“You’ll Never Run Again.” At 70, Loree Bolin Reversed Her Arthritis, Finished Her 11th Ironman, and Built Schools for Girls in Tanzania

When Loree Bolin was told she’d never run again, she didn’t just defy expectations — she redefined them.

At 70, Loree completed her 11th Ironman triathlon after years of battling knee osteoarthritis. But this isn’t just a story about sport. It’s about service.

A retired dentist and lifelong endurance athlete, Loree sold her practice at 60 to launch a nonprofit bringing medical and dental care to underserved communities across Tanzania. Her work now includes safehouses for girls fleeing forced marriage, business programs for widows, and a school for over 200 kids — all in regions where access to care and education was once nonexistent.

In this episode, Loree shares how sport fuels her purpose, how she rebuilt her knees without surgery, and why your most impactful years might be the ones still ahead.

🙌 Support Loree’s Work

Want to get involved with Health & Hope Foundation — or help fund their next school, clinic, or safehouse?
 Visit healthandhopefoundation.org
to donate or volunteer.

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🧭 Topics & Timestamps

• [00:02:00] Why she left dentistry to pursue humanitarian work full time
• [00:08:00] Her first volunteer trips — and the moment that changed everything
• [00:14:00] Grandmothers breaking rocks, and the birth of a business program
• [00:21:00] Starting a school in rural Tanzania for 200+ kids
• [00:30:00] How she manages teams and funding from Seattle
• [00:39:00] What most people misunderstand about volunteering
• [00:43:00] Training for Ironman while traveling overseas
• [00:56:00] Cultural barriers, custom inspections, and resilience
• [01:06:00] Reversing osteoarthritis and getting back to racing
• [01:13:00] What Ironman feels like at 70
• [01:22:00] Strength, recovery, and mindset for long-term health
• [01:33:00] Her vision for the next decade — and advice for those wondering what’s next

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