ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Attribution for the photos in the video above: Malkus Group
Dottie Dorion is a woman who proves that age is just a number.
Dorion, a trailblazer in the evolution of competitive women’s sports, has competed in hundreds of triathlons, including the legendary Ironman, and her journey started at a time when opportunities for women in sports looked very different.
She reminisced about the 1940s and 50s, noting the limited opportunities for women in sports and specifically recalling her experience playing basketball.
“You could take two bounces and a half a court, and if you went over the half a court, you got a penalty,” Dorion told News4JAX in a sit-down interview. “So right there. I mean, they didn’t think that we women could play a full court of basketball.”
Despite the restrictions, she found ways to stay active. Jump rope, hopscotch, and running with friends were part of her daily life. Summers on her grandparents’ farm in Vermont gave her even more room to explore.
“We didn’t have a TV or distractions. We were our own entertainment—fishing, climbing, running,” she said.
Her love for movement eventually grew into a passion for competition. In the 1980s, she discovered Ironman.
“I had to learn how to swim to do the Iron Man. Honestly, I could dog paddle and side stroke, which is not going to take you very far. So that was my biggest obstacle,” she said.
That determination carried her through over 250 triathlons by the time she turned 90. But her journey wasn’t just about personal achievement, she was also breaking barriers for women in sports.
“We had a very tough time, and I think that people, that women especially, can appreciate where they are today if they know where they’ve come from,” she said.
At 90, she’s still moving and thriving, crediting consistency as her secret to success.
“Use it or lose it,” she said.
Her story is the focus of a new documentary, Beyond Triathlon, which celebrates the progress women have made in sports. The inspiring documentary received top honors with the People’s Choice Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, the Ponte Vedra Recorder said.
“You laugh and you cry. I saw a tough, tough guy. He was sitting there with tears running down his face,” she said.
You can watch her story next week at Flagler College’s Gamache Koger Theatre in St. Augustine. The documentary will be shown on Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. during the St. Augustine Film Festival.
Click here to purchase tickets.