A Backyard Endurance Celebration

IRONDAD

A Nashville Iron Man Century

100 miles. One Saturday. Friends welcome at any mile.

Date Saturday, September 26, 2026
Location Nashville, TN
Start ~7:15 AM CDT
Join a segment → See the course
Swim
1.5 mi
YMCA 25-yd pool · 106 lengths
Bike
80 mi
Rolling · ~3,470 ft gain
Run
18.5 mi
2 × 9.25-mi greenway loops
The day, end-to-end

100 mi total · Ironman-proportioned · prorated to a backyard 100

The Concept

A backyard, friends-and-family version of an Iron-distance triathlon — prorated down to 100 miles total. Same proportions as a full Ironman (~1.5% swim / 80% bike / 18.5% run): 1.5 swim → 80 bike → 18.5 run.

So the concept is that this is a celebration of entering 'dad-hood'. As most people know we have had many years of infertility so this is a 100 mile celebration. Personally there were many long rides and runs to help process the pain with infertility but now turning this on its head to bring in the next joyful chapter — so this is an opportunity for people who have been riding along in the painful journey with us to ride along in the celebration of the next chapter of joy.

The Course

Swim
Margaret Maddox East YMCA · 25-yd pool ↗
1.5 mi

Continuous pool swim. The solo leg of the day — head down, count laps, get out.

Distance
1.5 mi
2,640 yd
Lengths
106
53 down-and-backs
Target pace
2:00
per 100 yd
Swim time
~52 min
incl. warm-up
Race plan
Pool
25-yard short-course
Goggles
Form Smart Swim Goggles — HUD shows distance, pace, splits
Form workout
200 wu · 11×200 main · 240 cd map in Form app
Lane block
~75 min starting ~7:15 AM confirm reservation
  • Bike racked outside the YMCA for T1.
  • Gear: Form goggles + backup, cap, jammers, sport watch, towel + dry kit.
Bike
"Nashville Iron Man 100" route
81.6 mi

Rolls out of the YMCA, swings west to Bellevue, comes back through the Nashville core, heads east through Donelson and Hermitage, and finishes near the Shelby Bottoms trailhead. Mostly rolling, no big climbs.

Open full route on Strava ↗

Distance
81.6 mi
131 km · from GPX
Elev gain
3,470 ft
~1,060 m
Target pace
15–17
mph
Ride time
~5:10
4:50–5:30 range
Race plan
Start / Finish
YMCA → Shelby Bottoms (~2 mi apart)
Elevation
Range 400–580 ft · rolling, no big climbs
Loop structure
Two big loops (west then east) through the city core
Aid plan
🏠 The house — passes at mi ~30 and ~50
  • Plan is two laps out to the dam and back — almost entirely within Shelby.
  • If traffic or an event blocks the Germantown side, we cut short there. Goal is at least 80 mi before T2 either way.
  • Roads are mixed urban + suburban + greenway — assume traffic on road segments.
  • Friends can ride a loop or a chunk — share the Strava route to pick an entry point.
Run
Shelby Bottoms / Stones River Greenway
18.5 mi

After T2 at 🏠 the house, two ~9.25-mi loops on the Shelby Bottoms / Stones River Greenway. Pancake-flat. The route comes back past the house at mi 8.5 and the finish at 18.5 — easy to jump in/out.

Open full route on Strava ↗

Distance
18.5 mi
~30 km · half + 5.4
Elev gain
~325 ft
essentially flat
Target pace
10–11
min / mi
Run time
~3:15
3:05–3:25 range
Race plan
Surface
Paved greenway
Loops
2 × ~9.25 mi · returns to the house at mi 8.5
Aid plan
🏠 The house between loops; vest for mid-loop
Finish
Tape or bell at 🏠 the house decide ritual
  • This is the plan on paper — but aid is at 🏠 the house, so expect a lot of out-and-back loops off it as the day goes on.
  • Coming off a long bike, 10–11 min/mi is aspirational. Realistically I'll probably settle closer to ~13 min/mi.
  • Greenway is multi-use — keep it friendly with walkers and dogs.

Day Schedule

Sunrise on Sept 26 is around 6:50 AM CDT. Two pace plans below — the left column is what I'd love to run, the right column is what's more likely after a long bike.

