Assuming permits/etc come through again, here is what is was last year:
http://wisconsinmilkman.com/course/

For hotels, the Sheraton and Holiday Inn on John Nolen are ground zero for the race, but not really walkable to Madison's to-dos. Something on the square, or just off like the Hyatt on west Washington or the Hampton inn on Johnson/Bassett are probably good bets.

For food, just kind of depends on what your jam is. Food scene in Madison punches above it's weight for a city it's size. Tons of great options downtown or on Williamson (Willy) street.

General registration is now open.
$275 now, but will go up to $300 in a week.
Think this will be a quick sell out?

We shall see. Huge numbers for a first year event. Doesn't get anybetter as you can draw from Minneapolis, Des Moines, Chicago and Milwaukee.I bet it sells out, question is when.

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w ww w aa a I I ttt wwh a a a a a at t www aaa s ss s s the qq u e ss t t I oo nn ?

just giving you a feel for the bike course

I like that you added Des Moines to that list. The suburb I live in has more people than Des Moines. :-)

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So true from what I heard. I wouldn't consider it unless they change it, and I live here. Hopefully they have also changed the 10 year age groups.......

The course will mostly be the same as the Milkman course with a few changes that are not confirmed. There will be a different route in and out of town (slightly) and they are working on taking out Lincoln Road (the road where the cyclist was killed last year). All still in the works.

It's a great race (bummed there is no MPRO) and it'll be capped at 2400. The same guys who started the event will be in charge of running it, so you can bet they will do a great job.

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Professional Triathlete
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I signed up.

Can't pass up a good race so close to home.

Don't let its placement in the sequence fool you, it barely made my thoughts, and I only added it to be fair as a neighboring state... Des Moines, the only city where there are more Dimonds than bike riders.

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your post makes it sound like an athlete was killed during the event, which was not the case. just clarifying

Lincoln was one of the better roads on the course, at least in the relay without a gazillion folks around you

Pardon the grammar, I was a "science guy." That hit and run was well known around the midwest, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

During the race the road (Lincoln) was too congested with cars and bike in both directions. I actually had to ride in the oncoming traffic lane on the way back because of cars. There is one section where i was riding in the oncoming lane going 40mph. Bikes going out against me and a stream of cars coming against me on the right. Of course had I just been able to sit on TG's wheel at this one it would have been easier... or he on mine more like it ;)

In training it was worse. It's a major cut through road with a 55mph limit in places and no shoulder. The sun is also blinding at dusk and dawn. It's a road to stay off.

Hwy A south of Oregon will be much nicer if it's approved.

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Professional Triathlete
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Its sold out!

Should be a great race!!!

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I planned on doing this race just got busy and didn't take the time to sign up... thinking of doing a charity spot. Heard great things about milkman... and love Madison... Would you all recommend this race over doing Racine in July?

I really like both races. I am from Madison, but my mom's family is from Racine and we go right by 2 of my Aunt's houses and 2020 on Main Street where my Grandparents lived and I remember sitting on the curb as a kid watching the Racine 4th of July parade. Obviously I am quite nostalgic to both. The bike course is a little rough at Racine but the run is really nice and the swim in unbelievable. Obviously Madison is one heck of a town, so you have that going for you. The run is awesome too!!! The bike is nice and challenging, but Lake Monona in the middle of summer doesn't hold a candle to Lake Michigan.

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I also like both courses.

Lake Monona is a much easier swim except for the weeds in the shallow areas and swimming straight into the sun before the first turn. I'm guessing the high weeds were unusual due to the heat wave last year. Be prepared for inclimate weather for either. I wasn't prepared for the heat at milkman and suffered greatly on the run (only time I've had to walk in a race). On the plus side, the race was well organized and prepared for this. There was plenty of fluid, ice, etc. that got me to the end. The run is pretty flat. There's much more stuff to do in Madison.

Racine had it's own weather issues last year too (cancelled swim, shortened course due to T-storms). It's the midwest so weather can turn on a dime. I don't think the bike course is as rough as some people say (it's only in the beginning and end), but I live in Chicagoland and I'm used to crappy roads. There's not much to do around Racine.

