In 2008, Oak Parkers Matt Sullivan and Robert Towler did much of their training together in preparation for their first Ironman at Ironman Wisconsin. Even though Towler was the faster biker and Sullivan the stronger runner, it’s no surprise that they finished within two minutes of each other with times of 12:22 and 12:24, respectively. (The Ironman includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile ride and a 26-mile run).
These two friends are ready to take on Ironman Wisconsin for a second time this Sunday, Sept. 11 in Madison, Wis.
Last time, the duo focused on low intensity training with long hours biking and running. As Towler, 49, says, “My first goal last time was to finish.”
Sullivan, 46, adds that the last time around he was more “neurotic” about training.
“Last time, I always seemed to be guessing about my preparation and found myself wondering if I should do one more workout.”
This time around, their training has followed a different path. Towler says that “the training started one year ago in October. Matt and I did 20 weeks of shorter but high intensity running and biking.” That meant winter rides on a bike on a trainer in the basement.
Having established a strong base, they then switched to three months of volume work when spring arrived. During long rides over the summer they built up their long-ride capacity.
With lots of training under his belt, Sullivan says, “I’m feeling pretty relaxed.” He’s also less concerned about things outside of his control on race day.
“I can’t control other competitors. Things like accidents and mechanicals can happen, but I can’t worry about that.”
Instead, he says that a good day in Madison will mean, “I execute my plan, race well and finish.”
For Sullivan the seed for doing the Ironman was planted in 1982 when he watched news coverage of the Kona Ironman. A young college student named Julie Moss had led the woman’s event all day until the final yards when, completely exhausted, she collapsed and was passed by another woman. In a famous video dubbed one of the most amazing moments on The Wide World of Sports, she then crawled across the finish line for second place.
Only a future Ironman like Sullivan would take inspiration from a moment like that.
As a teenager growing up outside London, Towler would bike from London to Scotland and back in the summers, staying in hostels along the way. After moving to the U.S., he too learned about the Ironman on television. He was less inspired by the pro triathletes up at the front than by the “people at the back out there for 17 hours. Those are the real heroes.”
When asked why he’s doing the Ironman, Sullivan replies, “I view it on a spiritual level. To approach something like this through training and discipline is rewarding.”
When things get difficult during the Ironman, Towler finds himself thinking about some friends who died young, particularly a woman triathlete he knew who past away of cancer at the young age of 44.
“When it gets really tough, I remember that I am carrying them with me and I realize how lucky I am.”
Jack Crowe is a monthly cycling columnist for Wednesday Journal.