Average Age Groupers: 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 Crew 00:55 Why Rest Matters 01:27 Ironman Wisconsin Tease 02:30 Bike Bag And California 03:19 Why Full Ironman Now 04:58 Winter Base Building 07:02 Musselman Tune Up Race 08:12 When Training Gets Real 09:42 Bike Struggles And Bonking 11:55 Coach Costs And Budget 14:44 Community Makes It Possible 18:33 Longest Ride Simulation Day 21:22 Cemetery Breakdown And Coke 26:58 Race Day Starts Swim Calm 30:55 Bike Headwind Reality Check 33:10 Chasing on the Bike 34:01 Mount Horeb Breakdown 35:17 Wind and Three Hills 36:48 Loop Two and Empty Crowds 38:54 Tailwind Back to Town 40:50 T2 Tales and Cutoffs 43:01 Illegal Pacer Run 44:36 Course Changes and Safety 47:49 Watch Dies and Bargaining 51:15 Finish Line Reflections 53:16 Cutoff Panic Sprint 58:45 Tears and Unfinished Business 01:01:27 Wrap Up Goodbye Listen to the Pod here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l...    / @averageagegroupers     / averageagegroupers   https://averageagegroupers.substack.c... #triathlon #unboundgravel #podcast #gravelbiking #gravelride