The run is deceptively hilly. I wouldn’t call it flat.

The bike is pretty slow.

Poor road quality, punchy climbs, lots of turns... last year I think only one guy— who happens to be an absolute beast on the bike and is local to Madison— broke 2:20. Only 20 others broke 2:30. It can be done, but despite being lumpy, it’s not just a simple w/ kg course. It just doesn’t lay out in such a way you can get into a good flow. So handling a bike well, not just descending but hitting corners, managing terrain, carrying momentum can easily make 5-10 min difference over the course of the 56 miles.

Roads are bad. I wouldn’t be running corsa speeds or anything without much flat protection

How so on the run?

How so what? The quote is removed so not seeing what you're asking to.

If its about the run course, there are hills and isn't a flat run. You will have 3 hills within the 1st 2 miles then its rolling. Long down hill on the far east side, a very sharp up hill, rollers, flat to the finish.

The 1st two years it was blazing hot and you are either covered in shade or 100% exposed to the sun for awhile. There is commonly a wind coming from the west so the final 3 miles you are exposed and running into a head wind.

Madison 70.3 is a hard course all around.

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Looking forward to jumping in last minute and racing the course - sounds like a fun and painful day. Sign me up.


PS - What gearing did you veterans ride? 53/39 crank for me up front - was planning to bring an 11-25 and an 11-28 and making the call after I drive the course.

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What about the swim? There seems to be only a few people who broke 30 minutes.

2 years ago total disaster of a race

-cut my foot running into T1

-bleeding through my shoes and painful from the cut rubbing so i needed to stop on the bike at mile 20 and "borrow" socks from a gracious volunteer

-replacing a bottle of water from an aid station at mile 40, the plastic wrapping felt off - that was observed by a motorcycle course marshal who dinged me with a penalty

-at mile 45 one of my aero bars came loose then fell off and dangled, followed a few miles later by the other (when I tried to put both hands on it) so laid them sideways over the base bars so i could shift

-aero bars now hanging got caught in wheel at dismount line and I dumped it in front of a lot of people

-thinking that the penalty tent was at the exit of T2, I ran through T2, only to realize the tent was at the entrance to T2 and had to run back

-hobbled on cut foot for 10 miles then cut bait

so ridiculous i could only laugh about it
gonna try and redeem myself this year

I did this race the first year and it was boiling hot and pretty windy.

Swim - I remember the water being choppy from the wind so it was a bit slow. Rolling start so otherwise relatively standard for a 70.3 swim.

Bike - The roads are not in great condition. If you're a WI resident they're pretty typical but to non-locals might be a bit of a surprise. Recommend driving the course the day before (or obviously pre-riding the course if you're close to WI). Some steep climbs but nothing terribly long. Just be on the look-out for pot holes and keep your head up. No real straightways for speed that I remember but some longer downhills.

Run - The other responders are right in that its deceptively hilly (the map makes it look flat). Its my home loop and I still felt like it was hilly/hard while racing. Would also help to preview the run course a few days before via bike if you can. Lots of rollers but good to know the spacing on the course.

Recommend not paying much attention to speed on this course and focus on effort. Times are generally slower all around.

I did it when it was milkman and then last year.

The swim is relatively easy except for last year. It was very really windy and choppy. I think there was a decent amount of people pulled out. There was also some concerns regarding cancellation due to algae blooms.

This race has had some bad luck with weather every year. Hot first year, even hotter the second year, and then windy and wet last year.

I did this race last year. As others have said, it's a tough course.

Last year it was windy and rainy, which made the water choppy. My swim time was really slow- I was very disappointed, which is a tough way to start a race. I wouldn't say there is any great need to think about positioning yourself on the swim. It's a rolling start and it was not congested in the water at all. The one downside for a slow swimmer like me is that I end up passing a lot of people on the bike. The first mile or two of the bike course is on a narrow path and passing is either not allowed or discouraged. That was kind of frustrating. The last mile was similar.

As for the bike course, just be prepared for the fact that it's hard and you'll be ready to be off the bike well before it's finished. I err on the side of being conservative when it comes to pace. The first 15-20 miles, as I recall, were a bit easier, so you might want to guard against a tendency to go too fast there. As others have mentioned, the combination of rolling hills, bumpy roads, and sharp turns- so many of which seem to be at the bottom of a steep hill- make for a challenging ride. I did Ohio 70.3 the same year and was 2+ mph faster than Madison (and felt a lot better).

The run course is hilly, but my memory is that most of the hills are early in the run (first 3-4 miles). It flattens out as you run close to the lake the last few miles. There is a climb to the finish that's kind of mean, but at least there is a finish line waiting for you.

Despite everything I've written, it's a great race and a lot of fun. Good luck!

Sorry didn't see this response!

I used to run a standard 53/39 and an 11-28. Before the 11/28 I used to run an 11/23... NOW I have an 11/32 :) But I would definitely go to a 11/28 for this course.

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