Ironman Wisconsin 2023: Four Years in the Making

The year is 2019, and I am sitting at my kitchen table on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s about 2pm, and I’m talking on the phone with Robbie Bruce, my current triathlon coach. If you ask him about the hour-long conversation, he will likely tell you that it was an interrogation of sorts. I asked too many questions and didn’t always like the answers given. At one point in time, he told me I had no business running a 4-hour marathon in an Ironman and that I was not living up to my potential.  That one stung a little bit to be honest.  But in the end, I hired him anyways.  And this is why…

My dream had always been to qualify to the World Championship, but I had no idea how I was going to get there.  I told Robbie that I was considering going back to Ironman Arizona to try as it was much flatter and faster.  He told me NO!  He said, “Wisconsin is home” and that all my family would be there in their t-shirts that I make them wear, and that is how it should be—home course, family, friends.  That’s the dream. 

Four years later, that is exactly what happened!

I arrived in Madison early on Friday morning to swim in Lake Monona with the team before going to breakfast. The water was a perfect 72 degrees and calm. I got in and honestly felt pretty darn good! My wetsuit was fitting as it should, my arms felt springy, and I was getting anxious to race. After breakfast, I went down to the terrace to check in, and I was given #136. I immediately thought to myself, “this is a good number. It feels right.”  I found Robbie a little later, and we discussed my lack of underperforming on the bike in the past, and he said it was time to go for it. We knew I could run, but we didn’t really know how well I could bike.

Coming off a big win at Lake Country 70.3 in July, where I really hammered the bike, I knew I could be aggressive. But stepping out of my comfort zone on the bike has been something looming over me for the past four years. Robbie has never been wrong, which is painful to admit, but it is true.  After our conversation, I decided to believe a little bigger and take a chance. If I blew up, well, at least I knew I went too far and didn’t hold back.

Saturday came and went without much excitement. I did some cheering for our C26 teammates during the 70.3 race. I went for a short ride to make sure my bike was ready to go. I also did a short 2-mile run and to be honest, I couldn’t have felt any better. My legs were loose and responsive, just the way I wanted them to be. I was very excited, and I was also terrified! Not so much for the race itself, but for something to go wrong on the bike like a mechanical issue…or a crash! Something that would take me out of the race and not allow me to finish, which would be devastating to any athlete. We work so hard for nine months to get to this one day. And to have a good day, you need a lot of faith, some patience, and – truth be told – you need some luck. 

Race Day Arrives

Sunday morning came quickly after a decent night’s sleep the night before. After arriving, I checked my gear one more time and headed down to the start of the swim.  Robbie found me and looked me dead in the eye and told me, “Don’t forget to have some fun out there.” I know I looked terrified…because I was. All I could think about was the bike—112 miles is 112 chances of something going wrong. For some reason, that all seemed so overwhelming to me.

0700 and the race began. I felt kind of mediocre.  I was moving with purpose, but nothing felt that great.  As I got closer to the exit, I told myself under no circumstances was I to look at the time until I was well into the bike course. It didn’t matter what my time was. I had checked the box, and it was time to move on to the next task.

I took in a gel in transition which was something I don’t usually do, and it was a big mistake. I had ingested a fair amount of water during the swim, and the gel pushed me over the edge. As I got out onto the course, I was having major GI discomfort. I felt so full and crampy at times. I started drinking my hydration as I knew that getting behind would be a bad idea. I decided to skip my solid food for the first 30 miles, and I kept telling myself, “this has happened before and it has worked itself out.” Things began moving around in my belly bit by bit and by mile 25ish, I started feeling ok.

Moving Right Along

The miles were coming quick. I was able to manage my usual low back discomfort and stay well above 20 mph on the flats. I reminded myself to be grateful everything was working itself out. I moved through the halfway mark at just over three hours. This was good…this was very good!

On the second lap, I had to really concentrate. I was not getting physically tired, but it is mentally exhausting to be focused for so long. I was working on passing people which helped the time go by. I started seeing many C26 teammates which really lifted my spirits. Once I reached Verona and headed back for town, I felt a sense of ease. I prayed to make it back to Madison without any issue and tried to really focus on staying hydrated and taking in some extra calories if I could. 