I'm reviving this thread from last year in hopes of getting some advice about Wisconsin 70.3. It's coming up in three weeks and it will be my first half. For those of you who have raced it (or Milkman), I'd appreciate it if you could share your experience, thoughts, or advice.

Like Kona only hotter.

I tend to handle heat pretty well but I really melted that day. I was out of shape to begin with and being early in the year there was no warm weather leading up to it. It was the most I've ever struggled with the heat in a race.

Other than that, it was a great race. Challenging course and first rate organization.

Both Milkman AND the inaugural Wisconsin 70.3 were the hottest days of the year to date that year (I don't know if that is an exact fact, but it sure felt like it). An early June race in the Midwest is tough because people are coming off a mild spring into a potentially really hot day. Racing in the mid 80's in August is different than getting hit with those temps in early June because you are not adapted to it yet. The point being, is the past two years, the heat crushed peoples dreams. My advice for this race is prepare yourself for the heat with some heat adaptation over the next two weeks. If you do, you will have a leg up on your competition.

If it is hot stay ahead of the heat. Drink and eat before you are thirsty/hungry. Will you be on the run course during the hottest part of the day? If so, be thinking about your plan. Will you run/walk or run and walk the aid stations?

Rode it last weekend with my club. Roads are actually in really good shape, 10 miles or so recently paved tarmac made that made for heavenly riding, majority of miles were serviceable, and only 5-10 miles of pure sh*t roads. Hilly as ever.

they dumped some fresh pea gravel on part of the beginning of it. not sure how much as I was going to ride some lake farm loops tues night but found fresh gravel on Larson and goodland park road. I did not ride on it to see if Lalor was done as well or not, but other roads in the area were

Anyone have any advice for spectator parking downtown or is the Alliant Energy Center parking and shuttle the best option for the day?

It's unlikely you'd want to park downtown as it's a pretty substantial walk from downtown to the race venue. Alliant Center or the neighborhoods are the best choice and much closer.

Good luck to everyone participating this weekend. And thanks to those who offered advice.

Swim may be in jeopardy?

https://host.madison.com/...ource=home-top-story

Thanks for the update! I'd rather be prepared for a cancellation then be surprised.

I had a meltdown when I did it as milkman (heat and I bad wounds from a crash 2 weeks prior). I also had some friends suffer being unprepared for the even worse heat last year.

Swimming is my weakness, but I'd hate for it to be cancelled. I'm hoping that the drop in temp and rain will fix this.

Good grief. Wasn't the swim cancelled two years in a row at Racine 70.3? 2016 and 2017? And now possibly Madison. How quickly can an algae bloom pass? I have no idea.

Not another year of a no swim for a 70.3 in Wisconsin - painful

i wouldn't worry about it. We had the swim the last 2 yrs. Last year had algae blooms too. These lakes get them all the time in the spring-ish. They disappear as fast as they come. People swam at Olin yesterday morning and there was nothing.

Don't worry about what you can't control.

Just to throw fuel on the flames, now a change of rain/thunderstorms too ;)

You're quite welcome. The early heat has caused a number of algae blooms and I wasn't aware that that area was affected. I can try to find out more but it may be a morning of decision....

The article you posted was citing Lake Mendota, not Monona. I was in Monona this morning (from the terrace) and the algae was BAD! Hopefully it is not the Blue-Green Algae though. If it is I was in the thick of it :(

Thanks for the update. I know it usually depends on wind direction quite a bit as to where it can settle. They usually have the weed clearing machines at the start area of the 70.3 as it really gets weedy. Perhaps they cleared algae as well? That seems to be the problem with these not so deep lakes here. After being spoiled with a lot of swimming at Geneva Lake, sometimes it feel like swimming in gel here. Hoping for the best for all racing....

well, I looking more into it, Olin park Beach is closed today. I am just hoping I was not swimming in it this morning...

I found the bad stuff to be really thick. I'd be surprised if you swam in the worst. Have a great local beer to kill any bad germs... ;-)

Yep. And it's raining today. :\

Here's the Olin Beach status page: http://www.publichealthmdc.com/...ions/beach.cfm?id=15

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I ride Felt.

And now there is an 85% chance of rain at the start of the race (7:00 a.m.); 75% for the next 3-4 hours.

Just saw this posted...

