A race the size of an Ironman, with the participation of such high-caliber athletes, takes hundreds of hours to organize, plan and prepare. The coordination of volunteers, managing the racecourse and working out the logistics for Sunday’s inaugural race had been in progress for over two years.
“This is big,” said Janet Bell, vice president of event management & operations for the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation. “This is the Superbowl of triathlons.”
Bell, who was in charge of volunteer coordination, said there were over 3000 volunteers working at aid stations, athlete change tents, body marking, medical tents, set-up, tear-down and communication. Bell also said support from Madison residents and area communities has been tremendous.
“I think people didn’t know what it really was,” Bell said. “But they’re finally getting it because they’re seeing it.”
Bell said the groups who volunteered include “high schools, fraternities, sororities and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.” She also said volunteers were not only from the area, but from out of the state and out of the country, as well.
“Twenty-five countries are being represented in the race,” Bell said. In addition to the athletes’ own cheering sections, they bring people to volunteer as well.
To bring international as well as out-of-state athletes and their families to Madison, the WSDC and the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau have been working together to promote the city and all it has to offer.
“We formed a partnership with WSDC to bring them here,” said Janna Lenz, director of communications and public relations for the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Originally entered in a bid process to compete as an Ironman host city, Madison’s quest was successful and it is one of three new host cities for Ironman North America.
“Our convention sales vice president, Toni Kraft, saw in a publication that Ironman was looking for a new location, and she contacted them to get on their bid book list,” Lenz said.
Once past the initial process, the top cities were chosen and considered, “to see if it [was] viable for what they might need.”
Regardless of yesterday’s outcome, its impact on the city has been noted.
“This is a big boom for economic impact,” Lenz said. “For athletic events, this is one of the major ones we’ve hosted. It draws a lot of people from different countries and states. It really puts us on the map to be an athletic destination and an outdoor enthusiast destination.”
After a race starts, only other thing the athletes must rely on is support from the volunteers.
“California was really well organized,” said John Gresham, a triathlete from San Jose, Calif., who decided to make Madison the location of his second Ironman. “It was on a military training base and had over 4,000 volunteers. That’s the benchmark for me.”
While the higher number of volunteers insures that there will always be plenty of hands to pull off a wet suit, pass out cups of water or massage the racers’ tired legs, every athlete is aware of the numerous strangers in their matching shirts.
“Volunteers are the best,” Mike Rubin, of Evanston, Ill, said. “They are totally key. I always thank them. Without the volunteers this couldn’t happen.”
