Sarah Spooner is a professional triathlete from Iowa who never expected her age-group racing journey to lead to the professional ranks.

What started as a love for the challenge of triathlon gradually became something more. Over six years of racing, Sarah worked her way from age-group competition to the professional field in 2026. Now, she is embracing the opportunity to see what she can become at the next level.

Sarah’s path to professional racing looks a little different. She continues to work full-time as a fourth-grade teacher while training and racing professionally, fitting workouts around school days, early mornings and the demands of a career outside the sport. She may not be the fastest athlete on the start line (yet) but she is motivated by the process of chasing the next breakthrough and finding out how far she can take this sport.

Based in Iowa, Sarah brings the same persistence to triathlon that she brings to the classroom: show up, put in the work and keep getting better.