can have debate about, I don't know, what the best hydration strategy is. We can have honest debate about the goods and the bads and everything and differences of opinion. I think those conversations are really worthwhile. Where I get where I struggle is the super negative stuff. People have called me stupid. I look at my resume and I will play resume bingo with anyone any day. I'm not stupid. You may not agree with what I said, but that doesn't make me stupid. Let's keep it kind and let's keep it constructive. There's other people that say my voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and I'm sorry about that. There's really literally nothing I can do about the sound of my voice. I love the constructive feedback. It's where the attacks get personal that I really struggle. I lean on my co-commentators because we're in it together and we know how hard we work to do a good job. Some people, haters just going to hate. It's something I have to do a better job of getting over, but because I care so much about doing a good job, it does still bother me and it's something I continue to struggle with.

I appreciate the constructive feedback when people disagree with what we've said or if we've misstated something. However, when the attacks get personal, it can be tough to deal with and I have to do a better job of getting over it. I rely on my co commentators for support because we know how hard we work to do a good job and some people are just going to hate no matter what.

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Handling negative comments can be challenging, especially when putting so much effort into commentating for Ironman. Constructive feedback is always appreciated, as it helps us improve and set the record straight if we've made any mistakes or misinterpretations. Engaging in debates about topics like hydration strategies can be valuable and enlightening. However, it becomes difficult when faced with excessively negative comments. Personal attacks, such as calling me stupid, are hurtful and unnecessary. Disagreeing with my statements doesn't make me stupid, and it's important to keep the conversation kind and constructive. Some people may find my voice unpleasant, but unfortunately, I cannot change that aspect. I rely on my co-commentators for support since we work hard together to do a good job. While haters exist, I need to work on not letting their negativity affect me as much because I genuinely care about delivering quality commentary. It's an ongoing struggle that I'm trying to overcome.

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Former US National Team Swimmer turned Wall Street executive turned Professional Triathlete.  Ultraman World Champion and World Record Holder.

Dede Griesbauer