Where's the course for Ironman Wisconsin, how hard is the bike portion and answers to other questions

Ironman Wisconsin is one in a series of over 170 triathlons, including over 40 full Ironman events, put on worldwide by the Ironman brand. The 21st annual Ironman Wisconsin long-distance triathlon took place in Madison on Sept. 12.

Competitors swam through Lake Monona, biked through hilly farmlands in and around Verona and finished a marathon just past Capitol Square.

Here's what to know about Ironman Wisconsin and the 2023 results.

How long is an Ironman?

The full Ironman distance is 140.6 miles, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike, followed by a marathon ― a 26.2-mile run. The ultra-endurance race is widely recognized as one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.

Ironman Wisconsin and other Ironman races also hold an Ironman 70.3 race, also known as a "half Ironman" because it's half the distance of an Ironman. Ironman 70.3 races consist of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile half marathon run.

Most full Ironman races have a time limit of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race. The average time to finish an Ironman is 12 hours and 38 minutes for men and 13 hours and 35 minutes for women, according to triathlon coach Ryan Jones with TRIGearLab.

Who won Ironman Wisconsin 2023?

Matt Jackson of the United States won the full Ironman race in a time of 9 hours, 12 minutes and 58 seconds.

Becca Kawaoka, also of the U.S., won the women's race in 10 hours, 6 minutes and 16 seconds.

Many top Ironman athletes were attending the men's Vinfast Ironman World Championships race in Nice, France, which also took place Sunday. France's Sam Laidlow won that race in 8 hours, 6 minutes and 22 seconds.

Where does the Ironman Wisconsin course go?

Ironman Wisconsin begins with a two-loop, 2.4-mile swim in Lake Monona, near the Helix parking ramp at the Monona Terrace. Following the swim, athletes make their way up the Helix to change and prepare their gear for the bike portion. This is known as a transition, or T1.

After T1, athletes ride down the Helix and head southwest from downtown Madison to the hilly, two-loop portion of the 112-mile bike course. This looped portion rides through farmlands in Verona, Mount Horeb, Cross Plains and the surrounding area.

T2 occurs back at the Terrace, where athletes exchange bike gear for running gear and begin the 26.2-mile run. The run course travels through iconic Madison landmarks ― including Lake Mendota, State Street and the turf at Camp Randall ― before finishing just past Capitol Square.

An athlete died during the 2023 triathlon

Ironman Wisconsin announced Sept. 12 on Facebook that a participant died following the bike portion of the race.

A race staff member and off-duty officer provided immediate medical attention to the athlete before emergency medical services transported them to a local hospital. The athlete died while in the hospital.

In 2019, two athletes tragically died following the swimming portion of the race.

Michael McCulloch, 61, of Cottage Grove was found unresponsive in the water and then taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Autopsy results indicated he died from an accidental drowning.

Madison firefighter Todd Mahoney, 38, was found unresponsive in the water during the Ironman 70.3 race, about an hour after McCulloch. Mahoney was taken to the hospital and died two days later.

How hard is the Ironman Wisconsin bike course?

The Ironman Wisconsin bike course is categorized by Ironman as "hilly." Ironman categorizes courses as either "flat," "rolling" or "hilly."

Ironman has called the course "challenging," and ACTIVE.com calls it "notoriously difficult." According to ACTIVE.com, the total elevation gain on the course is 4,120 feet.

How many athletes participate in Ironman Wisconsin?

1,056 people were listed in the preliminary results as finishers of the 2023 full Ironman Wisconsin race.

How many people did not finish Ironman Wisconsin?

Information on the number of athletes that did not finish in 2023 is not yet available. However, in 2022, of the 1,366 athletes that started Ironman Wisconsin, 346, or about 25%, did not finish according to a report by Endurance Data.