Moo Legs

IM MOO earns 7.5 CT Legs

I'll admit to some bias here. As you know, the bike leg gets a little more weight than the swim and the run. It's only natural. It's where it's at. When the day arrives when running shoes and wetsuits COMBINED are HALF of what a bike costs, I'll reconsider, until then, that's the way it is.

Swim is OK. I do love the light (sunrise) at the swim start and have captured some cool (remember this one?) 'Kodak moments' as the athletes queue up for the 2.4. The transition at the Manona Terrace is interesting, in the same way that being lost in a maze is. Please rewind, folks, to that infamous scene where Nicholson is franticly frozen lookin for the 'light of his life'. Sometimes the lights all shinnin on me, other times........Anyway, with the expo, transitions, registration, media center, start and finish all here, sometimes just gettin a cup of coffee, or across the street can make ya wanna redrum somebody. But to their credit, NAS pulls it off. Three thousand volunteers help. A Madison must do is going to a athlete briefing if it's your first.

The bike. Oh, my. The roads were even worse than last year, and last year they royally sucked. They sucked more this year. And that sucks a lot because otherwise it would rate about 30 CT Legs and set a new standard. If we're not talkin pot holes, expansion joints, crappy chip seal or thirty year old tar, we're talking about surfaces so uneven, their odd. I spent most of the day trying to avoid camera sag from the vibrations. I understand that there are weather extremes here, but, holy cow folks, spend some of the millions that IM brings to America's Dairyland and fix those cheesy roads. Please.

Run. OK. Two loops. In front of the Capitol. Along the lake, Yeah, yeah, yeah. How anyone can run 26.2 after having all your teeth rattle out of your skull for 112 miles is a mystery to me. Still......

The locals dig it. They support it. It is a big deal round these parts. The climbs in Verona alone are worth the price of admission, and the finish is perfectly staged with the rotunda in the background. This was the prototype for the Boise 70.3. Who knows, when Obama gets elected maybe we'll do IM DC and finish at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The phone there is (202) 456-1111. Tell 'em the IM Wisconsin bike course should be declared a disaster area. AND NO MORE.

Gonna get in a run in the morning, and then catch the 2:55 back to Seattle. No time for frivolity as I have three days to cut the Kona DVD before heading out to Muskoka. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to say hi and do an interview. Congratulations to Chris McDonald and Hillary Biscay for their dramatic wins today. And thanks to every competitor out there today whom I had the distinct pleasure of watching and filming. In spite of all the challenges, I think this one will be a keeper. Cheers!

Photos: Magic hour at the swim start. Just before the Verona cut-off. Finish line celebration.