Crossed Lake Michigan today from Muskegon on the Lake Express Ferry. That was quite impressive, the ship is amazingly fast and just a wonderful vessel. A beautiful crossing that cut hours from our travel time coming from Detroit.
Weather: Nice, warmish- humid. Changing frequently. Regardless of forecast race day may be a bit of a mixed bag but without the extremes you Ford Ironman Wisconsin veterans have endured- we may have it “easy” this year.
Madison is a delight- my first visit. Archetypical college town. Our hotel is a bit of a ramshackle affair with plumbing from a U-boat and an air conditioner that sounds like a 747. Our window is directly above a popular outdoor watering hole for students who like to party late into the night- and that accounts for me posting at 3:15 A.M. If you can’t beat 'em, join 'em.
Great restaurants and fun shopping. We visited te Ironman village and met “terraman” on this forum and his associates in person as well as some other familiar triathletes from Michigan and Texas- always a pleasure.
Registration tomorrow along with a swim and run to stay loose. More later time allowing.
Myself a 1st timer at MOO. I enjoy the town and all the logistics have been fairly simple so far. The town feels just like Austin. Clarion is a decent place to stay.
Drove the bike course yesterday. Wow - there are a ton of turns. Watching the Simply Stu videos helped my understanding of the course, but I guess it didn’t click how many there were until I drove it. The roads look fairly smooth.
Cool. We drove up yesterday morning, did registration, checked everything out. Man, it was nice to finally BE AT the race, rather than waiting for it. We ate at Freida Mexicanos for lunch while it rained, drove to part of the course from the terrace to the loop, and I got in a short swim. The water is warm compared to Lake Michigan! Then we drove home to DeKalb, Il. My wife’s classes end at 2 PM today, so we’ll be back up by 5. She’s put up with all kinds of crap with my classes and then training, so its the least I can do…
Nice shops up and down State Street … bookstores, new-age stuff, Fontana Sports in case you forgot something, a bike shop, and you can even buy a bong.
Want a treat? Hit Ians pizza - pizza by the slice, very good and some unusual varities, such as macaroni and cheese, or cheeseburger and fries pizza. Follow up with some of the ice cream they sell in the Student Union.
BTW, there are a few computers available in the union that you can use for internet access.
Heading there in a couple of hours myself, Mooooo #4 - if I make it to the starting line.
My wife an I are coming over on saturday morning to watch a friend race. how expensive was that ferry? I looked into it for Rockman but found it to be more expensivie than flying. is it still a few hundred bucks for two people and a car or are they now on some offseason rate. I always thought that it looked really cool to do that and let someone else do some driving.
Definitely live here in Madison, but my take on things is a bit different.
This is not my first time here so I knew that I would love coming back. The shops are abundant and restaurants aplenty. Kind of like Chicago with more of a hometown appeal. Interesting people fill the streets and the atmosphere here is charming.
But…this is my first Ironman experience. I have never seen Ironman other than on T.V. or on a D.V.D. that plays at the shop. I have never seen the athletes that temporarily take over the town where the venue is hosted and I have never seen the pre-race festivities.
It is so exciting to be here! The demeanor of the athletes ranges from meek and mild to scattered-brained and confused. It is unusual for me to see a race from the spectator point of view. I can’t help it, but I get a little twinge in my stomach that wishes I too would become an Ironman on Sunday.
The air here is heavy with anticipation of the long day that is fast approaching. I can only imagine for those who are racing what it feels like to finally arrive at the Ironman race venue and still have to wait it out until race day. It just seems like they have been waiting so long. You can really feel the gravity of Ironman here, even if you aren’t racing.
I heard Mark Allen say in a video that at Ironman, when the cannon goes off, it is a relief. So much has led up to this day that even though it is one of the most intimidating experiences of your life, it feels good to finally get started. A contrast to other races in my mind, because I know for me, I often think…‘if only I could’ve had one more week to train!’
All in all, this trip to Madison puts a new spin on the city for me. I can’t wait until race day. I think I might be more excited than Tom and some of my other friends who are actually racing. My Ironman experience has been a good one so far. I am so proud of everyone here. I am really looking forward to Western Austrailia.
I do not remember the cost, but it takes about 2 - 2&1/2hrs to cross. I think the website is www.lake-express.com. I have taken it multiple times and it sure is a nice break for driving.
Oh, good luck to everybody in Madison. Pace the bike well and you’ll have no problem.
The crossing itself took about 2 hours. It went rather quickly. Nice snacks on the ship. The vehicle loading/unloading process was smooth as can be and it reminded me of video I’ve seen of the hanger deck of an aircraft carrier.
I can’t tell you how fast thing went- for a ship tis size, it was truly remarkable. I really enjoyed the crossing.
You guys are lucky the Badgers are on the road this week. The year I did it, UW had a home game and once the weekend hit there were WAY more people in town to see the football game than for IMWI.
Have fun, it’s a great race. Definitely a course for the strong cyclist.
Drove the course again this morning. Garfoot might be scary fast with the sharp corners - wow. A little nervous about that. Going to ride down it on Saturday.
Noodles & Co = great place to eat - cheap, low stress, simple, healthy food. I wish they had them in Houston.