Madison's Ironman Wisconsin voted the best Ironman triathlon in the U.S. by athletes
Completing a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and finishing it off by running a marathon is a major athletic achievement ... obviously.
And, it's exactly what 1,058 ultra-endurance athletes did this past September at Ironman Wisconsin 2023 in Madison.
However, it wasn't just these athletes that earned impressive accolades last year, but also the race itself. In a post-race survey given to athletes at over 40 Ironman triathlons across the world in 2023, Ironman Wisconsin was voted the third-best race of all, winning a top-five Global Ironman Athletes' Choice Award.
Ironman Wisconsin was also voted the No. 1 Ironman race in North America for 2023 based on overall event satisfaction. Furthermore, the race's swim through Lake Monona was named the athlete-favorite swim of all Ironman races in the survey worldwide.
"The venue was amazing! The spectators made the bike and run something I’ll never forget. The finish line with the Capitol building in the background was phenomenal," an Ironman Wisconsin participant was quoted saying on the Ironman Athletes' Choice Awards site.
Where does the Ironman Wisconsin course go?
The award-winning Ironman Wisconsin course 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 running portion travels past iconic Madison landmarks ― including Lake Mendota, State Street and across the turf at Camp Randall ― before finishing just beyond Capitol Square.
How hard is Ironman Wisconsin?
The Ironman Wisconsin bike course is categorized as "hilly" by Ironman. Ironman categorizes courses as either "flat," "rolling" or "hilly."
Ironman has called the bike course "challenging," and ACTIVE.com calls it "notoriously difficult." According to ACTIVE.com, the total elevation gain on the course is 4,120 feet.
What are the best Ironman triathlons in the world?
These are the top five Ironman races worldwide in 2023 according to the Global Ironman Athletes' Choice Awards:
- Ironman France Nice ― Nice, France (also named fifth-best swim)
- Ironman Kalmar ― Kalmar, Sweden (also named best run)
- Ironman Wisconsin ― Madison, Wis. (also named best swim)
- Ironman Wales ― Pembrokeshire, Wales (also named fifth-best bike)
- Ironman Chattanooga ― Chattanooga, Tenn. (also named second-best swim)
You can see the full list of rankings, broken down by world region and triathlon event, on the Ironman Athletes' Choice Awards site.
How long is an Ironman triathlon?
The full Ironman distance is 140.6 miles, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike, ending with 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 events also hold Ironman 70.3 races. This distance is 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.