Ironman Wisconsin Preview - Sept 11, 2016

For my second (and final) "A-race" of the year, I'll be throwing down at Ironman Wisconsin.  Here are the details:

• Ironman Wisconsin
• September 11, 2016
• Madison, WI (Start, Swim, Transition, Run, Finish all downtown near State St and the Capitol)
• Swim Start: 7am
• Bike Start: 8am ish
• Run Start: 1pm ish
• Finish: After 5pm and something went seriously awry.  4:30pm and that was one heck of a day.  4:00pm and I might win the race.

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In Person

• Watching an Ironman takes a bit of effort, but is 100% worthwhile.  It’s a celebration, it’s a sufferfest, it’s a display of so much that is great in the world and in human nature.  It’s a fricken spectacle.
  • 2500 athletes have made the time, made the sacrifices, embraced the process for at least a year (probably several years) in order to bring a dream to reality.
  • 4000+ volunteers choose to use their day to help make the dream happen, to see and be part of something really special.
  • 70,000+ spectators do the same, choosing to be part of a day quite unlike the other 364 days of their year.  For the athletes, the spectators make the race more interesting, more fun and much more worthwhile.  For the spectators, it really is a spectacle.  The almost palpable energy in the pre-dawn air, the enormity of the swim start, the ridiculous duration of the bike ride, the way some athletes fly around the 2 loops of the run course, the way other athletes limp their way to the finish late after sunset, the skinny athletes, the fat athletes, the seniors and the teenagers, the athlete who can’t see, the athlete that doesn’t have legs.  The men and women alike who are crying to give up, crying to keep going, crying in frustration, pain, joy, the realization of a dream.  It’s a celebration of health, of being fully alive, of commitment, of passion.  Seeing an Ironman can change your life.  It certainly did for me.

 

Not In Person

• Follow the live results, updated throughout the day, as well as webcams, on ironman.com
• Wait a couple weeks for my race report.

 
 
 
 If you are thinking about heading over to Madison for the race, here are some thoughts and tips:

-The event is centered around Monona Terrace (200 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, right next to the Capitol building). The swim, bike and run all start and finish at Monona Terrace.
-Race start is 7AM.  The start is way cool.  The sun is coming up over Lake Monona, the national anthem is sung, tension is high among the 2000+ athletes.  Then everyone starts swimming, all at once, when the cannon goes off at 7AM.
-The bike course is mostly southwest of Madison.  There are a couple of cool hills out there to spectate and cheer.  Otherwise, this is a good time to nap, eat lunch/breakfast or drink beer on State Street, around the Capitol or at the UW Union Terrace.
-The run course is downtown Madison.  It's two loops of the same course, 13.1 miles each.  It goes around the Capitol, up and down State Street, through Lakeshore campus and on the Lakeshore path.  Watch at the finish line at the Terrace, bring a lawn chair and watch anywhere along the course, watch at one of State Street's many watering holes, or bring a bike and chase me around.  Seriously though, a bike is a good way to watch the run at several different points.
-I will be stoked to see you, but please don't run or bike next to me.  It's an automatic disqualification, and that’s not cool.
-There are a couple thousand people running and biking around town, and several thousand more driving their cars in and out to watch the race.  Driving and parking can be a bit of work, everyone is distracted and hyped up – be careful and be ready to do some walking.
-Click here for Swim, Bike and Run Course Maps

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Thank you, everyone, for your support and enthusiasm.  2 Weeks from today, Madison, WI - Let's go Red, let's go Team Luke, let's party baby!