As one of the three new host cities for an Ironman Triathlon race, Madison will be the location of one of the toughest and most physically challenging events in the world.
This weekend, the city will entertain the desire and ambition of athletes who will put themselves to a test so rigorous that the original creators were Navy Seals. In an effort to see which athlete, a swimmer, biker, or a runner, was the most physically fit, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run were combined for the inaugural race in 1978.
Since the original 15 competitors, the number of racers has grown to the thousands. In addition to Madison’s race, Ironman competitions in California and Utah have also been added this year to bring the number of events in North America to five, including a race in New York and one in Canada.
Those who qualify Sunday will be able to race at the World Championships in 2003 in Kona, Hi.
Toeing the line for the 7 a.m. start will be over 2000 athletes. Many have done the distance before, while others have worked their way from shorter triathlon races. The field will consist of athletes young and old, green and seasoned. Representing some of the competitors from the Madison area are members of the UW Triathlon Team. They will be using the home course advantage in an effort to win the collegiate title. While they will be missing the talent of this year’s National Collegiate Champion, Michael Boehmer and Triathlon team president Francis Donovan, both of whom have raced the Ironman distance before, they still expect to finish well.
“I feel very prepared to reach a goal of [below] 13 hours on Sunday,” said senior Brodie Birkel, who is looking forward to racing the Ironman distance for the first time.
Donovan expects the team to all finish between 10.5 and 12.5 hours.
“We’ll do well,” he said.
This weekend will mark the second time the team has ever competed at the National Championship. It has been a member of the Department of Recreational Sports Club Sports Division since the early 1990s; last year it successfully put itself on the national collegiate map with an overall third-place finish.
Other members of the team who are Ironman rookies include senior Ryan Byrne and third-year medical student Vanessa Curtis.
Curtis and Byrne, like Birkel, have all competed in more than five other triathlon races. Their favorite distance is the Olympic, or International, with a three-fourths-mile swim, 25-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run.
All three credit the Triathlon team in helping them to bridge the gap between the two race distances.
“The members of the club really made me believe that I could do anything in triathlons that I wanted to do,” said Byrne. “I did a half-Ironman last year, my first year in the club, and am doing the Ironman this year. Club members and advisor Tim Gattenby have taught me everything I know of the sport.”
As athletes, support from one another is a major draw for continuing participation in the sport, whether in practice or competition.
Erik Bush, 34, from Warrenville, Ill., thinks the generosity felt among their community is what sets them apart from other athletes.
“Personally, the triathletes I know are the best people you would want to have in your corner,” Bush said. “Every effort is made to support on another, because deep down, we know that support is what keeps us going.”
Bush cited as an example an instance where a triathlete he knew of was in a bind and was offered help by strangers from all over.
“I am on this e-mail list, the Triathletes of the Dead Runner’s Society, and a couple of times this year they’ve amazed me with their generosity,” said Bush. “This one guy lost his job and was in a car accident where his bike, which was in the trunk, got wrecked. Tim, one of the guys on the list, mailed him a bike across the country so he could train. It was one of 10 offers from people to mail a bike to this guy.”
In addition to support from other athletes, Bush credits his family for not only helping him train, but for motivation to persevere and cross the finish line.
“Before I signed up, my wife and I had a pretty long discussion about what getting ready for an Ironman meant — long weekends, et cetera,” Bush said.
In addition, he said, “I need to set a good example for my son. One of the things I hope he harvests from my training and competition is [that] work produces results, hard work produces good results, and not quitting, even when you’re down, is key to a good life.”
In addition to the mental stress it causes, finishing an Ironman requires a dedicated training regimen.
As a veteran of six Ironman races, with a personal best of 12 hrs, 25 minutes in Ironman Brazil 2002, drug and alcohol addiction survivor Todd Crandell, 35, from Sylvania, Ohio, believes “dedication, commitment, self-discipline and confidence” help him to not only stay sober, but to train as well.
His training schedule, similar to other triathletes, consists of a mixed-sport routine. “I spend between 15-20 hours per week of swimming, biking, and running while preparing to do an Ironman.”
As the executive director of Racing for Recovery, a program that supports addiction survivors, one of Crandell’s goals this Sunday will be to set a new personal best and raise money and awareness for his program.
“I want to show others, including my family, that this type of sport is healthy not only for the body, but the mind and spirit as well,” Crandell said. “I want to show anyone who is currently battling addictions that no matter how far down you think you are, you can come out of your addictions and do anything you set your mind to.”
