Ep. 9: Ironman Wisconsin 2024 Build, Community, and a Cutoff-Clock Finish

Holly, Laura, and Maggie discuss the purpose of Average Age Groupers—sharing everyday endurance-sport stories and perspectives on training, rest, and balance—then dive into their Ironman Wisconsin build and race-day experiences. They describe winter base work indoors, a key 70.3 at Musselman, and how training escalated after mid-July, including nutrition struggles, bike discomfort, and the mental toll of long solo rides. They emphasize the expense of Ironman, the value of coaching for accountability, and especially the community that formed around their training, highlighted by a large supported “simulation” long ride where Laura hit a breaking point but kept going. On race day, Holly manages the windy bike and finishes with late-run support, while Laura battles headwinds, barely makes T2 cutoff, runs with Casey, and finishes in an emotional last-minute sprint amid news the run course was about a mile long.00:00 Welcome Back Crew00:55 Why Rest Matters01:27 Ironman Wisconsin Tease02:30 Bike Bag And California03:19 Why Full Ironman Now04:58 Winter Base Building07:02 Musselman Tune Up Race08:12 When Training Gets Real09:42 Bike Struggles And Bonking11:55 Coach Costs And Budget14:44 Community Makes It Possible18:33 Longest Ride Simulation Day21:22 Cemetery Breakdown And Coke26:58 Race Day Starts Swim Calm30:55 Bike Headwind Reality Check33:10 Chasing on the Bike34:01 Mount Horeb Breakdown35:17 Wind and Three Hills36:48 Loop Two and Empty Crowds38:54 Tailwind Back to Town40:50 T2 Tales and Cutoffs43:01 Illegal Pacer Run44:36 Course Changes and Safety47:49 Watch Dies and Bargaining51:15 Finish Line Reflections53:16 Cutoff Panic Sprint58:45 Tears and Unfinished Business01:01:27 Wrap Up GoodbyeListen to the Pod here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFphttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYFKP1OYAMiMR1Ve36fOAwhttps://www.instagram.com/averageagegroupers/https://waterfallracing.comhttps://www.instagram.com/forwardenduranceclub/