September 8, 2008

Ironman Wisconsin 2009


After watching and supporting yesterday, today was my turn. I got up early again and headed back to Monona Terrace to get my "golden ticket" guaranteeing me entry to the 2009 race. I didn't get there until 8:30 or so and there were at least 700 volunteers already in line. Of course the moment I got settled, it started to rain. It was a sprinkle at first and then it poured. And it was cold too. I guess it was the first test to be sure we really wanted it. I stood in line with a great group of people, 3 of them have done the race before and 2 had just done Lake Placid. The other guy was also signing up for his first. The regular line was about half as long as the volunteer line and it was so great that we got priority. Once registration opened at 9, our line moved quickly. As I entered the conference room, I passed by the first guy in the regular line. Rumor has it he showed up at 4 a.m. Uh, here's a tip: Next time, volunteer and save yourself the pain.


The sign-up process is incredibly simple. I had to show a photo ID and fill out a basic form. I was told I would receive an email sometime in the next two weeks with instructions on officially signing up online. Great. As if I'm not anxious enough, now I have to sit here waiting for this email to arrive, wondering if my sloppy handwriting will keep me out of the race! This piece of paper is the only proof I have that I was there so I'm hanging onto it for dear life.


I met up with Phil (1stTimeTri) at the volunteer dinner to say goodbye and wrap up my weekend. The rest of our group had to leave this morning to catch flights and get back to work. The terrace looked completely different with everything pretty much packed up and gone. By tomorrow, you'll never know the race was even here. I have no doubt everything will look different to me next year.

4 comments:

  1. Lazy marathoner...

    This is gonna sound really ridiculously crazy, but I was googling Ironman Wisconsin training blogs for some training inspiration, as most first timers are so enthusiastic. At any rate, I stumbled upon yours and I think i'm one of the guys that had just done IMLP, we were talking, and then the guy behind us told us he rode his bike from Chicago to sign up for his first IM, does that sound at all familiar? If not, sorry wrong person...lol. Anyway, I hope your training is going well.

    Eric

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  2. Hey Eric - yes, that was me!!! How funny that you stumbled upon my blog! I haven't made it out to WI for training yet but will be there in June, I'm riding HHH and then doing some course training. Hope your training is going well too!

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  3. K,

    Wow...it really is you! Awesome...anyway, read some of your entries at lunch and it sounds like your training is progressing well. Training is going exceptionally well for me, especially the current 3 week cycle that i'm in and we're actually headed to Mad-town this weekend for a century + 4 mile transition run and then the Madison Half Marathon on Sunday.

    You're going to love the HHH in June, just remember to bring a 12x25 cassette for your wheel. There is some tremendous climbing on pinnacle rd. We've opted to do the Insane Terrain 200k hosted by the same bike group in July instead. Ah, can't wait for Moo just a little over three months! Have a nice long weekend and happy training...

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  4. I'm a little scared of HHH, that final climb looks deadly. I have the cassette and intend to use it! I'm looking forward to riding the course as well. I'm really excited for September!

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