Dede Trimble Griesbauer was raised in Short Hills, NJ. She attended high school in Wallingford, Connecticut at Choate Rosemary Hall. While at Choate, Dede set pool, school, New England and National Prep School records in the backstroke and individual medley events. Dede went on to swim at Stanford University, accumulating some 10 NCAA All-American honors. As Captain, she led the 1992 team to an NCAA Championship. Individually, Dede represented the United States as part of the USA Swimming National Team between 1989 and 1994. She was a gold medalist at the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships and at the 1991 Pan American games in the 200 meter backstroke. She swam in two Olympic Trials events both in 1988 and 1992. In ’92, she placed 5th in the 200 meter backstroke, narrowly missing the Barcelona Games team.
Dede retired from her career in swimming in 1994, and returned to school where she earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked on Wall Street for 8 years as an equity trader. Most recently, she was a Vice President at MFS Investment Management in Boston, MA.
In March, 2005, Dede decided to set aside the Wall Street Journal and return to a career in sports after just 2 years in the sport of triathlon.
As an amateur, Dede was the top finisher amateur finisher in every event she competed in during the 2004 race season. An Achilles injury kept her from such honors at the Ironman World Championships in 2004, yet she still managed to turn in the 2nd fastest amateur swim split and fastest amateur bike split in the race.
In her first year as a professional, Dede qualified for the Ironman World Championships by turning in an 8th place pro finish in the women’s only Ironman Lake Placid in July 2005. At the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Dede was the 17th pro woman, the 3rd American finisher and turned in the top female swim split and came off the bike in 3rd place.
In 2006, in only her 2nd year as a pro, Dede claimed her first Ironman title, winning Ironman UK leading the race from start to finish, turning in the fastest female swim split, bike split and setting a new course record en route to her victory.
2007 was another solid year with 2nd place finishes at both the California Half-Ironman as well as Ironman Brazil where she turned in the fastest bike split in the field. Dede capped off 2007 with a 7th place finish at the Ironman World Championship and was the top American finisher.
Dede trains with and is coached by World Champion Triathlete, Karen Smyers. She lives in Boston with her husband, Dave and their yellow lab, Riley.
