Race Coverage

Extremely Happy....

Saturday, 17 September 2016 05:10

By Kristin Gustafson

Ironman Madison is checked off and in the books! The spectators and the hills on the bike did not disappoint. The volunteers were amazing and the weather was sunny and cool! We were definitely blessed with a perfect day to do an Ironman!!
This race was different than any other race. It has been a tough training season so there was a whole other fear factor going into this race. The IM is such a long day and you really don’t know what could possibly happen out there on the race course. My anxiety went to a new level with not knowing how my body was going to handle combining doing an IM and having MS. My body did not disappoint and did an amazing job with no MS symptoms during the day. Thank you body for being awesome and letting me do another IM! I am grateful that I received the infusions to help with my symptoms even though it took a toll on my heart and liver. After a...

little hospital stay, I was cleared to do the race. That was a close one!
I also had no stomach issues for the first time. Thank you Marni Sumbal for being such an amazing nutritionist with making my tummy happy every day and during all my races this season. You truly are an amazing person and so knowledgeable.
Doing IM Wisconsin has always scared me a bit. I am not a strong biker so I decided to hire a coach who knows the course inside and out to help me with my training. I loved every second working with Suzie Fox this past season. With her 3rd place finish last year in Madison, I knew I was in good hands. I loved all the quality workouts and having the support of a coach. Poor Suzie had to deal with a lot with working with my MS symptoms and then last week with me freaking out before the race. I couldn’t have done it without her. In the end though, I did not miss one workout and pushed through all the health issues!
I am extremely happy with my time and the overall race. Here are the details…

I am the most happy with the swim. I wanted to get under 1:10 and I crushed it with a time of 1:07:15. Thank goodness I had Suzie there as she knew exactly where to start so I would feel comfortable and strong the entire way. I hardly got hit out there and really got in a good rhythm for the entire race. It was so cool seeing everyone on the Helix and even better running up it with everyone cheering!
The bike was TOUGH. I am still trying to gain confidence on the bike. I also should have just done hill repeats for every workout because that is how the new bike course is...yikes!! My goal was to get under 6:00 hours and I just missed it with a 6:00:28. I blame it on the guy who slowed us all down in the non-passing zone on the trail coming back!! Barlow hill did not disappoint either. I am happy to say that I made it up the hill. I saw one person tip over and half of the other bikers were walking. I felt really strong on the uphill's, but really struggled on the downhill's. I am still nervous going down at 45+ mph so I was pretty much white knuckled going down as everyone was cruising past me. It was a great ride with so many hills and turns though that it made the ride go by fast.
I was then pretty much in survival mode for the run. I am extremely happy with finishing in 3:48:05. It was about having a positive attitude to get me through it. I tried to feed off of the crowd and their energy. Plus, I had the best cheerleaders with Gus, Dan, Kate Harris Cox, Chaun Cox, and Rachael Hanel on the course. Knowing that I was going to see them on State Street made me push that much harder. It is such a long day for those that are watching the race so I’m so grateful to see them out on the course.
Mission accomplished with finishing in 11:07:52. I got 3rd in my age group, 168th overall, and I think 13th overall for female amateurs. Not a bad day at the office! I did earn another Kona spot for next year, but decided not to take it even though that was the goal once again this year. I feel like I need to rest the body and get healthy first. Plus, save up a bit of money to really enjoy taking the kids to Kona on vacation. It looks like I will have to try to qualify once again another year!!
Thank you once again who support me in my crazy life of triathlons. Gus, my family, my ‘Monk’ workout partners, Marni, Suzie, and Brady Larson at the Nicollet Bike Shop are only a few that listen to me on a daily and weekly basis freak about health issues, my workouts, and the big races! Thank you also for all the cheers, good vibes, and all the well wishes before Sunday. I couldn’t do this without you! #EndureandEnjoy #Ride365 #Run365