Endurance Nation | Triathlon Coaching, Ironman Training, Half Ironman, Beginner Triathlon

With just a couple weeks left before race day, athletes preparing for Ironman Wisconsin are eager for any information to give them a leg up on the day.  Having seen the recent reports from Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Lake Placid, everyone is sure to be excited about their preparations. Without a doubt, a large part of success on race day is being 100% ready to handle whatever the event will bring in terms of the course, weather, the competition, etc.

While no one has all of the answers, here is a quick review of the top questions inside Endurance Nation about racing Ironman Wisconsin. In addition to these race specific tips, don’t forget to download our free race execution guide, downloaded by over 3000 Ironman athletes, to help you manage the overall picture of racing as well. Travel safely and best of luck on race day!

• What is the swim like?
  The Madison swim is pretty unique…well, not the swim itself but rather the stadium-like feel the venue offers. The swim is a two lap, counter-clockwise rectangle, with the long sides parallel to the shore, and with a deep water start from the bottom left corner of the rectangle. However, Monona Terrace, packed with spectators at each level and in the parking deck, is on your right shoulder (on way out), giving the swim a very unique feel! Be sure to moo like a cow when you make the first left turn, in true Wisconsin fashion! Note: You do not exit the water at the end of the first lap, just continue swimming.
  

• I’ve heard the Wisconsin transition is crazy? Something about a helix!?!?
  Yep. Upon exiting the water and having your wetsuit stripped, you then run up the “helix.” Think spiraling ramp up a parking deck. Everyone has to do it, it’s no big deal, and the spectators lining the helix will make it an experience you’ll never forget! The changing tent? Think huge convention center room with convention center chairs. You then exit, run to your bike, mount at the top of the opposite helix and ride down it. Don’t worry, everyone runs the same distance, and don’t sweat riding down the helix. Again, think parking garage ramp and just take your time. Safety is your number one priority here.

• I’ve heard the Wisconsin bike is tough…how tough?
  The Wisconsin bike course is a stick and loop affair: out of town and generally uphill 16 miles towards Verona and the start of The Loop. Twice through a 40-mile loop, then return to Madison. We’ve done, and coached hundreds of athletes, to every Ironman in the US. In our opinion, Wisconsin offers the most challenging bike course. To be clear, there is no such thing as an “easy” Ironman or Ironman bike leg. 112 miles is a long way to ride, especially when you tack a little swim on the front and a run on the back end.

  In our opinion, what truly separates one course from another isn’t total elevation gain, winds, etc, but rather how often it forces you to make a decision. Lots of little good decisions create a good day. Lots of little bad decisions add up to create a very bad day. At Wisconsin you are making decisions for the entire 112 miles. Flat, false flat, up, down, left, right, head/cross/tailwind, do I shift/not shift into my small/big ring? Do I power or noodle up this little/big hill? On the Wisconsin course you are never doing any one single thing for longer than about five minutes. This creates the opportunity to make a lot of little (and big) mistakes that express themselves somewhere on the run. Wisconsin, more than any other US course, rewards the smart, patient, and disciplined cyclist. Strength can be a liability on this course, if you don’t know how to use properly. We highly recommend you read our Climbing Smart on Race Day article. It’s helped thousands of athletes have great races on hilly courses.

• Ok, what is the run like?
  The Wisconsin run course is two laps, winding, urban, mostly flat and not nearly as challenging as the bike course. There are two sorta-significant hills on the course:
  1. Observatory Drive, at about miles 8 and 18. A couple of rollers, then a short, steep, switchback downhill that rolls into State Street.
  2. State Street, at the end of each lap. Actually, you need to climb up to the Capitol before heading to the end of each lap and, depending on how you’re feeling, that climb can feel like it starts on State Street…or much sooner! Either way, State Street is packed with spectators to cheer you on!
     
• The rest of the run course has a little of everything: turns, roads through campus (and even a lap of the Camp Randall football field!), a shaded dirt walking path next to the lake, hundreds of spectators on State Street, and more. In fact, there will likely be only about 400 yards on each lap where you will not be cheered on by spectators.