"Attention Athletes,
After several days of unusually warm temperatures and low winds, Public Health Madison and Dane County has closed multiple beaches, including Olin Park based on high levels of blue-green algae blooms found in the water. These levels currently are impacting the swim location for the IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin triathlon.
IRONMAN is working with local authorities to monitor the levels and are preparing adjustments to the swim course if a change should be needed. Please continue to check the IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin event website and Facebook page for updates. Information will also be posted at registration check-in and announcements will be made during the athlete briefings on Friday and Saturday.
Sincerely,
The IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin team"

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Also T-storms and no good window.

https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/us/wi/madison/KWIMADIS52/date/2018-06-10

Sweet username.

At 2pm athlete briefing. City repeated algae testing. All good and swim is on.

How was your WI 70.3? I'm curious to hear others' impressions. It was my first half, so I don't have much of a basis of comparison.

Overall, I had a good race- top 7% in my age group (45-49), so I'm pleased. It was harder than I anticipated. My swim was terrible- I'm an average swimmer and the choppiness killed me. The bike course wore me down- hills, wind, rough roads, and lots of turns. I'm thankful the rain stopped- I can't imagine doing that course in the kind of rain we had for the two hours we stood around in before the race. I didn't love the long bike path in and out of the transition, especially going out when it was close to two miles. I just tried to hang on during the run. Thank goodness the hills were early in the run and the last 2 miles were flat. And as wet as it was, at least it was cool.

The volunteers were great, both that the packet pick-up and during the race. I'm grateful for their efforts. The communications from the race director(s) before the race, when the transition area was closed due to lightning, was less than ideal. It's 24-hours later and the last Facebook message still says its closed and advises that we "shelter in place". But overall it was a well-organized race in a great setting.

Congrats on your first 70.3!

This was a very interesting race - a HTFU one type if you ask me :)

Anyway, yeah, the swim was a bit more choppy than I thought. Going out on the first leg I definitely took in some additional hydration - ha!. I managed to muscle through it with the thought that going back to shore the swells would be working in our favor. I ran into more seaweed than normal on open water swims too.

Transition was a swamp/mud pit. Oh well, it is what it is. I had a towel at transition that I used to wipe my feet off before putting on bike shoes.

I also was worried that the rain was not going to let up on the bike- thankfully for all of us it did. To be honest, I typically shy away if there is any kind of moisture since you just never know the true road conditions and how people will react. Heck, I could be the most careful person out there, but if another person isn't.....well, that doesn't typically end well. I did not get the opportunity to ride the course (I drove it), but having done the full IM in Madison I had a good feeling that the hills would be just as challenging - and I was not disappointed. I just told myself to keep in in check for the first 20 miles knowing that there were hills basically up until the very end. The Observatory road hill did not disapppoint; lol. And the downhills were fun except for the 2 that had immediate turns and we couldn't take advantage of the free speed - NOT FAIR! (Funny I yelled that out that to some other athletes during the turns we got a kick out of it; good times).

Again, more fun times going back to the mud pit transition and I wiped off my feet again. The 2 transitions I had were by far a LOT longer than I typically take, but I set expectations accordingly due to how the day started.

Felt GREAT during the run. My long training bricks really prepared for me to feel comfortable. Weather was outstanding by that point and a nice cool breeze.

Finished with a smile on my face knowing that I mentally and physically handled what the day threw at us. Grubbed on a couple sandwiches before driving back 2 hours to a NW suburb of Chicago (massaged legs when i could...argh; a little sore!)

Hope everyone that completed the race had as "good" as experience as possible. Feel proud of yourself!

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Tomorrow is not promised. Increase the Peace.

First time racing Wisconsin 70.3. Thoughts:

Pros:
Good call on the thirty minute delay for the swim. IMO it appeared to be much better after the delay.

The least amount of drafting that I've ever been part of for an Ironman event. The hills really broke up the packs. It's definitely an honest bike course.

Volunteers and support. They were great. I know for myself, I would much rather be tucked away inside on a 65 degree rainy day. Kudos to them for sticking it out and helping out all the athletes.

IMO the bus transportation system was spot on. Hardly any wait for the two instances that I utilized the bus.


