My First Ironman: Ironman Wisconsin
Ed Stygar 

Before the Race
I was very pleased to even get to the starting line of Ironman Wisconsin, because from mid- February until mid-July knee problems prevented me from running much. I tried to make up for the lack of running with more biking. So it wasn’t until the end of July when I could run more than six miles and had to quickly ramp up my miles to prepare for the race. I ended up getting up to 18.5 miles three weeks before the race, I would have liked to have done two or three 20-milers but under the circumstances I was very pleased to do 18.5. My chiropractor, Dr. Svihlik, is a miracle worker! Then about a month before the race I was having horrible stomach pains. At first they thought it was gallstones, which could require surgery, and then maybe ulcers, so I had x rays, blood tests, an ultrasound (just like Sheila my pregnant wife), and then an EDG where there stick a little camera down your throat into your stomach. I was worried because I thought I may need surgery or the doctor would tell me to take it easy for a couple of months. Thankfully, they didn’t find anything and attributed it to too much ibuprofen and gave me some drugs and I had no more stomach problems. Relief! I had been training on and off since January 1, so I didn’t want some pestering injury or illness to stop me from racing.

Race Week
I took it easy during race week—maybe too easy—did some light workouts, skipped some workouts (I used a training plan from multisports.com), and tried to watch what I ate. I monitored the weather throughout the week; the forecast earlier in the week said it would be in the 70s for race day but it kept crawling up until the day before it was forecasted to be in the high 80s. Sheila and I left for Madison on Thursday after work and arrived just before sundown. We had a nice room that overlooked Lake Monona; it was a great view. The swim course was already laid out. I took a look at it and was a bit overwhelmed, but I convinced myself that I could do it.

I trained a lot, I did 2.4+ miles in the pool several times, I did several 100+ mile bike rides, and if I couldn’t run 26.2, I could walk—my goal was to finish. So that night we had a really nice dinner with Deek and Mick (Brendon and Michelle Wilkinson, college friends in Madison), which helped me take my mind off the task ahead. Thanks for treating, Deek! Friday morning I woke up and went swimming with Brett Peterson and some of his Nebraska friends. There were a lot of athletes down by the water and definitely some excitement in the air. There were a lot of superfit people, not a lot of 200+ pounders, which made me a little nervous, since I am around 210 lbs. The water was nice and comfortable. I was only going to swim about 20 minutes but I felt good and did one loop (1.2 miles), which I am glad I did because it helped relieve some swimming anxieties. After the swim I went to get a massage to help relieve the other anxieties.

After the swim I went to register. I saw some of the pros, which was exciting (I am a tri geek), including Paula Newby Fraser (who won 8 Ironman Word Championships in Hawaii and 23 Ironmans total) and Heather Gollnick (who won Ironman WI last year and would repeat this year; she won her first 3 Ironmans she entered as a pro). Going through registration and the Ironman expo definitely was getting me psyched about the race. I still had some doubts about finishing, but Sheila assured me I could do it. Friday night we went to the carbo dinner and sat with some of the Chicago Tri Club members, which was good because some of the Iron veterans offered tips and advice—you can never have enough of that! The dinner was good, the entertainment and videos of past Ironmans was inspiring; that night I decided that no matter what happened I was going to finish the race! Saturday I was little more nervous—race day was tomorrow!

I woke up early and took a short swim, which helped some, went to drive part of the bike course, and then had to get my stuff ready. That’s the stressful part! For an Ironman you have two transition bags and two special needs bags. Your bike stuff goes in one transition bag and your run stuff goes in the other; food or other items go in the special needs bags. Plus you need countless carboom gel packets (8 packets and 15 in gel flasks), Clif bars (4), bottles (4>1 water, 1 Gatorade, 2 Extran), a PB&J, and an extra tube/CO2 cartridge (for flat tires). So to organize all of this and be sure it goes in the right bag is very stressful to Ed. So I did that without screwing up, took a short bike ride, and then brought my bike and bags to the Monona Terrace. Sat afternoon we had the athletes’ meeting, which laid out the course and explained the rules. Afterward we went to a nice pasta dinner with our parents and Ironfans Becky, Tony, Amy, and Joe. It was a good way to calm the nerves, and I had a glass of wine. That night I slept better than I thought I would: I didn’t wake up until 3 a.m., when I had a bite of my Clif bar and then lay in bed until my alarm went off at 4 a.m.

Race Morning, Sunday, September 7, 2003
I got up, had some breakfast, stretched, and made sure I had all the right gear for the swim—wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, etc. I then went to visit Marion (my bike, named after Marion Jones), pumped up the tires, put my water bottles and GU flask on and took a once over to make sure everything was in order. The wheels and seat were there so it looked OK! I went to drop off my special needs bags (extra food, drink, and tube/CO2). On the way back at 5 a.m. I saw Becky and Tony! Were they just getting home from a late night in Madison or do they like to be the first to get their morning paper? I never got a straight answer. So I went back to the room, stretched, prepared, relaxed a bit and then moseyed on down to the start at about 6:15. I was ready to get going!

