Pace of Chicago

By Raymond Britt

Ironman Wisconsin is one of the most popular Ironman triathlons in the world, with nearly 2500 participants racing each year. The course is challenging but fair, the community support is outstanding, and it's a thrill to finish the race in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol building.

Personally, of the Ironman races I've finished, the Ironman Wisconsin is one of my favorites. I've finished Ironman Wisconsin five times, including twice qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Because of this background, I am often asked for coaching advice about how to race Ironman Wisconsin.

You've come to the right place. Read on.

Ironman Wisconsin: What to Expect

Since 2002, Ironman Wisconsin has been held in the welcoming college town of Madison Wisconsin on the second Sunday in September. Each year, more than 2,000 athletes converge on Madison to participate in this Ironman, which features a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Monona, a 112 mile bike ride through Wisconsin farmland, capped by a 26.2 mile marathon run through the University of Wisconsin campus to a finish line at the state capital building steps.

It's a tougher race than meets the eye. Weather conditions can fluctuate wildly. A seemingly tame bike course, based on comparing elevation changes with Ironman races in Lake Placid and Canada, can actually be as challenging. And if the heat reaches 90 degrees or more, as it has in the past, the marathon becomes a race of attrition.

Before the Race

Registration tends to go smoothly in the Monona Terrace building, which serves as Race Central and the transition and bike rack areas on race day. Take a tour of the building; it's one of Frank Lloyd Wright's modern designs, with a terrific view of Lake Monona.

You can swim in Lake Monona in the days before the race, per the race schedule. Drive the bike course, of course, to check out the terrain. You will not be intimidated, as the elevation changes are slight. Don't be fooled.

The run course is not easily inspected before race day. It's on roads, closed streets, through a stadium and on a bike path. See what you can, and don't worry about it. It's not a terrifying run course. You'll see it on race day.

Bike and transition check-in occur on Saturday. You will rack your bike in perhaps the longest bike area you've seen in a triathlon, completely across the top Monona Terrace parking deck. You will place your bike and run transition bags in numerical order rows in two respective transition rooms inside Monona Terrace. Make a mental note of generally where the bags and your bike are; on race day it will be pretty easy to find them.

Make sure you put a tire/tube, CO2 and appropriate bike tools on your bike. I saw too many people with flats or other problems, standing on the side of the Ironman Lake Placid course last month, waiting for the bike crew to come fix their bike. Sorry, it's not supposed to work that way; they're there for extreme situations. Be responsible; carry what you might need.

Overnight and race day conditions can vary widely, and past races have seen 39 degrees at 7am, cold pouring rain all day, or scorching heat. Consider having extra clothing in your transition bags: arm warmers and a vest in your bike bag for cold conditions. Put plastic bags over your bike seat and handlebars, to protect from overnight dampness or rain.

Then, eat well and get a good night's sleep.

Race Morning

The pre-race process is simple and smooth at Ironman Wisconsin. Body marking takes place on the northern, top deck of Monona Terrace. There tend to be more than enough people doing body marking, so the wait won't be too long.

After that, you are free to visit your bike to add nutrition, etc., and you can check your transition bags. Assuming everything is in order, venture inside the Monona Terrace building and find a spot on the floor for last minute relaxation and preparation.

Make sure you leave the transition area by about 6:20pm, and begin approaching the swim start area. Normally I would not counsel a departure this early, but the swim start entry area is quite small, and it always takes a long time to get more than 2000 swimmers through a narrow water's entrance (over the timing mats).

Complicating things a little is that there's almost no shallow area for swimmers to adjust to the water before swimming ahead. You have to go right in. But the athletes tend to pause before entering, dipping a toe in the water, so to speak, and everything backs up. Trust me, you need to allow extra time to enter the water.

Once in the water, unfortunately, you will have to tread water until the 7am start. Unlike the swim venues in Lake Placid or Canada, for instance, there is no beach on which to rest a little. You will be out in open water, using up a little energy. Try to relax and float on your back; it's not a bad way to pass the time before an Ironman race, appreciating the sky.

Swim

The Ironman Wisconsin swim is a two-loop, 2 point 4 mile swim in Lake Monona.
The water tends to be flat, but I have noticed a small current that
seems to be there every year. Nothing that will affect your swim start.

