IM Wisconsin - Another win for Schumacher


I was in Roth, Germany, when Katja Schumacher won her first Ironman. It was 1998, and like today, was cold and rainy. Schumacher led off the bike, and stayed out in front through the marathon.

Which is exactly what the 38-year-old German did here in Madison, Wisconsin today. After leading off the bike, she used the fastest run split of the day to ensure that she stayed ahead of a very gritty Hillary Biscay.

In between the two rainy wins, Schumacher had claimed two other Ironman titles ? in Florida and Germany ? but neither of those came in any thing like the extreme conditions we saw here today.

Schumacher has often been plagued with sickness during her Ironman career, and earlier this season she found herself fighting a virus that pretty much annihilated her early season. Without much racing under her belt, she started racing in earnest in August, and the results have been quite successful. There were four races in five weeks leading up to Ford Ironman Wisconsin, and she won the last three.

She made it four-in-a-row here today, and the way she got her win leads one to think that she might just be able to achieve her next goal ? another top-10 finish at the Ford Ironman World Championship next month.

She achieved her first top-10 in Kona last year, dispelling the old rumor that she couldn?t race in the heat, and would very much like to repeat that performance on the Big Island in five weeks.

Today was supposed to be a chance for Schumacher to test her fitness for Kona. While the conditions here in Madison ? cold and wet ? couldn?t be more unlike the conditions she?ll face in Hawaii next month, she will take to that race the confidence that she is, in fact, very fit!?


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