Madison firefighter completes Ironman Wisconsin while wearing 50 pounds of gear to promote organ donation cause
Wisconsin State Journal | Samara Kalk Derby
Photo: Firefighter Robert Verhelst photographed just after the transition from bike to marathon Sunday in Ironman Wisconsin.
Robert Verhelst, the Madison firefighter who participates in Ironman races weighed down by 50 pounds of firefighter gear, finished Ironman Wisconsin Sunday at 11 p.m. with a time of exactly 16 hours.
The crowd that lined the home stretch on Martin Luther King Boulevard went wild when he approached the finish line.
"It was a phenomenal race," Verhelst said. "It was amazing the number of people out there. I had my whole family out there â€" huge support."
His time was a little faster than he expected. Last year, also wearing his gear for the marathon portion, he completed the race in 16 hours and 17 minutes.
Verhelst, who was featured in a Sept. 2 story in the State Journal, was approached Sunday by four people who told him they had watched the YouTube video of him finishing last year and were inspired to do the event themselves.
Photo: Firefighter Robert Verhelst photographed just after the transition from bike to marathon Sunday in Ironman Wisconsin.
The crowd that lined the home stretch on Martin Luther King Boulevard went wild when he approached the finish line.
"It was a phenomenal race," Verhelst said. "It was amazing the number of people out there. I had my whole family out there â€" huge support."
His time was a little faster than he expected. Last year, also wearing his gear for the marathon portion, he completed the race in 16 hours and 17 minutes.
Verhelst, who was featured in a Sept. 2 story in the State Journal, was approached Sunday by four people who told him they had watched the YouTube video of him finishing last year and were inspired to do the event themselves.
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