Chris Badtke Completes 3rd Ironman
Triathletes from around the world took off Sunday morning from Monona Terrace in Madison for the 2019 Ironman Wisconsin. Among the 2,461 athletes registered was C.D. Smith’s very own Project Manager, Chris Badtke. Chris joined C.D. Smith in 2012 and since then has competed in three Ironman competitions. Chris got involved with triathlons when he lived in Milwaukee upon graduating from college. After he moved back to Fond du Lac to join C.D. Smith, he missed the thrill of the race and began training again. He started with a few smaller competitions before building his strength and stamina to compete in his first Ironman in 2015, and then again in 2016.
“I like having a goal of something bigger than yourself to strive for. I also enjoy how the sport pushes you physically and mentally,” Badtke explains. “It’s a mental game. You have to stay positive; your mind is your biggest enemy. Sunday’s race was no different, it was a tough day and you really had to stick with it and stay positive.”
The day of the race was cold and windy with a high of 60 degrees. Athletes battled 10-15 mph wind throughout the race and waves surged two to three feet high during the swim portion. “Every time you tried to come up for a breath of air you’d get pummeled by a wave. By the time I got out of the lake, I had swallowed a significant amount of lake water, and rode the first 30 miles of the bike ride with a stomach ache from the water.” But always looking for the positives, Chris pointed out, “the bike ride was good because of the cooler temperatures, so I had no cramping issues, and I was thankful for that.”
As the race progressed, the rain continued to challenge the remaining athletes, several of which had dropped out shortly after the swim portion of the event (of the 2,461 athletes registered only 1,823 finished). But after a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon, Chris proudly ran across the finish line with a time of 13 hours and 25 minutes.
“I would say anyone interested in challenging themselves in this type of event to slowly build their distance and confidence. Don’t try to go too big too quick. You don’t want to get discouraged for over challenging yourself. More importantly, remember that failure is OK, as long as you learn from it to improve yourself. But most of all, do it for the right reasons. If you're not having fun, why are you doing it?"
From all of us at C.D. Smith, we'd like to congratulate Chris on his accomplishment for competing in this year's Wisconsin Ironman. Great job!