Aspirational 15–17 mph bike · 10–11 min/mi run
  1. 7:00 AM
    Arrive YMCA, lane setup, warm-up
    YMCA pool deck
  2. 7:15 AM
    Swim start — 1.5 mi
    YMCA pool
  3. ~8:15 AM
    T1 — change, fuel, roll out
    YMCA parking lot
  4. ~8:30 AM
    Bike start — 80 mi
    YMCA → Shelby Bottoms
  5. ~1:45 PM
    T2 — refuel, swap to run kit
    🏠 The house
  6. ~2:00 PM
    Run start — 18.5 mi
    Shelby Bottoms / Stones River Greenway
  7. ~5:15 PM
    Finish + celebration
    Shelby Bottoms trailhead
Realistic ~12.5 mph bike · ~13.5 min/mi run
  1. 7:00 AM
    Arrive YMCA, lane setup, warm-up
    YMCA pool deck
  2. 7:15 AM
    Swim start — 1.5 mi
    YMCA pool
  3. ~8:15 AM
    T1 — change, fuel, roll out
    YMCA parking lot
  4. ~8:30 AM
    Bike start — 80 mi
    YMCA → Shelby Bottoms
  5. ~3:00 PM
    T2 — refuel, swap to run kit
    🏠 The house
  6. ~3:15 PM
    Run start — 18.5 mi
    Shelby Bottoms / Stones River Greenway
  7. ~7:30 PM
    Finish + celebration
    Shelby Bottoms trailhead
Times are estimates. Final timing depends on pool availability, traffic on the greenway, and how much I'm hurting by mile 70 of the bike. I'll publish a live tracking link (Strava Beacon or Garmin LiveTrack) on race morning.

What people are saying

Pre-race reviews from the people closest to the event.

Your giving yourself a finisher medal?! Back in my day you had to actually win something to get a medal.
Mom Iron Mom
are you crazy the due date is in two weeks of the race?!
My wife Logistics & Life Director
Chicken chip?
Finn Chief Pup Officer
What's the bubbly situation?
Chuck Hydration & Vibes

Sponsors

The Iron Dad Nashville Century is satirically brought to you by a handful of brands, products, and beverages that have materially contributed to this dad making it past mile 60. Not a real sponsorship deal — more of a standing ovation.

Premium The headliners. Best dogs and best treats on the course.
Gold Big-energy backers.
Silver The fuel that makes the back half survivable.

Want a slot? Reach out — bonus credit for anything edible, caffeinated, or chewable by a dog.

Join In — Friends & Pacers

Show up for any piece of the day: ride a loop, run a mile, or just bring a cowbell to the finish. No pressure on pace or distance — the whole point is that it's a celebration.

Pick your adventure

Your submission goes into a pending queue. GP confirms within a day or so.

Who's already coming

Pace a few miles

1
  • Charles 'Chuck' Lindquist · airpark loop
    I'm bringing the bubbly

Weather Outlook

Late September in Nashville. Mild, mostly dry, no excuses.

Typical conditions

  • Avg high ~80°F
  • Avg low ~58°F
  • Humidity Moderate, dropping from summer
  • Rain chance ~25–30% measurable
  • Sunrise 6:50 AM CDT
  • Sunset 6:45 PM CDT

Why Sept 26

  • Last Saturday of September — most reliable "shoulder" weather in TN
  • After typical summer-storm pattern breaks
  • Before fall cold fronts start arriving in earnest
  • Daylight still long enough to finish before dusk
  • Backup date: Saturday Oct 3, 2026 if weather is a disaster

Logistics

For me

  • Reserve a YMCA lane for the swim window
  • Stock 🏠 the house as the aid station — cooler, nutrition, spare kit, towel, bike tools
  • Pre-ride the bike route once in August/September
  • Pre-run the run loop at least twice
  • Test full nutrition plan on a long training day
  • Share Strava Beacon link the morning of

For friends joining

  • Free parking at Shelby Bottoms Greenway trailheads
  • Restrooms at the main Cooper Creek trailhead
  • Bring your own water for short joins; aid station is at 🏠 the house
  • Greenway is multi-use — keep it friendly with walkers/dogs
  • Helmet for any bike segment, no exceptions
  • Strava segment to PR? Not today, friend.

Race Kit & Nice-to-Knows

Personal race kit

  • Swim: Form Smart Swim Goggles + backup pair, cap, jammers, anti-fog, towel, flip-flops
  • T1 bag: tri kit, sunscreen, glasses, helmet, gloves, socks, shoes
  • Bike: 2 bottles + handlebar bottle, frame bag (tube, CO₂, multitool, levers), Garmin, lights
  • T2 bag: dry socks, running shoes, hat, sunglasses, anti-chafe, fresh shirt
  • Run: handheld bottle or vest, salt tabs, gels, blister kit
  • 🏠 At the house: cooler, electrolyte mix, real food (PB&J, bananas, pretzels, Coke), chair, towel, change of clothes for finish

Nutrition rule of thumb

  • Calories: ~250–350 / hour on the bike, ~200–250 / hour on the run
  • Fluid: 24–32 oz / hour depending on temp
  • Sodium: 500–800 mg / hour (more if it's warm)
  • Caffeine: hold most of it for the run — start ~mile 8
  • Practice the exact plan on at least 2 long training days first
Working document — built May 12, 2026. Edit src/lib/data.js as the plan firms up.