Ironman Wisconsin 2015 Race Recap

Returning to Madison this year would be more of a challenge than the first time last year. For starters, I had no time to come out and ride the bike course and re-familiarize myself with it. Not a huge deal, but it might have helped. The bigger challenge was being only 6 weeks removed from completing Ironman Boulder. I didn't know if my legs would hold up. My main concern was my right knee. It did a weird snap on my last big training ride two weeks earlier, and that was followed with a dull but persistent pain while pedaling. Even on a short ride in Madison a few days before the race with Max Zitner, that pain was subtly reminding me it was still hanging around.

With all that, I still expected to improve because I was finally understanding race strategy. I said all season I would cross the line sooner not because I was any faster, but because I was smarter. I just had to do my regular swim, manage the bike to set up my run and be disciplined (insert your own joke here). Coach Carl Nofstger and I agreed than a finish time of 11 hours and 15 minutes was realistic with a solid performance.

Race morning went smoothly. We parked at the terrace thanks to Wendy's volunteer parking pass, and were just 30 feet away from body-marking. I checked my bike, loaded my nutrition, dropped off my special needs bags, visited the bathroom, then got my wetsuit on and headed down towards swim start. On the way I saw Lauren and Ashten, and seeing them both helped make a great morning even better. Wendy and Kaitlynn walked with me until the crowds started getting thick, then wished me luck and headed to their first volunteer station (applying sunscreen on participants exiting the swim and starting the bike).

I waded in the water, tightened up my goggles a bit, and went to the same spot I did last year: to the left of the ski jump, about 3 rows from the front. When the cannon went off, I got into a rhythm much sooner than last year. I got to the first turn buoy and "moo'ed" and heard others do the same. Unlike last year, the crowd never thinned out and I never got any open space to work in. I always had someone within 3 feet of me. At one point I took an elbow right to the middle of my forehead. I felt like I was sighting the buoys OK, but it was hard to tell for sure with so much contact. Legs grabbed, arms tangled up, it was a mess.

After that second turn for the long back stretch, I was swallowing more water than I cared to. This was starting to upset my stomach. My neck was also chaffing from my wetsuit, worse than it ever had. I had also tightened my goggles too much, and felt them pressing into my skull. All of these things threatened my focus, but I kept pressing with good form. When I got to the third turn buoy I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped and took my goggles off, and allowed my stomach to calm down. I did the same thing just after turn 4. I knew I was going to be close to last year's time, but not better. That's OK, I told myself. 3 minutes isn't going to ruin my day. Swim was done in 1 hour 10 minutes and 57 seconds.

Getting out of the water I found a wetsuit remover right away, but she fumbled a bit. Going up the helix is freaking incredible. The crowd really does make you feel like you're a rock star. I saw Thomas Eibner and he got a great pic of me. I know I heard my name being shouted by others, but didn't have time to stop and look around and see who it was.

I felt like Transition 1 went pretty fast, but it ended up a tad slower than last year. I had my helmet, shoes and socks on in a flash, but I almost left without my nutrition!  I headed out the door to get some sunscreen and BAM! Right there were Wendy and Kaitlynn, all ready with the sunscreen. I gave them both a kiss and went to my bike. I was a few racks away when I saw Carl, and I jokingly yelled at him to start paying attention and get my bike un-racked. Another volunteer grabbed it, and I gave him a big high-five as I headed out.

This year I did not get stung by any bees on the bike, but I did lose my spare empty water bottle just one mile in. No big deal. Max Zitner had a great swim too, and he caught up with me a few miles before we got to Verona. We stuck together for a good 10 minutes. Once we got through Verona, Max went on ahead and I told him I would see him on the hills. I would catch up with him again around Mile 40, but not see him again until the run course.

Fan support on the bike course is second to none, at least not in my experience. I saw so many friends, and they were everywhere! Tiffany greeted me first in that long grinding hill up into Mt Horeb, and immediately after that I saw John Smail working the aid station, and immediately after THAT I saw Thomas Eibner again - the dude is FAST! I love the rolling hills on the course. And there's a spot at the top of Garfoot where the view is stunning.

Everyone knows that the biggest challenge is the Three Sisters (or bitches) - hills that are in close succession to each other. They have to be done twice (it's two-loop course). That's where I saw even more familiar faces. Todd Bindel, Ben Cooper, and the rest of the crew from Zoom, and Ashten once again. She ran up the hill with me for a bit which would have been more fun if I wasn't so freakin tired! The guy behind her said she should get off the course. Seriously dude? I wanted to donkey-kick him, it's not like she was costing him a Kona slot. I can't remember exactly where I saw Ebe, but I do know where I saw Dave Rhodda - at the bottom of the third bitch and he told me I needed to pick up the pace and start chasing some people down!

I finished the first loop with no issues, although my knee was already reminding me not to push too hard. So much for a fast second loop, which oh-by-the-way almost didn't happen. As I was turning right to start that second lap, an SUV came through a turn ahead of me, and was driving in the clearly-marked bike lane! In front of a police officer!! I had nowhere to go but on his left, headed straight for a traffic cone and into oncoming traffic. I thought "This is going to end my day right here, I'm going to flip off my bike." But I ran right over the cone, and the car in the opposing lane was far enough back to not put me in danger. Still, I shouted a mouthful of obscenities at the driver of the SUV, then got back to finishing the loop, which was blissfully uneventful the rest of the way. I knew by my average speed and power output I was slower than last year, but I reminded myself that was OK, because I still had the run, and the whole day was leading up to that. As it would turn out, I was only 7 minutes slower on the bike than last year, which overall isn't too bad at all. My bike legs were still fatigued from Boulder, that's all there was to it.

