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Juneau triathletes storm Madison endurance races
High Cadence Triathlon Team ‘try’ IRONMAN Wisconsin and IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Juneau’s High Cadence Triathlon Team tested the lake waters, farmlands and suburban bike paths and city streets of Madison, Wisconsin in a pair of IRONMAN triathlons last month.
Led by HCTT coach Jenna Wiersma, 40, four members of the team — husband Dan Wiersma, 40, Melanie White, 70, Stephanie Sauve, 39, and Megan Hendrickson, 36 — raced the IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin on Sept. 12 and coach Wiersma raced the full IRONMAN Wisconsin on Sept. 13.
“I knew I wanted to do a full IRONMAN in 2022 when I watched my husband do IRONMAN Alaska,” J. Wiersma said. “I saw him cross the finish line with emotions I had never felt completing any endurance event and thought, I want to feel that way. At that point, I had completed over a dozen marathons and a few ultras and shorter distance triathlons, and started doing 70.3 distance races. I had completed seven 70.3 distance triathlons before signing up for the full IRONMAN and really enjoyed the training, the races themselves, and performed well at them. That motivated me to want to see what doing a full felt like.”
Her race would have to wait as coaching four team members came first. Charlie Waters, also an accomplished triathlete, traveled with the team as a crew member.
Known as the “Badger State” or “America’s Dairyland,” Wisconsin has the only event that hosts the half and full triathlons on back-to-back days and roughly 2,000 triathletes were in each distance. The Juneau triathletes chose to honor the state by wearing Wisconsin-inspired cheese-themed flannel custom shorts made by Juneau seamstress Jean Larson-Rein of Stink Rat Stitches. The attire was for recreating before and after.
Daniel Wiersma was competing in his sixth 70.3 distance and first since recovering from a meniscus tear in December 2024. Roughly a year later, he had built up to 45 minutes of run-walk intervals.
He placed 45th in his age group (M 40-44) with a time of five hours 50 minutes and 59 seconds. His personal best is 4:46:49.
“This past year I was focused on endurance biking, mainly on gravel,” D. Wiersma said. “I did three races before shifting back to a triathlon focus. I knew it was going to be slow going as I didn’t give myself enough time to build my run. While all the biking was great for cardio, running is more impact and different muscles. As the 70.3 got closer, I started having repetitive ham string strains — probably a TT bike fit issue — and seriously considered not doing the run portion at all. I did opt to do the whole thing and chose a conservative approach: racing the swim, using a road bike to minimize fit issues and then focusing on fun for the run.”
The Madison half-IRONMAN course started with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Monona. The swim route took triathletes along roughly eight blocks of Madison’s John Nolen Drive, just off Capitol Centre Park, and past a shoreline of cheering tri fans.
The 56.9-mile bike portion left Madison and went through the suburbs of Fitchburg, Oregon, Brooklyn, Belleville and Verona. The rolling route had four climbs of over 1,000 feet.
The 12.8-mile run was along the Lake Monona waterfront again, with a crossing over to the Lake Menoola side and back. The main attraction was the views of downtown Madison and streets lined with fans in a six-mile out-and-back course that finished at Madison’s Capitol.
“At one point I left the course, jumped in a river, then came back onto the course at the same spot to keep jogging it,” D. Wiersman said. “My hamstrings held on until just shy of nine miles. After a recovery walk I started jogging easy to the end. The vibes were awesome on the course, and it was great to see Mel, Megan and Steph doing the race. Matching race kits made spotting each other easy. While the race was far from my fastest, it will be one of the more memorable ones because I wasn’t glued to my computer at max effort. I got to talk to volunteers, course officials, and joke with spectators. The race was a celebration of recovery and hard work and friendship in sport.”
Hendrickson and Suave were competing in their first 70.3 distance triathlon.
“My goals were to enjoy the experience and to finish,” Hendrickson said. “It was hot for the run and a lot of people were struggling with the heat, including myself. As I was approaching the finish line, another racer fainted just in front of me. It was such a mix of emotions and a reminder of the challenge of the race. Even during the hard moments, I felt strong, happy and proud of myself.”
One of the hardest moments involved the “helix,” two spiraling concrete garage ramps designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that are part of the Monona Terrace parking structure and are used as the transition from swim to bike.
“I am a very novice cyclist, so the idea of biking near so many other people was one of the things I was most nervous about going in,” Hendrickson said. “To start the bike portion, you ride down the helix of a parking garage and then the majority of the ride was on rolling country roads. I took more turns during those 56 miles than I had in all of my months training in Juneau. As I was riding back up the helix, I remember thinking that I was returning to the parking garage a better cyclist than I was when I left it.”
The race finishes running up the helix, through the parking garage and then through the finisher shoot.