• What Can My Family Do on Race Day?
  If they want to see you on the bike, the town of Verona puts on a neat family festival they can attend while they wait for you to come through town twice. The race should offer shuttles to Verona. Another option is to take one of many county roads to the hilliest hills on the course (Old Sauk, Timberlane, Midtown) and contribute to the Tour de France vibe on the climbs. If they want to stay in Madison while you ride, downtown Madison, and especially State Street, offer a range of activities. In fact, if you look at the run map, you’ll see that your family can station themselves near the ends of State Street and only walk a couple blocks to catch you coming and going many times.
• What’s the Biggest Mistake I Could Make?
  Without a doubt, overcooking the bike, especially on the hills. You really, really need to be thinking out there 100% of the time. We highly recommend that you commit yourself to Just Riding Along (JRA) for the first 90-120′, ignoring the others around you. Coach Rich rode a 5:12 and qualified for Kona in 2002 doing just this: a 72 mile bike ride after a 40 mile warmup.
• What is the Temperature Like on Race Day?
  Temps for IMWI have historically been highly variable. In 2005, it was 95+. In 2006, 55 and raining. Best to be prepared nutritionally for a hot day and gear-wise for a cold one — you just don’t know. At the end of the day, everyone else has to race under the same conditions!
  
• What’s Your Top Swim Tip?
  Only go as fast as your ability to maintain good form. If your form begins to go because you are tired or working too hard, just slow down. It’s a long day, so don’t sweat 2-3 mintues on the swim.
• What’s Your Top Bike Tip?
  You’re basically warming up until about mile 40 of the bike. Don’t worry, the hammerheads will come back to you or you’ll see them on the run. The bike course is very unforgiving and they will pay, don’t worry.
• What’s Your Top Run Tip?
  Run very easy for the first 6 miles, then settle into your pace, preparing for the real race that starts at mile 18. At mile 18, put your head down and get it done. Count the number of people you’re passing and keep your head in the game. You can do anything for 8 miles!

by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation

Endurance Nation is the world’s only 400 person long course triathlon team, with 25-35 athletes in every US Ironman this season. Download the Endurance Nation Ironman Race Kit, FREE! The Kit includes: The Four Keys to Ironman Execution eBook, 6 x 30′ preview videos of our Ironman Course Talks, and the Ironman Transition Training Plan eBook, a comprehensive guide for the “what now” questions rattling around in your head post race! The kit is our gift to you, as a demonstration of our committment to changing the Ironman training, racing, and coaching game!

Ironman Louisville 2009 Race Preview
by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation

We continue our US Ironman Preview Series with a quick look at Ironman Louisville, the next race on the US Ironman schedule. While no one has all of the answers, here is a quick review of the top questions inside Endurance Nation about racing Ironman Louisville as answered by our coaches and the 30+ Team members who have already raced it. In addition to these race specific tips, don’t forget to download our free race execution guide, downloaded by over 3000 Ironman athletes, to help you manage the overall picture of racing as well. Travel safely and best of luck on race day!

• What is the swim like?
  The Louisville swim is the most unique swim on the IM calendar. Louisville is a time trial start while every other US Ironman is a wave start. The start order is “first come, first served,” and the countdown for the swim cutoff begins when the LAST person gets in the water. This is how it works out on race day:
  • Get your transition set up and then you’ll walk about half mile upriver to a small park/dock to get in line. Your position in line is your position in the line, and the earlier you get in line, the closer you are to the front, the closer to 7am you get in the water and the more time (see swim cutoff note above) you have to complete the swim.
  • At 7am the first age-grouper gets in the water and the organizers do their best to start the next and the next and the next in 1-2 second intervals. You can do the math, but in ’07 it took them about 37 minutes to get everyone in the water. In ’08 it took 45 minutes. If you are in danger of not making the swim cutoff, it behooves you to get in line very, very early.
  • You will swim upriver, but between an island and the mainland, so there is very little to no current. You’ll swim past the end of the island a few hundred meters, make a left and a left again into the current, then swim downriver to the swim exit and transition area. It’s funky, but if you look at the historical swim times from the event you’ll see that they look to be on par with every other Ironman swim. More importantly, everyone has to do it so it’s not a big deal.
    

• What is transition like?
  Very simple. You’ll run up a boat ramp, through the changing tents and out to your bike on the grass. You’ll enter the bike course on a wide sidewalk or directly onto the road. In other words, the transition is simple and straight forward.

• What is the bike course like?
  The Ironman Louisville bike course is “fair,” in that you’re not struggling to survive against a wicked hilly course stacked with long climbs, longer descents, mind-numbing flats or other variables. It’s just…a bike ride with some flats, some hills (but nothing crazy) and some downhills (but nothing scary). It has a little bit of everything: flat along the river, rolling hills in the horse country, tons of spectators through Lagrange, flat to generally downhill and fast back to transition.