Cons:
The typical, "the bike path" con to this event. It really sucks for slower swimmers like myself. Large packs going very slow (for good reasons). However, I'm assuming for a top tier swimmer it was more of a clear path so you could get out more quickly.

In and out of the transition was a nightmare. It took a good 5-10 minutes to exit transition due to the large amount of people taking their bikes out, going to the restrooms, and entering transition. It was a single file line in and out of transition.


Overall, it was a good experience. I would recommend it to people. I would say a 7.5 out of a 10.

Great call in the delay. By the time I got out, no rain! It turned out to be a great day. My swim was slower than expected, but I'm reasonably happy given how choppy the out of the swim was. Other than the mud pit of transition, the course was in really good shape. My transitions were ridiculously slow. The bike was challenging but a whole lot of fun. The run was hillier than I expected, but that is my own fault for not looking too closely at the run profile. Volunteers were phenomenal. I agree with another post below that course officials were everywhere and there was minimal drafting. Loved this event and would definitely do it again.

I agree... great race! Challenging and fair.

I'm a front pack swimmer and the chop didn't mess with me but my time was 1-2 minutes slower than expected.

Transitions were shit... I cannot believe they didn't move the swim mats into transition while everyone was on the bike.

Bike course is incredibly demanding and favors someone who is willing to risk pushing too many watts on the hills. Also, I've done IMWI four times and the roads on this 70.3 course are other worldly. The worst roads I've ever ridden. I wanted to quit around mile 45 from all the tar strips.

The run was far hillier than I expected and that mentally sucked but I loved it in the end. Just didn't mentally prepare for that.


FUCK THE ROLLING START... seriously, what an annoying mind fuck for people racing for the top 10. I would imagine that some people who finished around 4:35, started the swim almost 2-3 minutes behind the first couple athletes in the water.

This is interesting. I’ve been thinking of IMWI for 2019, but the combination of hills, turns, and bone-rattling roads at the 70.3 has had me thinking of other destinations. I know the elevation change is about the same (on a per mile basis), but you’d say the 70.3 course is significantly harder because of the quality of the roads?

It’s hard in its own unique way. St George is hard in its own unique way. I’m not sure which is harder but I know why each is hard.

If you absolutely do not have bad roads to train on, you’ll be shell shocked on race day. It’s managable if you can’t but it’s annoying.

But I would highly recommend this course.

I though the Madison 70.3 course was the worst road conditions I've been on, but my perspective might be skewed due to the technically difficult course too. I think it's worse than when it was milkman and also worse than Racine. I don't remember seeing so many flats and mechanical issues in a race.

I've done IMWI once, but have ridden the course many times for training (including the temporary revised one). The road conditions aren't nearly as bad and not as technical. I thought the 70.3 was a more challenging course with the exception of the distance. I highly recommend preriding the course.

The 70.3 and IM are completely different t courses. The roads on the IM course are far better.

Really enjoyed going to Wisconsin for the event. This was a totally different experience than Steelhead and Muncie (my other 70.3 events) due to the bike course which was MUCH MORE challenging.

The challenges:
- Rough roads (Steelhead and Muncie so much better)
- So many turns. I actually got to the point of disbelief as in “how could we possibly be turning again”
- The hills! Nonstop rollers made it feel like you were never in rhythm.

I loved the experience of this event because it challenged me and I learned a bit more about how to pace while riding the hills. I will use that info coming up at Lake Placid.

My odd race complaint: the post race food was crap. After post race food at events like Steelhead and Muncie where it is so good, this was surprising. It was practically like a run aid station other than the really crappy Firehouse subs. Disappointed there.

Not an odd complaint at all... it was absolute horseshit. And not only was the food bad for athletes, the spectators had literally ZERO options. My mom and sister were at the event from 5:30am-12 and there were zero options for food until a shitty bar a mile away opened around 11am. Which they couldn't go to because I was finishing soon.

That was the one thing I honestly thought was "bad" about the race organization. I know the weather was shit but they should have had some food trucks come into the park for spectators.

My Sherpa got a sandwich from a food truck that was there. It looked good.

A few thoughts after a day or two of reflection:

I agree with the concerns about the lack of food and amenities for spectators and families. I told my wife to stay home since there would be no place for her to eat at the event.

