Hundreds of athletes from around the world are coming to Madison this weekend to compete in Ironman Wisconsin. Among them is Jaxon VandenBrook, a UW-Madison student whose path to the starting line began with a near-fatal crash.
VandenBrook was a freshman at UW-Madison training for the Ironman when his life changed in an instant.
“I love running by the water,” VandenBrook said. “It was late October, but it was a beautiful night out. I reached the light before it turned green, and then the light switched and I started to cross.”
VandenBrook does not remember much after that. A vehicle ran the red light and hit him head on.