On the way back in, I made a wrong turn at a fork on the bike path. It only cost me a minute as I quickly realized this was not correct. This is still incredibly frustrating when all you want to do is get off your bike. I was getting antsy and uncomfortable, and it was time to wrap up this bike and get to doing what I love the most…running.

Time to Shine

I took in a gel in the first mile. I saw Robbie at mile four and was averaging about 7:45 a mile. I felt good. I was surprised…and grateful. I really wanted to run a solid marathon if I could, and 3:30 was the goal. My legs were moving quickly, and I felt strong. Stronger than I had in a long, long time. Two hip surgeries in the past three years, so much physical therapy, so much work with my chiropractor, so much stretching, and so much time put into this one single race. It was time to shine and give it all I had! The mind is powerful tool, and if you let it, it will either destroy you or let you fly! Every 3-4 miles it was nutrition plus water and ice at every aid station. I had to pee, but I didn’t want to risk losing time. I was passing people, and more importantly, I was picking off the females ahead of me.

C26 had a “hot corner” packed with other teammates just screaming. I saw them four times total, and it was fire under my feet every time. I saw my family on State Street, and I saw some friends at mile 14. Every human who cheered for me, I heard…loud and clear. I came through mile 15 and things started really hurting. I looked down at when my watch when a mile split buzzed and saw 8:14. I knew things were going to get tough. But they always do, especially in an Ironman.

I decided I wasn’t going to look at my watch anymore until mile 20. I was doing my best, and that was all I could do. I was grateful for every step. I was remembering the year I had and where I had come from. And then I remembered that first conversation I had with Robbie.  It was less than hour now, and I would be on the red carpet.

Getting Closer

The miles were coming a little slower. I was feeling so thirsty, and all I wanted was ice water. I walked through the aid stations to make sure I was getting what I needed, but I was feeling so full again. This is where you must negotiate. Every two miles, I would reevaluate. No more gels, just water. I needed to just hang on. The nausea had arrived, and I knew everything was wrong. Not enough salt. Too much water. But it was only four more miles now. I could do that.  I could definitely do that.

I came around the hot corner one last time. It was less than a mile to the finish now, and Robbie wasn’t there. I felt a little sad because we usually hug, and I say thank you for putting up with me. He is a patient man, and one of the very best humans I know. It felt like I was crawling, but I had just hit 3:30. I teared up a bit. I wasn’t quite sure what I was feeling, but I was grateful to say the least. I had the race of my life! I got water at the last aid station as I always do to clean up my face before finishing. I ran around the square with a full heart. All the work had finally paid off. 

I Did It!

I hit the red carpet and felt a lot of pride. The clock was at 11:25. I lifted my arms with such relief and finished with a smile on my face. I heard Robbie and saw him standing at the back of the finisher shoot. He hugged me for a long time. And then he said, “you did it.” I smiled. I didn’t even know what to say. Family and friends started showing up, and I couldn’t even process what I had just done.

An hour or so later, Robbie texted me to tell me I finished 10th overall, third in my age group, and I qualified for the World Championship. I ran the third fastest female marathon of the day. I cried. I had finally reached what I had initially set out to do. And yet as I write this, it doesn’t seem like enough. But I think that is what the ironman is all about. Reaching limits you were never quite sure you could.

We went to awards the next morning, and I chose not to accept my ticket to the championship. It will be in Nice, France, next year and logistically it doesn’t make sense for me. In all honesty, I would rather go back to Wisconsin and work my way up the OV finishing ranking. That race has my heart. I am not sure what next year holds, yet but with C26 in my corner it is going to be great—whatever it is. 

You Can Do It, Too!

Dreams take time to accomplish. But if you can be patient, consistent, and find the joy along the way, they do come true. The universe knows just what you need and when you need it. To all those who read this, you are the absolute best. None of this would be possible without you. And to team C26 and Coach- I think the best is yet to come.

Until next year…