The bike course was supposed to be held on terrible road surfaces. To my eye ( and old, bony behind ) the roads were what one should expect on a bike course held on Midwest public roads. There were some rough patches, as well as some smooth ones. The IMMOO bike course has roads that are in comparable - or worse - conditions. I have done MOO ten times and find the bike course in IW 70.3 in better condition and easier than in the MOO bike course. Road conditions should not be a great concern for someone considering the race for next year IMO.

The organization was superior. The staff had two contingencies if the blue-green algae presented a problem on race morning. The announcer was good - he announces the Chicago Marathon and Chicago Triathlon, so he knows the ropes.

I hate rolling starts. I have done mass starts and wave starts. Rolling starts suck. I was near the back of the starters, and waited for what seemed like forever - even excluding the 30-minute delay due to weather. If the sun had been beating down on us wetsuit wearers for all that time, we would have really overheated. Perhaps moving the start down a little way to the boat ramp (where we exited the swim) could have provided room for a wave start. To repeat: rolling starts suck. Although the rolling start might have been a contributing factor in the lack of drafting on the bike. I saw none.

Volunteers were magnificent. They show us how kindness, thoughtfulness, and altruistic concern for the welfare of strangers can be a part of our lives.

The run course was a nice circular tour of Lake Monona. There were a few gentle hills, but nothing noteworthy. Overall a nice 13.1 run.

I would like the term "Half-Ironman" to disappear. This race is its own distance; a 70.3 race. It is not half of another distance. Enough of my soapbox.

I am looking forward to Ironman Wisconsin 70.3 in 2019. It is a well-organized, challenging but fair race. It has its faults - as every race does - but its highlights far outweigh the blemishes. I will gladly be back.

I raced this event last year ( as my first tri after a ~3 year hiatus ) and again this year. So I've experienced it on a really hot day and on a really wet day.

The logistics are pretty decent in terms of the race site, and I think the only thing I would push for is some form of on-site food vending for spectators and even racers. There really is not much nearby that is accessible for spectators.

I personally am fine with the rolling start format. I'm a pretty decent swimmer, so I started towards the front of the line this year. Last year, I was more in the middle, and it did get a bit warm standing around in the wetsuit waiting to go. No chance for swim warmup either, which last year was caused by late arriving ambulance, and this year by the torrential rain and lightning.

I'm from the midwest ( Western subs of Chicago ), so I'm used to the road conditions. Nothing that was horrible on the course, a few sections that are probably due for repaving, but there were some newer very nice sections as well. For the most part, road condition was not an issue for me. I love to hate the hills on the course. There's a lot of climbing, so it naturally spreads out the field. I did not see any drafting or packs on the bike either year. My one gripe is that there's two fairly steep descents that have 90 degree turns immediately at the bottom. Especially this year with the rain, it made it much slower going. But, that's just another challenge for the course, and it impacts everyone the same, not a lot of "free speed" on this course.

The run is pretty scenic, as it routes around the lake. Decent turn out through the neighborhoods to cheer us on as we ran through. Last year, there were a lot of sprinklers and hoses setup in peoples yards, which made a big difference on the hot day. Madison is a pretty welcoming city.

I was surprised all day long to see how many volunteers were stationed out on remote parts of the bike course and the run course, smiling and cheering, and helping direct / control traffic. Considering the conditions, a great turnout from folks who could have easily stayed home warm and dry.

Overall, I think it's a great race. It's challenging, but fair. And the organization is solid. There was a lot of active communication and contingency plans at the ready to handle the blue-green algae issue, and then the lightning and torrential rain on race morning.

I plan to be back next year to race it again.

-C

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I ride Felt.

If anyone is interested, I was out on the bike course about mile 4 (Lake Farm Park, before you got off the bike path) and took a bunch of pictures. Feel free to look for yours: https://www.flickr.com/...s/72157697309616984/

Photos are from the leader through about 9:45am.

Thanks! I found mine and it is really nice!

I know that the local race organizers for this event heard this feedback (lack of food) from last year and had 2 food carts at the race venue this year. They were right near the big white tent where the finishers food was. Also, there are 3 hotels within 400m walk of the race site that i'm sure all had food available.

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