Ironman Wisconsin 2018

September 9, 2018

Madison Wisconsin

As I pulled into Madison on Thursday afternoon, I felt like I was home.  All of the necessary check-ins at the hotel and race were completed. Let me tell you how much nicer it is to check in to the race on Thursday!

Friday was spent volunteering at Athlete Check In. The afternoon was packing gear bags and getting ready. Later that evening, my family rolled in.

Saturday is a lay low and rest type of day. After our traditional trip to Marigold's for breakfast, it was off to the IronKids race with my son.  It was so much fun to watch him run and see him get a high five from Mike Reilly as he crossed the finish line for the 3rd year in a row! Gear bags and bike were checked in later that morning and it was time to rest and focus on the day ahead.

Race day was an early morning as it always is, but I was ready.  I found my zone and stayed focused! Bag drop offs, check my bike, inflate tires, and put all my nutrition, etc on board, walk through my transitions, then found a quiet area to “relax” and get ready.

View from the swim exit back to the Terrace

The swim start changed again this year.  There were rumors of a swim cancellation due to the flooding the area had recieved. Fortunately, the swim was on!  The start and exit had been moved down the shoreline.  It was a rolling start, so you got in the corral with your expected swim finish.  I placed myself in the front of the first group 1:00 - 1:10. My goal was sub hour, so I had to go big or go home. It was very anticlimactic compared to the mass start format. When the cannon went off, the gates opened and you walked through the arch, walked into the water, dove in, & started swimming. I was at the pointy end of the spear...right where I needed to be to go sub-hour.

Within the first few hundred yards, I wanted to quit.  From the time I hit the water, I knew it wasn't going to be my day.  I was being beat or kicked on every side. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the waves we faced. I seriously wanted to quit before we even made it to the Terrace! I had never faced this type of abuse in the swim. My theory is you just placed all of the similar speed swimmers into a narrow pen taking away the space for people to spread out off of the start. I am told that this is a "safer" swim format. With the abuse I took, I would beg to differ. Three times I needed to sit up and reset goggles that were kicked or pulled (yes, pulled) from my face. It took me until partway through the back stretch to finally settle down, get in my groove, get my mind back in the game, and just swim.

Transition 1 was extended as we exited the water further down the shore.  I went to see the strippers to pull off my wetsuit. The run up the helix was just the energy I remembered!  I quickly grabbed my T1 bag, changed, and ran out toward the bikes.  It was a little cooler, so I debated arm warmers, but opted against. As I ran down the long rows of bikes  my bike was racked against the wall. I pulled it off the rack and headed to the other side of the Terrace. Just before the mount line, a volunteer grabbed my bike so I could put my bike shoes on.  Away I went.

The first part of the course was crowded, but not quite as bad as the waved start. My bike plan was to hold my power setting and see what the day brought. The winds were the "wrong" direction on race day. I had to fight to go down some of the hill I usually fly down. The freshly paved section of Stagecoach was a wind tunnel. It was great to be back on th "old" course though. My hamstring was starting to cramp, but higher than my previous injury.

As I came up Midtown, I heard and saw our LAMS Crew out cheering.  Next was into Verona. After the aid station heading into town, I saw my Dad and sister enjoying the party.  I made a quick stop at special needs to grab my second half nutrition and headed out on my second loop.  I stopped at the Mt Horeb aid station to use the restroom. This was the first place (in hindsight) that things were off.  I felt a little woozy,  but nothing bad. My nutrition was right on my plan. Back on my bike, I felt fine. I wrote it off to the climb into Mt Horeb. Some LAMS teammates were still cheering (or partying) at the top of the Mi hill. As I made my way back to the helix, I was ready to be off the bike.   As I approached the line, the volunteers grabbed my bike and I walked inside.

T2 was aweful. I was woozy. My glute/upper hamstring was cramped. I took my time changing and I was on my way. I hit the restroom on the way out of transition and was on my way.

My run started slow just trying to loosen up the leg.  I hated walking, but I couldn't run.  I was power walking and knocking off the miles. Sara passed me at Camp Randall. Shortly after she went by, I had tunnel vision. I had to back off. I looked down and my fingers were sausages. I could barely bend them. I started hammering the salt and electrolytes. Even though I was following my nutrition plan perfectly, it was not working for me this day.  As I hit State Street, I saw my family and let them know what was going on.  This is the only time I  have asked them to get my bike and bags for me.  It was going to be a really long marathon, but I was going to keep pushing until they pulled me off of the course.

It took until the aid station about mile 10 when I felt the need to go to the bathroom again. Let me tell you that I needed to go! Looking at my times, that mile took me about 5 extra minutes of offloading fluid.

My second loop I spent loop offloading more fluid every couple miles. I was starting to feel a little better, finally. My nutrition plan was off, now I needed to keep it headed in the right direction.