Swim: 2.4 miles
I walked down to the swim and jumped in the water at about 6:35 a.m. I did some warmups, straightened out my goggles, and fixed my timing chip, which was coming loose. I lined up for the start at about 6:50; I wanted to make sure I got a good spot. I started up front in the middle of the line away from most of the crowds—or so I thought. It gets crowded with 1800 people starting at once. Tons of people started crowding around me just before the start, and I could barely move without hitting someone. At 7 a.m. the cannon went off, and the race and the chaos of the swim had started! The first five minutes there was nowhere to go, just bodies all over. I was constantly getting hit and bounced but had to keep moving forward so I didn’t get swum over.

After about five minutes it cleared up some and I was able to start swimming at pace. There was still some contact but not nearly as bad as the start. When we got to the first turning buoy I made the mistake of going inside, and it was chaotic like the start all over again. After that I shot to the outside of the course and stayed out there the remainder of the swim with little contact and was able to keep my pace. After that the swam went pretty good, I just thought about the rest of the day and tried to regulate my pace so I could reserve some energy. I finished the swim at about 1 hour and 7 minutes. I am always happy to finish the swim, because you can slow down on the bike and walk on the run, but you could drown on the swim. Nice thoughts!

So after I got out of the water the wonderful volunteers helped me get my wetsuit off, then I ran into the Ironfans, which is always great and inspiring. I then went up the circular parking ramp of Monona Terrace and into one ballroom to grab my transition bag, went into the men’s changing room, sat down and then another volunteer helped me empty out my bag and get me my bike gear. I put on my helmet, glasses, and shoes and then started running out to my bike. On the way out there were volunteers that put sunscreen on you (what a great race and volunteers!), I took a quick pit stop and then continued running to my bike (about 1/3 of a mile from swim to bike). I saw my parents in the bike corral and tried to figure how they got in there (only athletes are allowed in for security); my dad later told me he went up the wrong set of stairs—what luck! I found Marion, and we ran another 200 meters and then started out on our ride in the country.

La Bike (Cyclista?): 112 Miles
I have ridden the loop of the bike course several times, so I knew what I was in for: endless hills, winding downhills, and some great scenery. At 210 lbs., I don’t go uphill very easily, so I knew I needed to pace myself to make it through the bike and then the run. I had my heart rate monitor mounted on my aerobars to make sure I regulated my pace. I’m glad I had it, otherwise I would have tried to use speed as my guide and would have went into the red zone with the heat. When I started the bike it was crowded; if I wanted to move up I would have to pass 5–10 people, which would be difficult without getting a penalty for blocking or drafting. I decided to sit back and get settled in on the bike and save some energy for the rest of the day.

The first 16 miles were uneventful, relatively flat, with a couple of tight turns. I saw several triathletes on the side of the road but couldn’t tell if they wiped out or had a flat. After mile 16 we started the loop. It’s 40 miles of ups and downs and tight downhill turns—hard but fun. We had to do the loop twice. In the first couple of hills I didn’t feel the power I had in training, so I just kept watching my heart rate monitor, keeping a slow but steady pace up the hills and then trying to fly down the downhills. People would pass me going up and I would pass them going down, I think there was about 10 or 12 of the same people doing this yoyo trick for the first 56 miles.

At about mile 20 my lower back started to hurt. I wasn’t surprised because it had been bothering me for the last week or so. I realized I would need to stop and stretch it, but I decided to hold out until the halfway point, where I would get my special needs bag. I took it easy the first loop, going fast where I could and just enjoying the ride. There were spectators all over the bike course, people having BBQs, farmers in their lawn chairs, little kids, friends and family with pictures/funny signs and the crazy little towns: Mt. Horeb, Cross Plains, and Verona! People lined the roads, screaming and yelling; it was really cool. I saw Joe and Amy in Cross Plains; it was unexpected but great. On some of the bigger hills there were fans lining the hills with cow bells like it was the Tour de France; it helped get me up the hill, but no one would give me a beer!

On the big hill there were two guys dressed as the devil that would chase you up the hill—it was comical. They were there all day, as was the kid with the trombone on the second-biggest hill and the hyped up high school cheerleader right before the big hill. About mile 40 of the bike I started to feel a little fatigued so I started to eat and drink a little more to keep myself fueled and hydrated. Right before the end of the first loop you go through Verona. Verona was crazy! Tons of spectators lining the streets cheering you on, and I saw the rest of the Ironfans: Sheila, Becky, Tony, the McNally’s and my P’s. Right after Verona was the special needs bag pickup. So I stopped for about 10 to 15 minutes to stretch out my back, got a new food replacement drink, refilled my GU flask, and then ate my peanut better & jelly sandwich. I should have brought more PB&J’s!