“I had told myself that I was going to finish strong for the last mile and push a little harder but had forgotten that it would be mostly climbing,” Hendrickson said. “Going up the helix, I was the only racer not walking the climb at that point in the day and was very thankful for training on Juneau hills. We all had matching tri-kits that showed we were from Juneau and other racers cheered on that Alaska can handle the climb.”
Hendrickson finished in 7:46:44, 60th place for her age group (FM 36-39). She swam 51:24, biked 3:55:11 and ran 2:39:45.
Suave finished in 8:05:56, 65th in her age group (FM 36-39). She swam 1:02:16, biked 4:09:10 and ran 2:37:18.
“There were great parts in all three portions of the race,” Suave said. “The swim was great because it was just such a beautiful morning. I saw a group of birds fly off into the sunrise as I swam, the water glittered. I was nervous so I took it one buoy at a time. I pretended I was hunting them down. I’d pass a buoy, find the next one and say in my head, ‘you’re next b—h.’ The bike was fun and since I was in the back of the pack everyone was super chill because we are not the competitive group. We are the ones simply trying to survive this race. It was a nice and supportive group.”
Suave needed that support during her run.
“It was a double loop so we ended up passing a lot of the same people a couple times,” Suave said. “I ended up passing by my friend Mel more than once. It was so great because each time we saw each other we stopped and hugged in our matching outfits. It put a little pep in my step every time. Mel is amazing. It was so cool to see her still doing triathlons in her 70s. She’s an inspiration for all of us. It was the worst half marathon of my life. I’ve never walked so much for a half. I’d run until I felt like I was going to vomit or pass out then I’d take a little walkie break. I said in my head, I can do hard things. I also said this out loud in the porta potty as I struggled to get my very wet tri-suit back on.”
White finished in 7:42:41, winning a trophy for placing second in her age group (FM 70-74). She swam 44:08, biked 3:35:17 and ran 3:02:23. This was her seventh 70.3 distance.
“I am always surprised at doing well in my age group,” White said. “I am always nervous at the swim start, but once I get in a few strokes I am fine. I do like the swim even when it is congested. Jenna Wiersma had a good plan for me to follow. I did a lot of swimming, starting at the pool until the lake warmed up. I do like swimming in Auke Lake. I have learned that I get nervous, but I can do it even though it is hard. I did OK on the swim and bike. The run not so good. It was hot and I have a hard time in the heat. I have learned to have fun and if you have a good group to train with it makes a big difference.”
The IRONMAN Wisconsin is double the 70.3 Wisconsin course. That means triathletes swim 2.4 miles (two laps), bike 112 miles on a slightly different course through the farmlands of Wisconsin and run the marathon distance 26.2 miles via two loops through Madison, Camp Randall Stadium, the UW Lakeshore Nature Reserve and the Capitol. All areas are lined with spectators.
“When I lined up to start the race, and because it was my first full, I turned all data (pace, speed, etc.) off for myself other than my heart rate to make sure I was managing my zone two efforts accordingly,” J. Wiersma said. Her swim time was 1:18:43. “I was doing the race for joy of the experience. I told my husband and team, I paid $1,000, I better have the most fun day of my life. The swim was beautiful and so warm compared to what we get in Juneau. I swim better in warmer water, so my swim was pretty solid. IRONMAN swims are a little congested, so that can slow you down a little as it was two laps with 2,000 athletes all in the water together. Thankfully, I was towards the front as a stronger swimmer, so it wasn’t too congested until my second lap.”
The entire course for both distances is filled with spectators and the cheering is needed. The race is considered one of the top three most challenging courses largely due to its technical bike course, which features the transition from the swim, up the spiraling east helix to reach their bikes.
The full distance uses three circular concrete turns — the half used two turns — all filled with thousands of spectators. Bikers exit on the west helix. Good descending and bike handling skills are required. The bike portion finishes with a ride up the west helix and the run portion goes down the east helix.
The 112-mile course features over 6,000 feet of total elevation gain over hilly terrain and unpredictable crosswinds.
“I really enjoyed it because I wasn’t tracking any of my data except heart rate, and it was very engaging with a lot of short, punchy climbs and fast descents,” J. Wiersma said. Her bike time was 6:58:42. “The bike was the longest part of the day, so I just did a manageable power and took in a ton of nutrition.”
The run portion is considered hard due to rolling concrete hills and late-race fatigue.
“The run was my absolute favorite part,” J. Wiersma said. She hit a 4:19:40 marathon. “I paced the bike perfectly in a steady and manageable range and felt great physically on the entire run. I was tired, but noticed I was running past a lot of people, and the crowds on the run course were roaring and insane. It was like one of the big major marathons with people just lined in the streets the entire way. You felt like a celebrity.”
Her full IRONMAN finish was 12 hours 57 minutes and 56 seconds. She placed 11th in her age group (FM 40-44) despite a minor bike crash on a climb when another athlete ran into her while passing. Her marathon run time was fifth overall and top five in her age group. She passed 250 athletes during the run.
