Ford Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 54)

Great story!  I heard about his emotional finish from someone else today.

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Wow awesome!!!  You get to go too though right???  I mean she needs a crew

All of the pain, strain, lack of sleep, non-stop eating, etc was worth it! My 2009 DNF was avenged Sunday! Not the most impressive time, not the slowest time, but a PR!

Congrats finishers!

I think the high was 86 on Sunday, but I heard one of the coaches talking on the run and he made a very good point. He said that Sunday was a prime example of why sunscreen is very important. It was not overwelmingly hot by any means, but that sun was relentless and with the clear skies it was just burning down on people. Wear sunscreen and your body will tolerate the sun just a bit better.

That was the most brutal experience of my life, but that finishing chute was simply amazing!!  It is something I will never forget.  I still can't believe I finished, as I was definitely on the wrong side of the tracks for most of the day.  It wasn't the race I was wanting but for my first one, I got to the finish line.

Congrats to all of those who did as well, and to all of the volunteers, you guys rock.  There was one volunteer at the special needs run area and I told her I didn't need my bag on my way to the turnaround but when I came back she had my bag for me and I kept telling her that I didn't need it.  At this point I was walking and just wanted to keep moving and didn't want to stop.  She told me, "You need to see what is inside this bag"...it was a picture and letter from my daughter telling me to keep moving forward.  That was the boost I needed and could never thank her enough for making me stop...again, those that volunteer are amazing.

Congratulations to everyone! 

It was as good a day as a Ironman race on a 85+ degree could be.

This was my first IM, and I was hoping for a low 15 hour finish.  I ended up finishing in 13.46.08.  I am super happy with my results, aside from getting sick twice within the last six miles of the run.

Thanks to all the volunteers, you guys were great!

That is awesome!  Great volunteers for sure, couldn't agree more.  But what a great surprise for you!

Thank you to everyone out there who encouraged me through the day. It was the hardest Ironman I have done so far, as I could hardly keep anything down all day on the bike but coke helped some on the run. I never focused on how badly I felt; I remained positive, did my best to keep smiling and just enjoy the day. We all have that one bad/challenging race to test our mental strength and Sunday was my day. Now,  I am looking forward to IMFL in November.  Racing with everyone on Sunday was a Blast.

This was the best race ever!  I had a super time all day and enjoyed seeing so many smiling faces out there on the bike and the run (I won't talk about what I was calling you guys during the swim - ha!).  Madison was just plain awesome.  : )

Congrats Whizz and the guy whose dad was the last finisher.  We stayed to hear him come in (couldn't get close enough to see) and it was so cool.

So, how's everybody feeling?

Let's hear you, both bad and good, and both emotionally and physically.

I also can't believe how good I feel so soon after the race. Woke up Tuesday with some pretty stiff quads, but I had a massage yesterday afternoon and that has done wonders. Nominal soreness today and probably will be +90% recovered by tomorrow.

Sunday was my first IM, and I agree with McLuvin that I barely noticed the heat. I had many workouts this summer that were brutally hot and humid, and Sunday felt mostly comfortable to me.

My race went really well. I avoided a crash at an early bike aid station when the guy in front of me lost his momentum and fell a couple feet in front of me. I'm still not sure how I made it through without falling...I was already planning on how I was going to go down when somehow I was able to ride through him and one other rider caught up in the mess. Sometimes you just get lucky, I guess.

I think I am most pleased with my run (4:36:24). I used a Jeff Galloway run/walk strategy (run 4 mins; walk 1 min) from the beginning of the run, and it worked like a charm. I never slowed down, and my last 4 miles were my fastest. According to the race results, I passed 431 runners (about 19% of the total field) during the marathon.

Also, a special shout-out to all the volunteers. They were the BEST I have ever encountered in any race. There were seemingly millions of them, and they were helpful and encouraging and competent. Thank you!!!!

Funny story (at least I think so).

I was coming out of the aid station at about mile 23 (the one in the underpass), when a volunteer comes up to me and puts his arm around me. He bends over, cuts his eyes back and forth, like he is about to try to sell me a counterfeit Rolex or something. He says under his breath, "Second loop?" It takes me a moment to realize he is asking me if I am on my second loop, then I respond, "Yes."

He says, "3 miles to go. That's 5K. You make fun of people who run 5K."

I cracked up (mostly because he's right, sorry to say), and off I went with the thought in my head that all I had to go was 5K and, hell, anyone can run 5K.

I feel great today.  However, I went at "easy-peasy" pace on the bike so that I could run the run.  After a spectacular blow-up at Louisville last year, I was determined not to "eat the paste" on the bike and do an easy ride.  Managed that and had an absolutely terrific run.  It is amazing how much fun a run can be when you don't overheat, dehydrate and have your digestion shut down before it.  ; )

I have to disagree with the two guys who posted above.  It was HOT on Sunday.  I started dumping water on myself in the first hour of the bike and continued the whole ride.  I think that, plus my slower speed, helped me not overheat when I easily could have.  I still got hives on my legs, but not nearly as bad as they have been in the past.

Madison was awesome.  I love everything about that town and Wisconsin.  : )  We went to New Glarus to see the Brewery, to Monroe for the cheese sandwiches at Baumgartners, to the Dane County Farmer's Market, for chocolates at Candinas, to the Fromagerie for cheese, to the Old Fashioned, the Great Dane, Zuzus, and the Coopers Tavern for food and frosty beverages and they were all fabulous.  The spectators were amazing and so uplifting.  The course was beautiful and the lake was clear and clean and delightful.  Super super super event.