Madison athlete qualifies for Ironman World Championship

Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

For many, running a couple of miles is an accomplishment. Others prefer to run a marathon, swim over two miles, and bike over 100 miles before they call it a day. Jason Crisp of Madison is one of them.

The Colman native recently qualified for the Ironman World Championship Triathlon, which takes place next month in Kona, Hawai'i. Crisp earned a spot in the world championship by placing fourth in the 25-29 age group at an Ironman qualifier last month in Louisville, Kentucky. Crisp says qualifying for Hawai'i has been a goal of his for a long time.

Next month's world championship truly lives up to the term Ironman. Athletes will swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles within 17 hours. Crisp has been putting in a lot of hours to get ready for Hawai'i.

But just as important as the physical training is also the mental preparation.

The 30th running of the Ironman World Championship will take place October 11th. The competition highlights will be televised on NBC December 13th.