“I don’t think I can actually describe in words what I felt crossing the finish line,” J. Wiersma said. “It was unlike any finish line I had ever made it to. I felt exhausted and simultaneously energized and full of all the emotions — gratitude, pride and joy. It felt surreal.”
The group all received training plans from J. Wiersma, with the focus on each individual’s weaknesses.
“For me it was swimming,” Suave said. “I was most nervous about that part, but it ended up my favorite part of the race. We swam in Auke Lake and it was hardly ever above 59 degrees so it was nice to race in such warm water, because when you jump into freezing water your body can go into survival mode and do what’s called the mammalian reflex. I just remember what coach Jenna says: ‘Your body thinks it’s going to die. You just have to get over it.’ I tried my best not to take training too seriously so that I wouldn’t psych myself out. I’d say things like, oh, just a casual 50-mile ride today. Just a casual half marathon on a Wednesday morning… Most of my training rides were out the road so I saw a lot of bears. This one little guy I saw a couple times and he just sat at the edge of the road curiously watching as I passed. I named him Cinnamon. Running is my favorite so I had shorter runs since I’d done a couple marathons in the past, but not a lot of long swims or bike rides.”
Hendrickson started serious training six months before the race, doing a variety of different swims, bike rides and runs each week.
“Jenna wrote a training plan for me every two weeks that guided how to evolve the workouts and skills I was working on developing,” Hendrickson said. “Towards the end of training, it was pretty common to do multiple workouts during a training day. I signed up for several local races, including Seacoast Relay, Juneau Half Marathon and Aukeman Triathlon to give me more variety in my training and event experience. Having a group of friends training for the same race was amazing because there was usually someone else also looking for a buddy. For the last two months, I committed myself to doing every workout outside, especially with how inexperienced I was at cycling and open water swimming, which led to some very drenched workouts.”
J. Wiersma’s training started a year ahead of the race.
“I started with robust strength training specific to triathlon with heavy lifting to build my muscles and give my body as much prevention against injury as possible,” she said. “After three months of dedicated strength building, I shifted to endurance building for another three months, and at six months out from the race began serious training blocks that included my final peak weeks of 17-22 hours a week of training. I thought I would dread the training at the end, but I truly loved it and thrived on it, which was not at all what I expected.”
The five HCTT members had advice for those considering, but hesitant about doing, a triathlon.
D. Wiersma said his advice is to “go do one. And train with friends. I have found that the variety in exercises — versus just one discipline — helps prevent injuries and keeps me engaged. Joining a club — no or low cost — can be a way to connect with other people and find training partners.”
Suave said, “Just try it out and not think about it too hard. I tried because I was looking for something new after just running. I was getting hurt all the time because all I wanted to do was run. But I knew if I kept that up I might get hurt enough that I wouldn’t get to run at all. So I tried the sprint Aukeman which each year just kept advancing. I started with a sprint, graduated to the Olympic distance and now did a 70.3. And I haven’t had a real injury in a very long time since doing triathlons as opposed to just running. So it enabled me to keep doing the sport I love and stay healthy.”
She noted it was challenging balancing work, being a mom and training.
“Some days were very long. I could be exercising for up to five hours,” she said. “Then I’d have to come home and be with my daughter who I promised to play with after. Honestly, I skipped a couple workouts to be with her instead.”
Hendrickson said, “I have had such a positive experience getting into triathlon over the past year, and Juneau has an exceptionally encouraging, inclusive and welcoming community for it. If people are hesitant, I would encourage them to sign up for one of the Aukeman events next year and experience the cool community first-hand. I bet they'll be hooked!”
They all noted that the Juneau Parks and Recreation / Juneau Pools Dimond Dash in the spring is a good start. The short course swim is in a pool and the event is intended to be done with friends. The Aukeman triathlon partners with the pools and is intended to be a beginner-friendly event.
J. Wiersma became USAT Triathlon and IRONMAN Triathlon certified in 2024. That same year she became HCTT’s new coach, being mentored and supported by long-time coach Jamie Bursell, who was retiring. The Wiersmas are on the Aukeman board. Daniel is official race director, but the two co-directed the last Aukeman Triathlon series along with board member Waters.
“I think that if you enjoy any of the individual disciplines, consider what is stopping you from trying one,” J. Wiersma said. “If it’s cost, you don’t have to have fancy gear or do an IRONMAN-branded race. You can choose small, local races and use what gear you have. If it’s learning to be better at one of the disciplines, every triathlete has to start somewhere and training for triathlon is really engaging and fun compared to training that is unilateral - just one sport.”
Said White, “Aukeman sprint is a fun local race and is well done. What have you got to lose if you don’t try? It is all about having fun with friends… Funny thing about this 70.3 in Wisconsin was it was going to be my last, but I signed up for another one. It was a fun group to go with. They don’t mind playing with someone 30 years older.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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