Kristen Hohl

Start here

This is a personalized race guide, not something you need to memorize. It gives you the decisions that matter most for your race.

Use the full ranges provided. Being at the slower end of a range does not mean you are falling short. The entire range represents successful execution, and you should expect to move through different parts of it as the course, conditions, and your body change.

The overall race

You are arriving at this race with a very strong swim and an especially strong bike. The goal is to use those strengths to set up the best run you can—not to spend unnecessary energy proving what you can do on the bike.

The Wisconsin course is rolling and can encourage repeated accelerations. Your job is to handle the terrain smoothly, keep your cadence from slipping, and arrive at the run ready to execute.

Your race does not need to feel perfect at every moment. It needs to be managed well from start to finish.

Pre-race

If you choose to use pre-race caffeine, take it approximately 30 minutes before the swim start, provided that this is familiar and comfortable for you.

Remember that caffeine may make the bike feel easier than it objectively is. Do not allow a low perceived exertion to pull you above the bike plan. Continue to use power as your primary control, with heart rate and perceived exertion helping you interpret the effort.

Swim

The swim is a strength. Use it.

This race uses a self-seeded rolling start, so line up around the swimmers expecting approximately 30 minutes. Be assertive from the beginning rather than treating the opening minutes as a warm-up.

• Establish strong, purposeful pressure early.
• Swim confidently and efficiently.
• Take useful feet when they are available, but do not waste energy fighting for position.
• Sight effectively and take the shortest practical line.
• Finish the swim ready to transition, not emotionally overextended.

The swim should give you momentum going into the bike.

Transition 1

Be efficient and calm.

Once you are on the bike, do not immediately respond to the excitement of the race by chasing riders or forcing power. Let the first section come to you, then build into your planned effort on clear road.

Bike

The bike is 56 miles on a rolling course. Your primary target is approximately 210–225 W.

That is a range, not a single number. You do not need to sit at 225 W to have a successful bike. Riding closer to 210 W at a particular point can be exactly right if the terrain, wind, traffic, or your internal cost calls for it.

Bike control rules

• Shift early enough to keep your cadence near its normal outdoor rhythm.
• Do not let every rise become an acceleration.
• Release pressure over the crest.
• Let speed and handling govern corners, paths, ramps, aid stations, and descents.
• Do not chase a power number when doing so compromises safe handling.
• Complete fueling and drinking on clear sections before technical or congested areas.

Early bike: settle in

During the opening miles, allow yourself to settle into the race.

Build toward the 210–225 W range on clear road, but do not chase power through the early turns, paths, or crowded sections. The bike should begin to feel organized before you ask it to do much more.

First rolling section

The first significant rolling section includes approximately miles 10–26.

• Stay generally within the 210–225 W range on clear portions.
• Allow longer rises to bring you modestly higher, approximately 220–230 W, when needed.
• Shift before cadence begins to fall.
• Use a brief increase in power to get over a short steep feature only when necessary.
• Once over the crest, let the power come back down.

Do not spend mental energy on athletes who are repeatedly surging every roller.

Middle and lower terrain

From approximately miles 26–34, use the terrain to regain rhythm.

Maintain useful pressure on clear road, but use momentum and avoid forcing power on descents or through turns. This is a good section to reassess your legs, fueling, cadence, and internal cost.

Second rolling section

The second major rolling section is approximately miles 34–47.

1. Ride smoothly in the primary range.
2. Allow modestly higher power on longer rises.
3. Shift early to protect cadence.
4. Release pressure over the crest.
5. Do not turn every rise into a race.

On a short, steep climb, you may briefly allow power to rise as high as approximately 265 W if that is necessary to keep cadence and clear the feature. This is a very limited exception—not a target, not something to repeat on every rise, and not permission to sprint. The power should come back down as soon as the feature is over.

Return to Madison

From approximately mile 47 to the finish, maintain useful pressure where the road allows it.

Do not force power simply to preserve a number when speed, turns, paths, traffic, or handling make that unnecessary. Ride the road that is actually in front of you, and keep the focus on bringing a strong run to T2.

Transition 2

Take enough time to make the transition organized.

The run matters more than saving a few seconds by rushing through T2. Start the run with the patience to let your legs transition rather than demanding your final run pace immediately.

Run

Your primary run range is 8:20–7:45/mi.

The entire range represents good execution. You should expect to spend time at both ends of it. The faster end is an option when your effort supports it, not a requirement that must be reached immediately.

The run course uses two laps and includes short rises, paths, turns, and the final climb back to Monona Terrace. Pace should respond to terrain and effort.

First mile

Use the first mile to settle by feel.

• If 8:20/mi already feels too costly, allow yourself to run slower temporarily.
• If 8:20/mi feels easy, do not use that as a reason to run faster than the top of the planned range.
• Let the run come to you.
• Do not judge the quality of the race based on the first mile.

The opening mile is about finding the correct effort, not proving your fitness.

Miles 2–5

Settle into the full 8:20–7:45/mi range.

Let pace fluctuate naturally with the terrain. A pace closer to 8:20/mi can be excellent execution if it allows you to remain relaxed and controlled. A pace closer to 7:45/mi is appropriate when the effort supports it.

Do not force the faster end simply because you are capable of running it in isolation.

Miles 5–10

This is the section where you need to stay mentally engaged.

The run will become uncomfortable. That is normal. Discomfort is not automatically a sign that anything has gone wrong.

• Stay focused on the next section.
• Continue using the full pace range.
• Do not become critical of yourself.
• Do not evaluate whether the race is “good” or “bad.”
• Keep making the next useful decision.
• Use aid stations and changes in terrain as opportunities to reset.

Your job is to execute the race—not to review your performance while it is still happening.

After mile 10

Once the finish is closer, allow yourself to work with what remains.

If you are responding well, let the pace move toward the faster end of the range. If the cost is rising, continue to race intelligently and keep moving forward.

On the final return and the Monona Terrace helix, use effort rather than forcing a flat-course pace. Let the pace slow naturally on the climb, keep your form together, and race the final section with what you have left.

Fueling and hydration

You are well practiced and do not need a new fueling system for this race. Stay with what you know works.

The main reminder is not to allow the excitement of racing to displace the basics:

• Continue taking in fuel on schedule.
• Continue drinking even if cooler conditions reduce thirst.
• Remember that PH 1000 is an electrolyte drink, not a meaningful carbohydrate drink.
• Plan to get your needed carbohydrate from gels or other practiced carbohydrate sources.
• Pay particular attention to carbohydrate intake on the run.

You are racing a 70.3. Fueling remains part of the execution from beginning to end.

Quick-reference race card