50 Ironman Wisconsin Race Reports in One Place #IMWI

Hopefully you will enjoy this compilation of Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Reports, race videos, and podcasts.  I combed Facebook, Google, and other groups to find (and read) as many as I could.  I have pulled an excerpt from each so you may have an idea of what you’re about to read.  I plan to add more as I find them, so bookmark this page and look for the latest.  Also, if you have one and I missed it, please let me know.  As always, please follow me @miketarrolly on Twitter for all my updates.  Thanks!

Official Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Day Video

Pro recap video from Ironman Wisconsin 2013

Finish line streaming video of Ironman Wisconsin 2013

Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Statistical Analysis with photos

“I could also cite my tire pressure, crash, bumpy roads, steep hills, just a litany of reasons that could have contributed to my less-than-stellar bike time. I just know I got owned!”  – Christina from The Jerk Store Called . . . (Best blog name ever)

“I settled it as much as I could w/the choppy conditions and found myself behind some feet that were just swimming all over the place!!  We did not swim straight AT ALL…BUT it’s pretty crazy how swimming alone in a straight line is just way harder and no faster than drafting easy on some feet that just happen to be swimming a little whacky.” – Women’s winner, Jackie Arendt from Jackie Arendt Racing.

“Within 30 seconds people were kicking my head and beating on my legs . . . and I was loving every second of it.  Rubber bodies were everywhere and keeping good form was nearly impossible.  My arms were tangled and my feet felt like they were tied by rubber cords.  Good thing Robbie made us practice this shit.”  Mike (me) of Crushing Iron

“As long as they didn’t intentionally do anything to me I let them go.  I didn’t pull or push anyone without good reason.  However, if you did things on purpose, and Mr. D. Head next to me found out, I do retaliate.”  Kevin for Crushing Iron

“The race started off well with my kind of swim—a hard one. Well it would have been better without wetsuits, but at the very least we got tough and choppy conditions and had to work for that swim finish!” – Hillary Biscay from HillaryBiscay.com

“On Observatory Drive where the worst of the run course hills are, a guy next to me started to tell me what a disappointment the whole day was. I had no room in my mind for negativity, so as soon as we reached the top of the first hill I wished him luck and took off running. I wanted to be so far away from the negativity that I actually ran the second hill on Observatory Drive, where everyone else was walking.” – From Finding My Happy Place

“On the first loop I had made it about 30 miles or so into the ride and was reaching the fun rollers of Witte Road when things got exciting.  A motorcycle cop whizzed by and a little bit after that came the first pro, Romain Guillaume, a Frenchman who we dubbed the “Little Guy” at the expo.  He was booking.  It wasn’t long before other pro riders were whipping by.” – Chris at I Am Tri

“I headed out on the run, and had seriously wobbly legs. The first two miles, I felt like I had no control over them. I had never felt that before. I thought, I DID race the bike!!!!” – From Katie at Triing for Pro

“I kept pushing until the end, skipping the last 2 aid stations.  I saw JT at the EN tent on State St, gave him my fuel belt (which was empty anyway), pushed on the finish.  Coming around Capital Square with about ¼ mile left, I spotted a guy in a race kit that I recognized from the bike leg.  I felt I could pass him, so I gave it one last push.” From Bruce at Endurance Nation

“I use a 2-mile lap as my “box” while on the bike.  When I hear the beep for a lap, I start a new interval on the Joule so that I am not working too hard to hit a particular number.  When a new lap starts, now it is time to concentrate on that lap and that lap only.”  – From Joe at Endurance Nation

“Around 4:30 the volunteers with the most experience are keenly aware of time running short; a helpful one said to me and the couple gentlemen I was riding near (it’s a no-drafting rule, but it’s hard to avoid some proximity), “You can still make it, but you need to stay focused. Fifteen miles in one hour – you can do that!” Yes, I could do that – but it was WINDY! We were riding straight into the wind, it seemed like; you’d have a brief respite, then there’d be a turn and it would be brutal headwind again.” From Jenny Davidson

“I’ll tell you I felt fine the whole race until the second loop of the run. As I turned around, I said to myself ” you don’t want to do this but you have to.” – From Matt Amman

“The entire population of Madison, volunteers and spectators. What a freaking incredible place to race. The volunteers were perfect. The spectators were out of hand. You guys made the experience. While were here, a huge shout out to fellow geophysicist and maybe-turning-pro triathlete Summer, who absolutely nailed restaurant and spectating recommendations.” – From A Siegfried Runs

“There were times when I felt so tired, I felt like I could just fall asleep standing up while walking. In my desperation to try and figure out what was going on with my body, I started eating all kinds of stuff being offered on the run aid stations. I ate bananas, energy gels, defizzed coke, chicken broth, and lots of potato chips.”  – From Loco Runner

“Saturday, Sept 10 – Woke up to a farmer’s market right on the capital square! Walked around a little, had some breakfast and realized that the weekend was heating up. I had high hopes for a low-80s kind of Sunday. Oh well. I forced myself to drink lots of water on Saturday and kept my bottle close by as I did the last few Ironman tasks before Sunday – needed to drop off my bike and my transition bags at Monona Terrace.” – From Kelly at There Had Better Be Oxygen

“I knew that I had pushed the bike a little harder than I had planned to, but I still felt pretty good starting out on the run. I paced my first 3 miles at a 7:15 pace and began passing a good number of people, including a few female pros.” – From Eric at Ironman Diary

“Before even starting the race I reminded myself of a question that was suggested by a renown Ironman coach on a podcast I listen to.  He suggested that before making any decision during the race, you should ask yourself, “How will this decision effect the last 10k of the run?” – From Iron Dad Triathlete