The starting line is quite wide, maybe 200 meters or so, split by a
water-skiing jumping ramp. The ramp is a decent starting guide; if you
want to start wide of the pack, stay to the right of the ramp. If you
desire some physical contact in an attempt to go with the fast folks,
be my guest: line up to the left. I usually stay to the right.

The mass start is still not without the usual Ironman swim commotion
and messiness. The course heads south, with the rising sun in your eyes
and the splashing of eager triathletes around you. Visibility will be
compromised in the beginning, as it usually is. Just stay with the
swimmers around you, and the first few hundred meters will speed by
relatively quickly.

You'll then make one left at the first large orange cone, swim a couple
hundred more meters, and take another left, to begin your northbound
return to the starting area. This time, you'll be able to sight very
easily, with the shore, the downtown Madison skyline and Monona Terrace
in clear view.

However, it's on this northbound section that I have felt the tugging
of slight currents in the past. Actually, I don't feel it, but it pulls
me inside the buoys lining the route. I get too busy watching Monona
Terrace pass that I fail to recognize that I'm being pulled off course
to the left. After correcting a couple of times, I get better. But pay
attention to the possibility; it creeps up on me each time.

Things will thin out somewhat on the second lap, and it's up to you to
keep a steady pace, while also reserving most of your energy for the
rest of the race day. Making the final turn on lap 2, you will spot the
exit area, and be glad you're almost there. But even after you swim
pass the starting line, you will still have a short distance to go. Be
patient, you'll get there.

Once out of the water, you'll steal an anxious glance at the clock.
Were you fast or slow? My advice: don't let the time on the clock elate
or depress you too much. Times in the Lake Monona water have varied for
me, and usually are a bad predictor of the kind of day ahead.
Sometimes, the course is slow, sometimes it's fast. It is what it is,
just head towards your bike.

Swim to Bike Transition

Steps after you're ashore, you'll be greeted by delightfully cheerful
volunteers who are eager to remove your wetsuit for you. It's not
mandatory, but can be fun, especially for first timers. Flop on your
back, and they rip it off; hop up and run toward transition. Or run
through all the fuss and remove your wetsuit in the changing area. I
usually do the latter.

Getting to the transition changing area is most unique. It involves
running from the first to the third floors of the parking structure on
its circular ramp, referred to as 'the helix'. Spectators line the
path, and you can run or walk up the helix. It takes time, but also
allows your head to clear a little after the swim.

Run into the building, grab your swim to bike transition bag in one
room, and keep moving to the changing area. Since about one person per
second enters this area during peak time, there probably will be no
chairs to sit on. Just find yourself a spot on the carpet, and change
there. Helmet, bike shoes, gloves, bib number, sunglasses, and off you
go, out the door to find your bike.

You will have to run some distance, to the far north of the parking
deck to enter the bike area, then the complete length of the deck to
the south exit area, while pausing to get your bike along the way.

You will not set speed records during this transition. It will take
several minutes for you and for everybody. Don't panic, don't rush,
just move smoothly. You'll do fine. Then down the south side helix, and
you're onto the bike course.

Bike

The 112 mile Ironman Wisconsin bike course starts fun and fast, then
gradually eats away at you over the miles. It throws no serious
difficulty your way, but it refuses to yield over most of the course.
Go out too fast, and you can suffer later.

With that as a sort of warning, the first 16 or so miles, out to the
two-loop section, are a good warm-up, taking riders to the west of
Madison, from the small city toward classic Midwestern farmland. Some
small rollers stretch your leg muscles, and a couple of pretty steep
but short downhills will give you a speed boost, but also provide
warning that they may hurt you a little on the way back.

Reaching the 39 mile loop section, you'll continue west on relatively
tame terrain until you approach the town of Mt. Horeb. Approaching mile
30, you'll be faced with about a half mile long climb that veers to the
left then right, where you'll be greeted by aid station volunteers. Get
what you need, then prepare for five miles of work.

Miles 30 to 35 (and 70 to 75 on the return trip) take riders through
relentless up-down riding that I like to call The Rollercoasters of
Witte Road and Garfoot Road. Passing between and through farms, these
miles toss it all at you: fast declines followed immediately by sharp
uphills again and again, with short stretches of reasonably flat road
connecting the little challenges.

At first, it's fun. Then getting over the next hill gets tougher each
time. You'll think you're done, then there's more. You'll see when you
get there. You don't want to be bonking the second time you ride this
section. It's a bad place to be on the rocks.

