2017 Ironman Wisconsin

Mile 90 on Midtown Road

This year's Ironman Wisconsin was a race that I was keyed in on since 2014. That was the last time I was able to race here in Madison due to the absence of a Professional Men's field. Each season I would race but wouldn't quite have the heart that I normally would have at Ironman Wisconsin.

As you can imagine, this year when it was announced the male pro's would be back, I was ALL IN. The season was focused on this race, 30hr+ weeks all summer long to try to raise the bar going into this event. The result of the training was fantastic and the data geeks would have had a field day with it. My coach, Cliff English, built a massive engine and he gets all of the credit for that!!

As we all know though, things don't go exactly as planned and while I did avoid getting my usual cold/flu in peak training, I managed to pick up a sinus infection about 8 days before the race thanks to our lovely Lake Monona on a rough day. I took antibiotics to try to get back to 100% by the race. I found by about day 4 I was feeling better from a sickness standpoint, but I lost that usual next gear that I had while peaking. I was strong, but not sharp.

Race day came around and that's exactly how I felt from the get-go. The effort yielded times across the board that were about 10% low (swim time, bike power and run pace). Yes I am disappointed I didn't have that race I wanted, but I am pleased that I was able to place 12th and that I got the most out of myself on the day while also making sure I had fun out there. I believe that it's important to race hard out there whether you are meeting your goals or you are an hour back from them.

During my second loop on the run I was able to see so many athletes who I helped get to that finish line and I couldn't help but feel very grateful to do what I do. It's now about more than me, it's about more than 1 result. It's about influencing and impacting as many people as I can to find the joy and greatness that triathlon can bring, whatever that means for them.

A huge congratulations to BBMC!!

Will I continue to race is the question I am getting a lot and the answer is YES! Will I focus on Ironman Wisconsin in the future if the Pro race comes back? I don't know. We all have a finite amount of energy and I will have to cross that bridge when I get there.

Thank you to all my sponsors, my family, Cliff English, my training partners, BBMC and anyone else who helped me get to that start line.

I'll end with a nice article that written by the WSJ (click on "WSJ).

Until next time...