Ponder, Piscitello finish Ironman Wisconsin, notch ‘lifetime’ achievement Published Sept. 24, 2010 By John Stuart Staff Writer TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Wisconsin day dawned bright but chilly for the 2,700 triathletes hoping to finish what is one of the most grueling endurance events in the world. But triathletes of this caliber don't get to a race like the Ironman Wisconsin by accident. Thousands of hours of training have helped carry them there, and for most, they're ready to take on what awaits: a 2.4-mile open water swim, 112-mile bike ride and then full 26.2-mile marathon. Tinker's Dave Piscitello and Danny Ponder were on the scene the morning of Sept. 11 for the 7 a.m. start, hoping for their shot at Iron glory. The day didn't disappoint. With both competing in the 50-54 year old category, Ponder finished the race in 12:58:12 and Piscitello finished in 14:12:31. "The only word I can think of to describe swimming in open water with that many people is, 'maniacal,' Piscitello said. "You would have to fight for six inches of swimming space and were constantly being kicked, bumped and hit the entire distance." A unique tradition to the Wisconsin race is that swimmers "would moo like a cow" when swimming past a certain timing buoy, Piscitello said. "I don't know what the thousands of spectators thought watching along the shore line, but I know the life guards got a kick out of it," he said. Piscitello was out of the water in 1:32:00, a personal best by 12 minutes. A parking-garage transition depot put him on the bike and ready for a challenging ride. "The bike course moved us along past dairy farms and beautiful countryside and small towns with plenty of spectators," Piscitello said. "The course was extremely hilly and challenging. We hit speeds between 45-50 mph going down some of the steeper hills which was fun until we had to climb back up them." Piscitello was off the bike in 6:30:00, again a personal best by 25 minutes. But then the great equalizer -- the marathon. Piscitello ran into trouble early on. "I started out on my run and knew early on that I was going to struggle," Piscitello said. "I was ill prepared for the marathon distance due to some Achilles tendon surgery I had in the spring. The marathon route took a lap through the University of Wisconsin football stadium and then along scenic lake-side trails in Madison. "We finished up by running past the state Capitol building and into the finish past an estimated 50,000 cheering spectators wanting to slap a high five." He finished with a run time of 5:49:00, "My slowest run time ever," Piscitello said. "But I was happy anyway because I finished. The pain is temporary and will fade in a few days but the achievement and memories will last a lifetime." The Iron distance race was Piscitello's second, but he thinks his ultra events are over.