  You start flat along the river to either a short climb into Prospect or mostly flat through Prospect. We say “either” because the exact routing of the course through this section depends on the status of a bridge repair (refer to the official Athletes Guide for complete details). Once through Prospect the course is rolling to the start of the out and back. In the center of the out and back is a creek/low ground so it’s generally downhill, across the creek, uphill, flat, flip it and return. The bridge across the creek is at the very bottom of the hill = a good bit of speed, and of course it has a rough seam on the right side that is known to launch bottles and other gear. Hit the bridge towards the center and you’ll be fine.

  Once you’ve completed the out and back, you turn right and carry on to the start of a counterclockwise loop that you do twice. The loop has a little bit of everything but nothing too crazy or anything to be overly concerned about. At the end of the second loop you continue straight, generally downhill and flat back to Louisville WITHOUT doing the out and back. Yep, you only do it once, on your way out to the loop. That’s it, pretty straight forward. If you are looking for some extra credit information, please read our Climbing Smart on Race Day article. It’s helped thousands of triathletes have great races on hilly courses.

• What is the run like?
  It’s more or less a dead flat out and back, with just enough slight turns that you don’t see miles and miles into the distance. The only “hills” are a climb just past the top of a bridge over the Ohio and almost into Indiana, before flipping it and coming back (you only do this Ohio bridge thing once, at the start of the first lap); and a dive under an overhead train bridge. As you head back towards the end of the first lap, you’ll take a quick jog left, then right, running maddeningly close to the finishing chute…before flipping a u-turn and heading back out for Lap Two — so tough!
  

• What Can My Family do on Race Day?
  If they want to see you on the bike, the town of Lagrange puts on a neat family festival they can attend while they wait for you to come through town twice on the loop. If they want to stay in Louisville while you ride, downtown Louisville, and especially Fourth Street Live, offer a range of activities. In fact, if you look at the course maps, you’ll see that a good portion of the area along the river between the finish and transition area is grass, a large park, a playground and other options for staying busy. Just make sure the family is prepared for a long day in the heat (see below).

• I’ve heard the finish line is very unique?
  Yep! Picture your typical urban downtown with high rises on either side of the street. Now put a class ceiling, about 3 stories up, over about 2-3 blocks of the main street. Fill this covered area with bars and restaurants, a cross walk overhead to a food court…and now put the finish of an Ironman right there in the middle of it all! Very cool, very unique.

• What’s the Biggest Mistake I Could Make?
  Without a doubt, overcooking the bike, especially on the hills. We highly recommend that you commit yourself to Just Riding Along (JRA) for the first 90-120′, ignoring the others around you. Specifically, you need to stay on top of your hydration, making sure you take in enough fluid through the heat and all of the terrain changes. Pay attention and drink! Also, the last 20 miles of the bike course are pretty fast and you want to be able to take advantage of that by not being That Guy. You know, the one who is too shelled from having drilled himself for 90 miles and is now relegated to the hoods with 20 miles to think about how in the world can he possibly run a marathon in this heat with these legs. In other words, it pays to be smart so you can finish fast and confidently vs slowly and terrified of the run.
• What is the Temperature Like on Race Day?
  Bad news? It’s gonna be hot. Hot and humid. Good news? You KNOW it’s going to be hot and humid…it’s Kentucky in August! Trust us, that piece of mind vs the unknown of other races (such as IMCDA, IMUSA, or IMWI) is actually very valuable. Pretty much everyone in the US should have plenty of time to train in the heat before the event so the heat is usually not the problem that it sometimes is at other, less weather-consistent races.
  
• What’s Your Top Swim Tip?
  Only go as fast as your ability to maintain good form. If your form begins to go because you are tired or working too hard, just slow down. It’s a long day, so don’t sweat 2-3 minutes on the swim. Don’t try to get all Ricky Racer with drafting and current strategery — swim your swim and you’ll be fine!
• What’s Your Top Bike Tip?
  You’re basically warming up until about mile 40 of the bike (don’t worry, the hammerheads will come back to you or you’ll see them on the run). After that, ride steady and stay on top of your nutrition.
• What’s Your Top Run Tip?
  Run very easy for the first 6 miles, then settle into your pace, preparing for the real race that starts at mile 18. At mile 18, put your head down and get it done. Count the number of people you’re passing and keep your head in the game. You can do anything for 8 miles!

Endurance Nation is the world’s only 400 person long course triathlon team, with 25-35 athletes in every US Ironman this season. Download the Endurance Nation Ironman Race Kit, FREE! The Kit includes: The Four Keys to Ironman Execution eBook, 6 x 30′ preview videos of our Ironman Course Talks, and the Ironman Transition Training Plan eBook, a comprehensive guide for the “what now” questions rattling around in your head post race! The kit is our gift to you, as a demonstration of our committment to changing the Ironman training, racing, and coaching game!