PANAMA CITY BEACH – The 27th edition of the Visit Panama City IRONMAN Florida took place in Florida’s Panhandle over the weekend. Among the over 1,800 registered athletes who swam, biked, and ran across Panama City Beach and its surrounding areas, one woman accomplished a major milestone. Jill Walker of Tampa, Florida, crossed the finish line completing her 100th full-distance IRONMAN triathlon, joining rare company that includes British Columbia, Canada’s Elizabeth Model and Jacksonville, Florida’s Susan Haag. The 57-year-old Walker finished her most recent at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawai`i, only three weeks earlier.
In addition, Jill and her husband Dougin continue to be among the very few who have done every single available full-distance IRONMAN event in the world, even tying the knot mid-race on the bike course during IRONMAN Cozumel in 2022. A dog lover, Walker has embraced not just the support of the local communities she races in, but their canine companions too, stopping to pet any four-legged friend she spotted along the course.
“I wake up excited for every single one. It never gets old and (the races) are all unique and special in their own way. Panama City Beach was my first IRONMAN in 2007,” Walker said at the finish line. “This was my 11th time racing IRONMAN Florida. I love this race! Today could not have been more perfect. Weather, fans, everything. There were 28 dogs, but I got a million hugs. I saw a lot of dogs that had the bandanas that I brought to put on them. It made me so happy.”
Walker added, “If you can do a 5k, then you can do an IRONMAN. You just have to sign up, commit to it, and start training. Believe that you can do it and anything is possible.”
Walker crossed the finish line at the 2025 Visit Panama City IRONMAN Florida in a time of 14:32:17, followed closely behind by her husband, Dougin. Greeted by her friends and supporters, including her own two beloved dogs, Jill was also gifted with commemorative dog collars highlighting every event she had completed throughout her 100 full-distance IRONMAN achievement.
Reilly Walsh (M25-29 age group) from Staten Island, New York, took the overall win on Saturday finishing the course in 8:25:33, while Nataliia Matsupko (M40-44 age group) from Keiv, Ukraine won the women’s race in a time of 9:15:31.
