Ironman Wisconsin- Race Report #1

One of my favorite weekends of the year is when my hubby and I come up to Ironman Wisconsin and spend a couple days in Madison.  For a few years we volunteered and had a great day helping out the athletes.  Last year, with an 8 month old, we decided to skip it.  This year, however, we packed up the toddler (now 20 mths) and headed up for the weekend.  Volunteering with her around is not an option, but we know a few people racing so we thought it would be fun to cheer them on.

It is a beautiful day here in Madison- clear blue sky and hitting just over 80 degrees.  The racers will probably be warm on the bike, but it was amazing outside this morning and Lake Monona was smooth and calm.    We looked out onto the lake for a while as the swimmers did their two loops.  By 7:45 am we saw people running towards their bikes and others just beginning the second lap of the swim.  The span of abilities at this race is staggering- professionals going for the win all the way to age groupers just trying to make the cutoff times.

After trying to fight the crowd, we settled in to spectate where athletes run out of T2 (in this race they have indoor changing areas before they run out to the terrace where their bikes are racked).  We got there just as masses of people were exiting the building.   It is fun to watch the range of emotions- some athletes are serious and have their game face on, others are interacting with the crowd, while others look just plain freaked out.  We managed to catch a couple of our friends as they ran out and cheered them to start the bike.

For those of you who are not familiar with the bike route in Wisconsin, it is hilly and challenging.  It is amazing what you can done while they are out there on that course- eat, nap, watch football, etc.  We will be heading back for the run shortly and I will try to post some pics of the awesome athletes.  It is exciting to think about how many people will be accomplishing a dream today!!  Go Ironmen!

-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com