“I didn’t take five strokes when the panic set in.  F%CK ME!!!!  I had perfect swims all season and here I was acting like I had never been there before.  Each time I tried to force myself to swim the breathing was too short and labored to let me swim.”  – From Eric in Cleveland

“Miles 23-25.5 are long, dark and sparse of spectators.  So close, yet so far away.  Then you hit State Street and that is what this race is all about.  Music bumping, beer flowing the crowd shouting you up the hill towards the capitol.  I teared up a little turning that corner.  It had been a long week and I had my moments doubting whether I would make it here or not.   I looked around, picked up my turnover a bit and soaked it all in.”  From Angela in Chicago

“It’s become a September tradition. Take the second weekend of the month, head down to Madison and cheer on athletes as they tackle the 140.6 miles of the Ironman Wisconsin course.” – From Badger Girl, on Spectating IMWI
“The first goal in our family is always to start.  It’s a good goal, and it’s one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Injuries and accidents happen; I know this too well.  On race morning, after a fitful night of sleep, I rolled over and looked at my watch.  It said 6:35.” – From George in Atlanta

“I decided that I would try grapes instead and drink water. That worked like magic. I keep the energizer jelly beans and ate them slowly to try and see if that would be able to help me maintain some sort of an energy level.”  Tri Fuel

“We all have many roles in life, and I have been trying to juggle being a supportive partner, loving mother, daughter, sister, nurse, friend, and ironman.  I want to stress that I am just like everyone else, and if you have a dream and put the work in, that many dreams are possible.” – Team Luna Chix

Rich and Scott discuss his race, his first Ironman, including a 15 minute negative split on the run!!  – Endurance Nation Podcast

I gashed the bottom of my foot open on a rock, almost got puked on 4 times by athletes, was picking seaweed out of my hair for hours after, and nearly got seasick.  AND.  IT.  WAS.  AWESOME!!!!!!  – Observations from a Volunteer

“This race will be the closest I will ever come to knowing what it’s like riding in the Tour de France. The fans lined the hills cheering and ringing their cow bells, which made for a great experience”  – From Kristen Lodge

“I really can’t believe that this was the 12th year that I have raced Ironman Wisconsin. I thought about it in the water before the cannon sounded; some of the first races I did here felt like they were yesterday. Each year proves to be a time when I learn something else that I can apply to future races, with this year being no exception.”  From pro racer and Madison resident, Blake Becker

“I went to Wisconsin with the sole goal of erasing those doubts in my mind. Of proving to nobody but myself that I could run a respectable marathon. I didn’t care about my place or my overall time, those things were all secondary. I just wanted to run well. I NEEDED to run well.” From the Trail of Miles

“The plan was to do one shot blok every 2 miles and drink Ironman Perform at every aid station. The first six miles went well. I ran through the Badger Stadium and screamed “WE ARE PENN STATE” which I am pretty sure was heard by no one.”  From Alexa Harding

“This means I had to stop at the next penalty tent, write down my name and some details, sign a form and then go again.. About 45seconds worth but this is an age while you are watching the group ride away through the hills.” – From Simon Cochrane

“Things kept going from bad to worse, and I wondered if I might have to walk the rest of the race. I knew if I could at least keep jogging, I would still get a PR, but I saw my goal of a 3:40 run quickly slip out of reach.” From Luna Chick Runs

“I had a dream that I accidentally brought my mountain bike (which I don’t actually use in real life) instead of my tri-bike. And my dad and I had to build it minutes before the race started. And then a huge lightning storm came in and delayed the race. Other than that, I slept well.”  – From Go Run Some

“Alarms were going off at 3:45am to the song I get knocked down but I get up again! It was time to race and the day I was thinking about for a year was finally here.”  From Angela’s Antics

YouTube Report from Amy Friese

“The bike course was brutal.  Hilly –  up and down and quick turns – and never ending.  And did I mention we had headwinds the ENTIRE 112 miles?!?! Ugh.  I stopped at mile 56 at special needs to grab more sports drink and use the porta potty.  The hills were brutal but the steepest hills were full of spectators and people cheering and on drums – it was like being in the Tour de France – I felt like a rock star and was having a blast!” – From Susan at I Am Tri

A story on the amazing Brent and Kyle Pease

“I am not simply surviving…. I am thriving. I have found a way to give back, to help, and really help. For this, I am eternally grateful. I am a cancer survivor, but I am much more than that. I am an athlete. I am an activist, an advocate.”  – From Team Strutz – Wilkerson

“The main problem I had was that I couldn’t see the buoy’s very well.  Because I started so far to the right of them, it took me a while to get close to them – and once I did, I actually ran into one of them at one point.” From http://spabbo.blogspot.com/

“I believe in triathlon. I believe it has transformative power, and I know that behind goals linked to the time of day are more important motives: it’s the expression of our best selves that make this day sacred.”  From Iron Love

“We said some not so nice things to each other (we determined that on ironman day, all was said with love) and there were times that she kept going and I had to play catch-up as I was stopping to talk to a lot of people and giving hugs when I should have been running with her.”  – From Beyond the Boobs: My Journey to Ironman Wisconsin

“Today I got out there and gave it a go at my 7th Ironman Wisconsin. Living only 1 block from the finish it is tough to miss this event, and it is the only opportunity all year to sleep in my own bed for a pro race. Leading up to the race I kept a steadfast line that “I was tired” and that was the truth.” From Thomas Gerlach, pro triathlete.