Next up is a slightly dangerous fast, swerving downhill on northern
Garfoot Road. You'll wish you can take it at full-speed, but only the
most expert of riders can do it. It's too easy to lose control on the
sharp turns here. Sacrifice a few seconds for better control.

The course flattens out on the top half, east-bound road for a few
miles, allowing you to relax a little. You'll need the break, because
when you make a right turn at Country Road KP to begin a southward path
toward the start of loop two, the course's most challenging climbs
await.

The climbs.  At Old Sauk Pass and on Timber Lane, aren't very long,
but they can be quite taxing. When you arrive there, settle into your
easiest gear, sit back, and pedal as efficiently as you can.
Stay steady for the next few miles until you reach the town of Verona,
where you'll be greeted by a cheering crowd that treats you as if you
are a Tour de France rider. Savor the moments, smile at spectators and
enjoy your short time there. Because after it's over, you are heading
back to lap 2.

You'll finish lap 2 at about 95 miles, with 17 more to go. Depending on
the heat, wind and your nutrition and hydration at that point, those
last miles may be relatively breezy or can be very challenging.

Don't let the apparent downhill back to town on the race website course
map fool you. It's more work that you'll expect. Be prepared mentally
and physically at that point, and you'll do fine.

[for considerably more bike course detail, see Ironman Wisconsin Bike
Experience: 112 Miles, 5 hour 54 minute Bike Split, Mile-by Mile Analysis which
dissects each mile with detail from my 2007 Ironman Wisconsin, with
elevation and speed, with photos.

Run

The 26.2 Ironman Wisconsin marathon course is entirely self-contained in Madison's downtown and college campus area.

You will run two 13.1 laps, starting at Monona Terrace and immediately
passing the State Capitol building. You'll descend past the capital on
State Street before heading southwest on side streets approaching the
Camp Randall football stadium. One of the small treats of this marathon
course is running around the field on both laps; a unique experience.

Exiting the stadium, you'll then head north and west toward Lake
Mendota, toward some welcome cool air and shade of the Temin bike path
along Lake Mendota, heading east at first. You'll step off the path
onto Observatory Drive, which brings you to the toughest climbs on the
run course. My advice to most runners: unless you're gunning for a Kona
slot and can't afford to sacrifice anything, walk up these hills.
You'll lose a few seconds by powerwalking, but your legs will be most
happy for the break.

After flying, sort of, down the other side of Observatory Hill, you'll
enter the Party Zone of the run course, on State Street. You'll
encounter the most spectators on the run course here, and they provide
smiles and encouragement. Smile and nod in appreciation, if you can.
Get to the turnaround, and your name and hometown will likely be
announced to everyone there.

After the fun on State Street, you'll return to the westbound Temin
Bike path. It's the longest uninterrupted stretch on the run course,
and you won't be faulted for thinking the turnaround will never come.
Stay with it, make sure to hydrate well at the several aid stations on
this section, and keep moving forward. The good news is that after the
turnaround, it's not a long return trip to town, maybe four miles.

On the way back, you'll head southeast toward Camp Randall then retrace
your steps from there to the State Capitol. The finish line will be
just meters in front of you as you make the turnaround to begin lap 2.
It's not a fun moment for anyone, but just tell yourself as you head
back onto the run course you're getting closer to the finish with every
step.

After experiencing the first lap, you'll see there are no dramatic
tests on the run course, and you'll be able to focus on moving steady
and on getting the hydration and nutrition you need.

As the miles slowly pass, begin to think about your finish, and soon
you'll be there. It's a kick to approach the State Capitol in the final
few hundred meters, knowing that the finish line is just beyond it. And
in a nice, but too-late gesture, the finish area is on a downhill slope.

Though you'll be tempted, don't use the force of gravity to sprint
through the finish line. Take it slow and easy, and soak in those last
few moments. You deserve it. So do the others around you. Don't blast
past the guy in front of you and ruin his finish experience and
finisher photo. Be polite and let everyone experience the finish
they've been envisioning for months.

You've been envisioning it, too. You'll get there, and you will be declared an Ironman. Congratulations in advance.

Raymond Britt is

a 3-time Ironman Hawaii Triathlon competitor; 13-time Boston Marathon finisher; Former USA Triathlon All-American.  Raymond is also publisher of RunTri.com, serving 500,000 annual visitors.