2008 Wildflower Olympic Triathlon

Nothing says ‘Wow’ like the Wildflower triathlon festival. It is really the kick off of the regular season. The time when bugs should be figured out and the training should be blossoming. I have raced at Wildflower 3 different years. I love going to do it because you know that there are going to be thousands of people participating and the community (Cal Poly) and vendor support is phenomenal. This would be the 26th running of this race that started off as a little ‘hippy’ event. But I think the triathlon community dissolved that a tad when they brought in their $6000 bikes made of carbon fiber and titanium. Nothing about that says Volkswagon bus or tie dye. Heck, almost everyone there even shaves their legs.

This year I would be racing the Olympic distance race (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run). I had raced this back in 1998 when I was in my second year of triathlon. I had remembered seeing this race in the magazines and all the accolades it received as being a well run race on a tough course. That’s what I wanted to do. So I found myself here again in 2008. I found my way back to this event at the distance I originally raced it at. It’s hard not to look back and look at my splits from 1998 and not ‘compare.’ I knew I was pretty quick on the bike then. I was riding a Zipp 2001 with Zipp 400 wheels. I had some pretty fast bike splits, but I was hoping that this year I would swim a bit faster as well as run faster too. But I was 26 years old then, and now I am 36 and have counted a few gray hairs as well.

I left Spokane on Saturday on a direct flight to Oakland where I would then drive to Paso Robles, CA which was the nearest city to the race site. I was able to get hooked up with a svelte Kia Sportage that worked very well. I made good time with minimal stops. Notice the speedo. I was truly impressed with this vehicle. It’s about a 3 hr drive from Oakland, but I seemed to make in 2:30 with a stop for food.

I made it to my posh accommodations at the casa de Motel 6. And get this… I requested a ground level floor and low and behold I got one. When the lady told me that I would be on the ground floor, I had to ask her to repeat herself. No, not because I could not believe it, but I could not understand her broken English. I think I actually got a little shiver. Ground floor… I could not believe it…I have arrived!



I unpacked my Trek TTX and built it while watching American Pie on the USA network so all the ‘naughty’ scenes were deleted. Still funny though. As I unpacked everything I found little 'gifts' from Jessi and Emma. They make notes to wish me well and then they hide them in my bike box. I find them in my tool box, clothing bags, nutrition canisters… you name it. It’s always a nice surprise to get those. Emma even decorated some of my gear this year with her stickers. I had 2 little stickers on the toes of my cycling shoes. Nice touch. I also had a picture of her taped to my handlebars saying ‘go daddy.’ All little additions that make you feel supported when you are all alone out there during the race.

Afterwards, I headed out for a 40 minute ride to make sure that all the gears were running smoothly and my new disc was working well. My legs were a tad flat from the car ride down which is always a bit nerve racking. But after about 15 minutes they seem to loosen up. Might be age too. After the ride I went for a short 15 minute run and immediately noticed that the warm air would be a factor in Sunday’s race.

I got my gear all set up and laid out so that everything I needed was there. Next stop, dinner. I went to the classic standby down the road. My secret place that no one knows about but the franchise owners themselves. After I dined in luxury with prominent locals, I headed to the race site to get registered. This is always a bit of a hurdle. The race site is literally in the middle of nowhere. Most people camp when they race here… I don’t. When I go to races, I need a bed and a shower, not a tent and a lake. It’s about a 35 minute drive from Paso Robles, but pretty easy.

I was surprised how quickly I was able to get in and get out of the park since you have to take a shuttle to the race site and a shuttle back. Unless you want to walk the 1 kilometer hill that is a 9% grade… which I did not.

I eventually got back the motel and talked with some friends and heard about their race that happened that day… the ½ Ironman. They all seemed pretty excited about their efforts and accomplishments. And they should. The Wildflower ½ IM is a tough race. I had raced it a couple times and knew their accomplishments. They were already celebrating by making orders to the local greasy grill in the area. Wish I could have indulged, but I would have regretted it. My mind was on tomorrow and what I needed to do. I was able to turn out the lights at about 10:00pm. With my race start at 9:35, I would not have to get up until 6:00am, so a good nights rest was on tap.

