The Magic of MadisonIRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin isn’t just about another 70.3 miles. It’s about the people, the energy, and the unforgettable community that transforms a weekend into a celebration. From first-timers to seasoned triathletes, IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin welcomes everyone into a city that thrives on support, spirit, and shared triumphs. …
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The Magic of Madison
IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin isn’t just about another 70.3 miles. It’s about the people, the energy, and the unforgettable community that transforms a weekend into a celebration. From first-timers to seasoned triathletes, IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin welcomes everyone into a city that thrives on support, spirit, and shared triumphs. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Madison’s lakes, cheering crowds, and the iconic Capitol finish line, this event is more than a race; it’s a festival of endurance, inclusion, and pure Midwestern magic.
Swim
The IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin swim takes place in Lake Monona, where swimmers will start at Law Park Beach (one loop course) and finish at the concrete boat ramp navigating the clockwise course marked with buoys every 100 yards. If you have joined us before, this should look pretty familiar. If you are joining us for the first time, check it out! Spectating will be easy using the natural banks along the shore and swim exit. IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin will feature a “Rolling Start”. Athletes will self-seed into swim start based upon their estimated swim finish time.
Bike
This may look pretty familiar. This beautiful bike course will take you on a 56-mile tour of Madison and the surrounding areas!
Run
We are back running along Lake Monona! This out and back run course provides all the fantastic views of downtown Madison as you make your way to the finish line in front of the iconic Capitol Building!
Swim: LAKE
Bike: ROLLING
Run: HILLY
High Air Temp: 52 °F / 17 °C
Low Air Temp: 34 °F / 7 °C
Avg Water Temp: 75 °F / 24 °C
Airport: MSN
LESS
Hills on hills!
Packet pickup: Was pretty busy but went quickly. WARNING: DO NOT PARK WHERE IT SAYS CARS WITH BOATS ONLY! One would assume with the race going on that the lots … MORE
Packet pickup: Was pretty busy but went quickly. WARNING: DO NOT PARK WHERE IT SAYS CARS WITH BOATS ONLY! One would assume with the race going on that the lots near packet pickup would be allowed for racers but they are NOT! You will get a ticket 🙂 The shirts weren’t my favorite shirt but the bag was super nice and I use it all the time.
Pre-Race: You have to take a shuttle to race start which was kind of fun to meet fellow athletes. Plus it was POURING rain so getting to sit on a bus was fine by me.
Swim: The weather in 2018 made the swim an absolute nightmare, however in normal weather the swim would be excellent! This race will almost assuredly be wetsuit legal if that’s what you look for. Another thing to not is that transition is fairly far from the swim exit so your T1 time will likely be long. In normal weather having transition on grass would be great but in the monsoon that happened in 2018 it turned in transition mud runs… haha
Bike: TRAIN FOR HILLS! I was lucky enough to be able to ride the route before race day which I absolutely recommend to anyone who can. The bike is tough but not impossible! The views are actually surprisingly pretty in the farm country of Wisconsin. I had read a ton of reviews before saying the roads were in bad shape but coming from Iowa they seemed normal to me.
Run: The run was much hillier than I anticipated! It is a giant loop around the lake, through the neighborhoods in the surrounding area. I’m not sure if it was the weather but there was not a lot of crowd support out cheering people on. The volunteers at the finish line were amazing- one immediately came and grabbed me and made sure I was okay before sending me off.
Post race: The food was really disappointing- it was basically the food they had at the aid stations on the run.
This race was an amazing challenge and Madison is an awesome town! I would totally do this race again and hopefully with better weather 🙂