I tried to pick it up a little on the second lap and it worked for awhile until I started having some stomach problems. Then Joe and Amy Nedoss surprised me by showing up in Mt. Horeb; it was great to see them again. I fought the stomach issues for awhile but at mile 70 I had to stop at one of the aid stations for a pit stop. It was the Chicago Tri Club aid station! The CTC volunteers were great, dressed in Mardi Gras garb. They held my bike for me while I was indisposed and got me water, etc. On the bike I kept running into this Spanish-speaking guy who had the same bike as me and every time I passed him he would say in his accent “Nice Bike.” It made me laugh, so I shot him back the hang loose sign. Such love!

After the pit stop it was back up the three big hills, through the phenomenal crowds of Verona, and on my way back to Madison. It was getting hotter, so I was frequently pouring water over my head to try and cool off. The last 16 miles were tough, but the thought that I was more than halfway done kept me moving at a decent pace. I love my bike, but I was happy to get off it at the transition area. So after a volunteer took my bike, I ran back into the transition area, got my run gear bag, and went into the changing area. Again there was a volunteer there to help me with my stuff—he’d take stuff out for the run and put the bike stuff in the bag. All the volunteers throughout the course were awesome. Even the cops were great, cheering us on, stopping traffic etc. The transition area was in Monona Terrace, which was air conditioned. I didn’t want to leave, it was so hot outside. I heard it was high 80s or low 90s.

Run: 26.2 Miles
After I put on my running shoes and my running hat, I went out and got more sunscreen and more support from the Ironfans. This time they had multiplied: they picked up Steve Ford, Katie Ford, Mike Bork, and Mike Barrett. The support was great. My run started all right, then about at 1.5 miles my stomach started bothering me. That’s when I started the porta potty tour. I don’t recommend it, but I am happy they had one every mile. This went on for the first ten or eleven miles. After that it got better and I didn’t have to stop as much. I think I learned to stick with water and bananas.

At every aid station they had water, Gatorade, bananas, oranges, Coke, pretzels, GU, and . . . chicken soup! The chicken soup is to replenish the sodium and has some carbs. Again the volunteers at the aid stations were very helpful and encouraging. I ran slowly most of the way, but I had to walk some to digest food and to let my stomach settle. I saw the Ironfans throughout the course, which kept me motivated. I kept thinking things like “Be the Energizer Bunny”; “One mile at a time”; “Whittle away the miles”; “I am going to finish”; etc.—it’s very mental out there. I talked to some people on the run course, Chris, John, Mike, and Dan from the Chicago Tri Club, a girl from California who had to drive home the next day (ouch!), another girl from Vancouver who could kayak in the morning and then ski in the afternoon where she lived. Personally I would skip the kayaking and ski all day! It was quite the social scene. Besides me, there were a lot of other people walking, a lot in pairs keeping each other company, a lot of competitors helped push each other along, it was great sportsmanship.

The last 7 miles were a little spooky, it was getting dark and there were not many people on the course. It didn’t affect me much, but I couldn’t imagine it if I was in worse condition than I was. I did see people who were in worse condition, and I just hope they made it to the finish. The last 13 miles were better than the first 13; my stomach had settled some and I was able to keep jogging slowly most of the way. At about mile 22 I realized that I would most likely finish, so I was a little more psyched and was able to pick up my pace some, and then at 23 a little more. I thought I might be able to get under 14 hours, so I kept trying to go faster. At about mile 24 my surge ran out. I realized I wouldn’t beat 14 hours and decided to walk a bit and enjoy the moment and save my energy for the finish. It was kind of peaceful just to walk alone in the dark, knowing that I was almost done. So I walked a couple minutes then started to run for the finish.

At about mile 25 I could hear the finish, it was ecstasy, people cheering on the side of the streets, then the finish chute was crazy, I saw the Ironfans, gave them high fives along with the rest of the crowd, I felt like a rock star. Then they announced my name, they held the Ironman ribbon and after 14 hours and 7 minutes I finally crossed the finish line. It was incredible! After they gave me my medal and the finisher’s T-shirt, I saw the Ironfans. It was great to see the crazy people who chased me around all day—they should have gotten a medal.

After the Finish
After I showered, I came back down to see others finish; it was inspiring. I wanted to stay and see the last ones at midnight, but I was beat, I needed to sleep. A 74-year-old man missed the finish by 2 minutes; I guess he fell right before. They ended giving him an unofficial finish and brought him on stage at the awards ceremony; he got a standing ovation and then gave a nice speech. He wore a shirt with a smiley face. He’s my idol. The heat really took a toll this year: 1500 out of 1800 racers finished, a 15% dropout rate—the worst in Ironman history (the year before the IM Wisconsin dropout rate was 5%). I felt pretty good on Monday and Tuesday after the race, my legs were just sore, it’s been difficult to walk, but no more pain than a marathon.

It was a great experience! The Ironman organization, the volunteers, Madison, Verona, Cross Plains, Mt. Horeb, all put on a great event. The race was long, tough, hot, but it also had a lot of ups: the Ironfans, the spectators, the fast downhills, finishing the swim, the camaraderie, running through Madison, etc. A friend of mine, Shannon Smith, just happened to go online to check my progress and saw me finish on Ironmanlive.