As the sun set and the air temps cooled, I threw on the long sleeved shirt that I grabbed at special needs. The second loop was spent with multiple other athletes having their own struggles. One had DNF'd in Boulder. Another had DNF'd here the past 2 years. The later the night goes, the more amazing the stories to get there and the comraderie.

The trip back toward the Capitol was a push.  As I came up State Street toward the Capitol, I ran into some OutKast teammates. Time wasn't a factor! I stopped and thanked them and took a few pictures before continuing the last few blocks.  As I rounded the Capitol and made that last turn, nothing else mattered!  I spaced myself out form the other athletes around in the final couple blocks so we could each have our moment running down the carpet.

“Josh Duda, You are an IRONMAN!”

What an amazing sound!  After the traditional finish line catch, hat, shirt, medal, & photo, I headed to the food tent.  There I met up with quite a few finishers that I knew. Some from the course, some from checking them in on Friday, and others I have known for years. 

When I was done there, I met up with my family and headed back to the hotel room. The plan was shower, food, & back to the finish line for the last finishers. After the shower, I couldn't eat.  My body was DONE! Off to bed I went.  A few hours later, I woke up starving and had to raid my food stash in the fridge.

This was my slowest, most challenging, but yet my most rewarding Ironman finish yet! I wanted to quit so many times during this race, but chose to keep pushing forward.

Thank you to all of my family and friends and sponsors that made this day possible!  I am truly blessed to have such an amazing group of support.

High Cliff 70.3

High Cliff 70.3
Sherwood, WI
June 23, 2018

This is a race I have not  done in a few years, and then it was the sprint distance for me. With the encouragement of my OutKast Triathlon teammates, I decided to add this 70.3 to my calendar.  What better reason to travel to an event than to have fun with friends.

Still dealing with injury, my training was not up to "par" but this was about having some fun.  We traveled over to the Appleton area on  Thursday. My wife has friends and family in the area, so we tried to catch multiple things in this trip.

Friday I ran into everyone during check in for the race.  That evening we met up with teammates for a pre race meal.  It was great to catch up with everyone! We may live a long way apart, but whenever we get together, a beat is never missed.

We stayed at a hotel about 20 minutes from the race venue. Race morning was a short commute in to get things set up.  The lake was calm. The weather was shaping up to be a nice day.

As I was preparing for the start, the announcer's voice caught my attention.  Jerry MacNeil had made the trip over and was announcing the race! It is always great to have Jerry announcing.

The start of the swim has you going through knee deep water fro the first few hundred yards. The challenge is to swim or run. Beyond that, the swim was uneventful. As I exited the water, the transition had been shifted from previous attempts at this event. The run to transition was a little steeper than I had previously remembered. My hamstring was tight, so I opted to walk up the hill rather than run. I finished the swim with the 3rd fastest time in my AG (22nd OA).

T1 was uneventful.  I had the 4th fastest T1 on the day, so I really can not complain.

The bike starts out by rapidly transitioning into a significant climb.  The key is fo be in the correct gearing before you even leave transition. I remembered the hill being a monster! This year, as I exited the park, I didn't think it was too bad. Must be all of the hill training for IM Wisonsin that changed my perspective!  As the miles clicked by, I ran into a number of teammates along the way. After the first hill, the rest of the course is gently rolling hills. 

T2 was much slower than I would have liked.  As I was getting to the end of the bike, my gi system was getting grouchy.  After dropping my bike and getting my run stuff on, I hit the porta potty.  Here is where my race ran downhill! After finishing my business, I reached for the TP.....and there was none! I was fortunate enough to find a couple squares discarded on a roll. Phew! Crisis avoided.

The run starts out taking you back up the hill. I knew my hamstring was still not 100% (realistically it was not quite 75%). My take e plan was to walk up the hill, run the flats, and see how it felt going back down the hill. Great plan! The run is on a lot of trails. Somewhere between mile 3 & 4, I missed a large root.  I caught it with the bottom of my shoe and tripped.  The forward lunge with my leg caused the hamstring to SCREAM at me. Shut it down! I walked the remainder of the course. I tried to enjoy the scenic views of the park. It turned into a trudge to the finish line. I thought that this was my worst 70.3. That is until I looked at my times later.

After the race, I was able to catch up with Jerry on the way back to my car. We said our congratulations and goodbyes to our teammates and headed to leave. As I was loading my bike, another athlete approached me. She had to tell me about one of my teammates (we were wearing the same kits). She had flatted toward the end of the bike. She was walking back toward transition when he stopped, helped her change the flat, and continued on the way. By the end of the story, she was in tears. She went from (assuming) a DNF to finishing her race. This act of kindness is why I love the triathlon community!

This was not my fastest 70.3, but I still had fun. I hit the shower, then we began our long trek back home.