With the start of 2020 I had a number of big goals layed out for myself. My second Ironman was to be in Tulsa in May, which was a stepping stone into my first Ultra Triathlon, 24 hours in July at the Washington Island Ultra. A break for a Ireland / England trip then back to running a couple of ultra marathons before the year was out. Obviously plans changed. With the Covid pandemic hitting, my pool was closed as I watched race after race getting cancelled.

As things continued to worsen, our yearly friend spring break trip was cancelled. About this same time we decided it was best to hold off from going overseas until all of this was over. Even if we could have gotten there, it wouldn’t have been the same, and I wanted our first overseas trip to really be special.

Spring inched closer to summer and the pond at Chad’s house became our new swimming hole since the local pool was still closed. I struggled through cramping in the cold water, something completely new, but I needed to get those yards in before Ironman Tulsa, which was approaching fast. I had only about 4 weeks of swimming in before the race date, however the word came down that Tulsa was to be postponed a year. Disheartened but not discouraged, and knowing I still had a 24 hour race coming up, I went ahead with the training and on the weekend Ironman Tulsa was supposed to occur I did my own solo Ironman.

On a beautiful late May day, I started off on my solo Ironman, with a small support crew, my second Ironman started off great. The swim was a bit slow, but that was by design, I couldn’t risk cramping my legs up when I still had 112 miles to bike and a marathon to run. On to the bike, things were going well for awhile, until I bonked hard. The rest of the day was a major struggle, but by the run I was feeling well enough to keep pushing at it. While my times weren’t great, the memory of getting to do this with a small group of family and friends, and walking the finishing line together will always be special to me.

Training continued, now including sleep deprivation and even longer hours. The word came down from the Washington Island Ultra that they were holding it still, with added safety precautions. So now I had something to strive for, a goal to complete. Since I was working at home now, and we didn’t have any other plans, training became a way of life. Most of my spare time was put in at the pond, on the bike or running with the dog. Feeling well prepared, race day came and I absolutely crushed it. This race went far better than I could have expected, and here I think Covid’s life limiting factors really helped me out.

With summer coming to a close and no more triathlons on the calendar for the year I started focusing more on the run. With two ultra marathons coming but, within 3 weeks of each other, time of my feet was key. The first of these was my annual birthday run your age celebration. I was extremely surprised that some of my training buddies ran the whole thing with me and even more took sections. We had 6 of us out there at one point. Turning 39, I set a route that covered my entire hometown, running past places of significance to me. Actually I almost made it a little too long, we stopped the watches early on my street at 39.9, I’m pretty sure my driveway was at 40, so I don’t have to do 40 next year now right ??

Three weeks of recovery passed quickly and it was time for my second ultra, an actual event this time, the Ironbull 50k set on Rib Mountain. This was to be on trails this time, which was both good and bad. My legs were a bit worn from all the road running, but I hadn’t put enough time on the trails to really get prepared for the technical sections. The course was modified for Covid safety reasons as well, but the race directors did a fantastic job and I think it was just as nice, if not better than the original event. Chad ran with me for the whole run and we managed it in just under 6 hours, a goal we didn’t set until 5 hours in. This was a really fun race, and a great day. Oddly by the end, I felt I could have kept going, a good sign for the future.

A couple of weeks after the Ironbull 50k a friend approached me about an idea he had for starting a new race in our hometown of Wausau WI. He wanted to do a Backyard Ultra format run and with that start a new company, WausaUltra. So 6 of us got together and did just that, kicking off a band new adventure that I’m very excited about. Our inaugural event will be this coming May, just before the postponed Ironman Tulsa will take place, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what a race is like from the organizers perspective.

If that wasn’t enough, I’ve accepted a position on the Ironbull Board of Directors starting in 2021 as well! Helping to motivate and encourage an outdoor lifestyle and healthy living, I’m very excited to help affect a change on our community.

While 2020 started with so much optimism and promise, those realizations were ultimately altered but if endurance sports has taught me anything, it is to be resourceful, alter your plans, set new goals and most importantly to keep moving forward. Those lessons helped to make the most of this past year, and allowed me to accomplish many new goals, to raise the bar for my personal performance ever higher and to push myself to see exactly what I’m capable of. In doing so, I’ve found a community, one that I’m now able to help to give back to in very new and exciting ways. Encouraging others to get into this wonderful way of life has become a new goal. Making it exciting and inviting is a new challenge, one I’m very much looking forward to for 2021 and beyond.

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2020 By the Numbers

• Running: 220 runs, covering 1,407 miles over 208 hours
• Cycling: 158 rides, covering 3,798 miles over 227 hours
• Swimming: 85 swims, covering 112 miles over 61 hours
• Total: 463 workouts, covering 5,318 miles over 497 hours

Goals for 2021.

• Compete in Ironman Tulsa – with a 6 hour bike split, 4 hour run split and sub 12 hour race
• Work at my first race as an organizer with WausaUltra
• Help to build the local community of endurance athletes for all outdoor sports with Ironbull
• Attempt my first 100 mile run