Wigwam Blog

(attending) my first IRONMAN event: Part 3

My thoughts on the Ironman: It is about the story of the individual. Each one of the participants has a reason for becoming an Ironman. Overcoming the limitations of the human condition and pushing on to a new level of achievement. Yet...it is also a collective consciousness. The culture that is Ironman would not exist without the desire for those individuals to attain a piece of it. It is no wonder that these events book up for the following year, the day after the event. 

If you have not attended one of these events, you should. If you are athletic in any regards, attending one of these events will no doubt leave you with loads of inspiration, drive and determination to achieve more for yourself.

I am working on a video feature that encapsulates the experience of an Ironman competition. When I post it, I will add a link to one of the feature banners on our homepage...so please check back. In the meantime, I put together a 30 second clip that focuses on the individual surrounded by the culture of an Ironman event.

(attending) my first IRONMAN event: Part 2

Day Two:

The day before the event and the city was a buzz. The finish line was being set up, sponsors were displaying their products or giving away samples. The overall feel was excitement and anticipation.

Outside the Monona Terrace there were media events going on. Professional athletic trainers were sharing their tips and stories on preparing for an Ironman event. Participating athletes were either bringing their bikes to the bike/run transition area or riding about the city, while others were getting in a last minute swim in Lake Monona. Perhaps to get a feel for the body of water? I am not sure what the rules are in that regard, but there were more than half a dozen swimmers out on the course.

I spent a portion of the afternoon scouting out parts of the running and bike trails that are on the course. Not yet closed to the general public; there were many people out and about, participating in the Ironman spirit. I was starting to get a feel for how late this event is going to run when I saw light towers attached to generators along the path. I personally prefer to run at night, but running at night during the Ironman means that your are more than likely in your 10 to 12th hour.

During the evening hours, the streets of Madison were slightly quieter than the night before. The athletes and the many family and friends who support them, no doubt needed to get plenty of rest prior to the 6:30 a.m. start time. I too followed suit.

More to come on the event day blog,

Jake

(attending) my first IRONMAN event

Day One:

Ironman Wisconsin takes place in Madison. In case you have never been to Madison, it is a city that rarely shuts off at night. The University of Wisconsin draws those seeking an education to the city and with that comes a culture of energy, street musicians, artists and memorable characters.

The city and the surrounding areas are perfect for an Ironman event. Madison is situated between two lakes (Lake Monona and Lake Mendota) on an isthmus, thus making it easy to conduct all three portions of the triathlon.

On friday evening I attended the Welcome dinner ( a.k.a. “The carb-load dinner”) at the Monona Terrace. It was an amazingly large event that featured attendees in the following categories: Oldest male (72), Oldest female (65), Youngest male (18), Youngest female (20) and the most weight lost while training for an Ironman event (80 lbs.). Mexico is in large attendance with 350 participants, with one of them making this event the 50th Ironman that they have participated in.

Overall the evening was a fantastic meeting place for all involved. More stories of determination, triumph and motivation were shared during the event, thus raising the aura of the room to a level that could motivate the triathlon neophyte to continue pursuing the Ironman dream.

As an added treat, I also had the opportunity to meet Ironman legend Paula Newby-Fraiser. She had some interesting stories to share and was very encouraging about the media coverage that Wigwam is conducting during this event.