just seeing if any WI HTF members have ever done the Madison Iron man.
I officially signed up on Monday, so i have 360 some days till the event
In my eyes, there are only two ways off the course, through the finish line with a medal around my neck, or on a stretcher...
for those of you who have no idea what i am talking about...
http://www.youtube.com/user/ironmantriathlon?blend=1&ob=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnqpYKx8Fvk&feature=related

Nope not this Parruthead... I treat my body more like a tent than temple....

Good luck though!

Watch out for the corpses in the lake dude.  

It's not even fall yet and they are claiming way more than for normal years.  At this rate, we should lose between 10 to 15 students to the ice this year.

they found the one MIA corpse... kind of sad, as i saw the mother(i assume) and another family member(probably the wife) throw a red rose and two white roses into the lake before the ironman swim on monday...

I've been debating on this, been working out since Janurary and think something like this might be cool.

What are the ditances?  I used to run cross country and bike, but have never swam other than goofing around in a pool.  I just get the idea that I'd be so wiped after the swim I couldn't go on.

Would be fun though.

I'm the same way though, all or nothing, I play football on weekends and pretty sure I've been suffering a broken rib this week, we'll see how that feels this weekend.

I dunno about Madison ironman, but years ago I think it used to be a 2 mile swin, 120mile bike and 26 mile run for the big Ironman event that used to be televised.

well registration is closed. it usually closes within a hour or two. the best way to get a slot is to volunteer and then you get priority signing up the following year. or you can wait in a longer line of general entries and sign up the day after the event(thats what i did).
this year there was not as much local demand, and registration was available online for a bit.

distances are 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run

I did a half ironman in 2007 and a handful of marathons before and since then. from what o have read, the swim is the biggest mental challenge since they do a mass start and it is 2500 people swimming together trying to get ahead. the bike is where most people quit though, or so i have been told

If you haven't done this before (triathlon), you need to start working on it now for next year for the sprint level (usually 400-800 yard swim, ~15 miles bike, and 5K run-any discipline's distance can vary a lot in these numbers at the sprint level).
The vast majority of people find the swim the most difficult of the 3.
While people have gone from zero to ironman in 1 year, I don't recommend it unless you are really really fit in all 3 disciplines and can dedicate hundreds and hundreds of hours to training. Swimming in open water is WAY different than a pool swim.
Locally (south central WI), I think the only tri left this year is the McFarland family fun festival sprint. Its a pool swim tri. There are some duathlons (run, bike, run) still going on.

Tri's are not to be undertaken lightly, not even sprints. You may be able to do all 3 sports, but stringing them together one after another is tough.

Books: "Triathletes training bible", 3rd edition. This should be the one you buy. There are a lot of tri books in the library system, but buy this one.

Websites: "Beginnertriathlete.com". Highly recommended. Has state forums also. Don't let the name fool you. Lots of ironman experienced people on here too.

I was a volunteer this year at ironman, so the sag wagon on the bike route. The looks on peoples faces on the 2nd round...man, talk about effort and misery.

I did the half ironman in lake geneva already, and have done madison marathon, DC marine core marathon(did not train for that one as i broke my foot 3 months before hand), lake front matathon, and two mock marathons that i did while in the north woods while training for my 1/2 Ironman.
at a minimum i plan on devoting 15 hours a week to training, realistically closer to twenty as weekends will be long distance bike rides and runs.
i saw the look on peoples faces at mile 90 of the bike... some were still coherent, while others were pretty destroyed.
i have a lot of work to do, so on that note its time to go for a 30 mile bike ride...

You crazy man, you crazy.

Good luck, I'm way too out of shape to make that. I could do maybe one portion a day but not all of them together in one day...and live.

i look at it this way...
its saving me money as i will no longer have time to browse gun forums and see the latest gizmos or ammo deals, so in a sense i am saving money in the long run....

Thanks for all the info. I'll have to start checking that stuff out.  Maybe do some sprints before I get to old haha.

That is a lot of distance in a true triathalon.  Wow.

Parrothead151,
Good luck! You obviously have the base training for this!
Ironman is not to be taken lighly, thats for sure.
It'l be a couple of years before I can even think seriously about it.

Make no mistake, this years warm temps and humidity took a high toll this year. Of the 4 riders I picked up, 3 just couldn't take it anymore. I saw one rider who should have been medically checked, but I couldn't alert anyone at the time before he took off again. I check on his number later and found out he dropped during the first leg of the run. I'm surprised he finished the bike.

It wouldn't hurt to hook up with some of the hammerfest group rides that often have members of the multi-sport community (read tri-geek ) in the mix.
When ever I make it out to the Saturday Doc ride in Dousman, there are usually some local triathletes trading pulls with the gang.
Have you considered hooking up with a team like Headhunters, which is a multisport specific, or even a bike racing club like GearGrinders that has a multisport group?

If you see a jersey with a donkey head on it at these kind of events, you'll know thats a WI member of beginnertriathlete.com.

I will have to look into those groups. thanks for the info.
as of present i have done 2 century rides with my friends who live out in madison.
but more on this later. today is wedding day... gulp

Congrats!
I rode with my team mates the morning of my wedding, 25 years ago. I am still paying for it...