Tracking me on race day

If you'd like to follow my progress on race day, there are a few ways you can be part of the action. The race starts at 7:00am on Sunday morning.

1. Go to www.ironman.com on race day, and choose to "Track an Athlete". My bib # is 93. I'll be wearing a timing chip, and everytime I step over a timing mat on the course, my times will be updated online. This means you'll get the first update after the swim, then another when I start the bike, another mid-way through the bike, and another when I'm off the bike. You'll get a few updates, about every 6 miles or so, on the run.

2. The easiest, and coolest way to follow me is via MyAthlete; this year I'll be wearing a GPS device on me throughout the race (after the water - so, on the bike and run). You can access a website on your computer or your mobile device such as an iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, etc. and see my progress in real-time; where I am on the course, how fast I'm going, etc. A great way to see what's happening as it happens! If you're here in Madison and will be on course, a good way to keep updated so you know when you might expect me.

For web browsers on your desktop/laptop computer or your iPhone, visit:
www.MapMyAthlete.com/vemap.aspx?name=044136

For other handheld devices such as Blackberry or Palm, visit:
www.MapMyAthlete.com/pda.aspx?name=044136

Note: Certain versions of the Blackberry browser do not work. You can download for free the Opera-mini browser on your Blackberry at http://www.opera.com/mini/download

3. Starting at around 3:30pm, www.ironman.com will have a live video feed of the finish line - just look for the link to "live coverage". Somewhere around 7:00 or after I'll be crossing, and you can watch a live video feed of my finish. The best way to manage this would be to track via the other options first, so you know more specifically what time I'll be crossing. Note too that last week, to everybody's pissed-offness, the video feed was AWOl from Ironman Kentucky. Hopefully they've got it straightened out now.

4. Finally, I'll be turning over the Twitter controls to Amy and the Team for race day. The plan is that somebody will update as the day is going by with news and reports for how it's going out there. My Twitter automatically updates Facebook, so if you follow me on Twitter or are a friend at Facebook, you should enjoy the play by pay.

Put all these web options up on multiple browser windows and you shall have a veritable potpourri, a bonanza, if you will, of Ironman geekery and information. Awesome.

That's it! I'll be wearing a white, red and black Ironman Wisconsin racing kit; primarily white top, black bottom. On the bike I'll have a huge blue aero helmet on that makes me look like a dorky astronaut, and my machine is a little hard to miss - it has a big blue and black disc wheel on the back (click the picture for bigger/better resolution):



On the run, about the only things that might set me apart from everybody else are my crazy lime green Newtons:



And I might be wearing white sleeves on my arms; arm coolers, to manage the heat. I'll have my number on me, though - 93 - and under the number it says my name "CHRIS".

There you go - thanks for all the support everybody, I really appreciate it!