Coming back into town, I went past the Clarion Hotel where we were staying and saw my parents. They were wearing the Team Wamser shirts Wendy had made for them last year! It was a great boost, just what I needed heading back to Monona Terrace. I handed off my bike to another great volunteer, hustled into Transition 2, swapped bike shoes for running shoes and was on the run course in 3 minutes.I saw Carl and Allison right away, another great boost and high-five moment. "See you in 4 hours!" I told him.

I love to run more than anything, and my biggest challenge on long-distance triathlons is not pacing properly: I always go out too fast. I was determined to not let that happen today, but I still was for the first block or two. I forced myself to slow down, and stopping in at a porta-potty helped bring down my first split. I also saw Wendy and Kaitlynn again, right there at Aid Station #1! They offered me Red Bull, but I passed.

I found my stride and I stayed there, even up Observatory Drive and along State Street. I saw familiar faces in my fellow Ironman participants everywhere and was shouting out every time I saw them: Dan Memmel, Brook Winston, Nicole Stockburger, Steve Mayberry, Max Zitner, Tyler Greenwood, Simon Surrey, Steve Houg, Ryan Glover, fellow Team OutKast members I had never met. I know I'm forgetting some people, and I'm so sorry but that run was just a blur for me! I think I saw Ebe the most, and every time I did he kept telling me how great I was looking. I was feeling great too! Every single mile split was where I wanted it to be. I saw OT and Ellen coming back up State Street, ready to turn around and go nail the final 13 miles.

I grabbed my secret weapon at Special Needs - TUMS. I popped in about 4 or 5 and was set for the final push! My dad ran with me for half a block on Mifflin, and I saw my mom, Wendy and Kaitlynn again. I told everyone I saw that I was going to negative split this run. I knew I could do it. I felt greater than I had at any point in any race I'd ever ran. I saw Andy Bernholz ahead of me as he was leaving Camp Randall and told him I'd see him again soon. I made good on that promise about 2 miles later, just before the last big climb up Observatory Drive. I got through the State Street turnaround, saw Todd one last time, and started booking it back to the finish. Less than 6 miles to go. That 4-hour marathon  was going to happen!

Then I hit Mile 22.

It all caught up to me. The drop-off was so quick I couldn't believe it. I thought I could hang on and do high 9-minute miles, but it was a struggle to maintain 10's. I blew through the final 3 aid stations knowing they wouldn't help. Coming back on Dayton, Steve Houg passed me at the exact same point Dave Rhodda did the year before with less than a mile to go. I tried to find one final big push to stay with him - it would have been so cool to cross the line with one of my favorite training partners and a great friend - but my legs refused. I was still in high spirits, though, knowing I was going to PR.

Coming down the finish chute with 1 block to go, I saw Wendy, Kaitlynn, Mom & Dad going crazy again.  The emotions are impossible to put into words or for anyone to comprehend. The experience of coming down the street, lined with thousands of people all staring at you, cheering for you, holding out hands to hi-five you, and to find your family among them... it's overwhelming. You have to experience for yourself. Last year I cried, but this year I smiled bigger than I had the entire day, soaked it up and let it all in. 11 hours, 41 minutes and 21 seconds is how I finished my third Ironman.

My initial two catchers were great, but then I was immediately hugged by none other than Dave Rhodda. He was working the catcher's area and had just missed me crossing the finish line. He helped me to my finishing picture, and from there it was family time. It means everything for them to all be there. It was so much more enjoyable to be able to stand, chat, and celebrate with them, as opposed to last year when I ended up in medical and couldn't thank them properly or say good-bye. I'm so happy I had that opportunity this time. As a bonus, Lauren crossed the line not too long after I did (with a killer PR of her own). It was another similarity to '14, when her race sherpa and mutual friend Ashten had also finished only a few minutes after me!

In the 48 hours that have passed since I finished the race and my writing this, the post-race gamut of emotions have all had their run. Did I want a better finish? Yes, I wanted to be at least 20 minutes faster. If I hadn't done Ironman Boulder, I probably would have. And that is where I have to keep reminding myself of how far I've come and all that I've accomplished in the past year. Hell, I did THREE full Ironman races in one year's time, and the two most recent ones were only 6 weeks apart!

The emotion that always dominates, though, is joy. I think I show that pretty well out on the course. I get a lot of good-natured ribbing from regulars who I train and race with that I talk too much while racing, and I honestly can't argue that point! But the one thing I hear most from people is that I'm always smiling when I'm racing. Which is true, because race day is a celebration of all the hard work that has been put in. I'm always proud to be sharing the course with so many other people who have put in the same amount of effort, if not more. To see their determination, the shared struggle, but mostly the confidence that they're going to also hear their name called as an Ironman when they cross the line, it's almost impossible for me NOT to smile all day.