The morning eventually did come and it was time to get rolling. I grabbed my B70 transition bag, and bike, and loaded it in the car. I then had my secret breakfast consisting of oatmeal and a banana. Pretty high tech. I ran into some friends there at the hotel that were already up and getting ready to go cheer me and others on. It’s always nice to have some people there that know your name.

On the way to the race site, I exchanged texts with Jessi since she was running Bloomsday today. I was excited for her and what she was going to experience. Check out her blog for the breakdown of that event. She had a great day. I finally got to the race site flawlessly… other than following a bunch of traffic going to the same place. It was cold, and I was cold. So after I unloaded the car, I got back inside and turned on the heater. I watched all the athletes going to the transition area about 1.5 miles away going down a 9% grade that was a kilometer… the same one I would eventually be riding up and down as well as running down…ouch! I like to see the different set ups that people have with their bikes, the type of wheels, what they bring to transition. It’s all fun stuff to watch. Just people watching. I also like to listen to all the conversations going on around me. Like how this course is great, or horrible, or people have died on it, or that there was once a bear attack. Everyone is the master of their own information. We all want to share what we have hoping it will be more than someone else. Combine this with some pre race anxiety, and you have about 1000 hilarious short stories. But it was time to get out of the car and head down. I had about 1:20 before my start.

I rolled down the hill into transition at about 48 mph…coasting. Most people were on their brakes going about 15 mph because they felt it necessary to bring enough equipment to stay a few nights. Things like buckets to rinse their feel in after they get out of the swim, heavy jackets for after the race when it’s 85 degrees? What? The list goes on. I probably would have gone slower, but I did not have brake pads for my carbon wheels and the carbon rims will ruin those pads if you use them too long… so I didn’t. Besides, I wanted to know what the hill felt like at ‘speed,’ since this is the same one I would be riding down as well.

The transition area at Wildflower is massive. The race had 2500 athletes racing in it. And the transition area was not really marked too well. So I looked for my number and racked my bike. Once again, I took all the time in the world getting things ready. I also looked for land marks, and where my bike was placed. Because coming out of the water frantically, things look way different.

I looked at my TIMEX race watch and noticed that I was about 15 minutes from the start. It was time to finish up and get on my B70 Helix wetsuit…I love that thing! I walked down to the water and was able to get in a 100 yard swim and was ready to go. I normally feel quite nervous before a race… especially one of this caliber. But I didn’t. Maybe it was the wave start and I knew that it probably would not be too crazy at the start… but I knew that the traffic that would be ahead in the water, and on the road, would be a little problematic. But it would be the same for everyone.

That's me in the middle

That's me on the top 'waving'

As I stood on the start line I could see some of my friends that had weaseled their way onto the dock for a prime viewing spot…as well as photo opportunity. Ben and Phaedra were cheering me on. Again, nice to see faces in the crowd that you know. With 15 seconds to go, I started my watch. Then came the horn and bodies were flying. I ran up to my knees and dove in. Apparently I did not tuck my head because I got a little water in my goggles., but not enough to cause any problems. I took off like I was being chased by sharks. After about 200 meters, I was next to this guy that eventually got in front of me so I started drafting. Perfect. Then, he swam away from me, not so perfect. So now I was by myself swimming steady and maneuvering around the people from the waves ahead. In doing this, I accidentally sighted off the buoys on the other side of the course which directed me ‘across’ the course. Oops. I was wondering why I was seeing so much open water. Fortunately a kayaker got me redirected. Probably lost 15 seconds… who knows. It happens from time to time and you just deal with it. I rounded the last corner, which always feels good, and started heading for home. There were still so many people in the water in front of me that I had to get around. I finally saw the boat ramp and started heading towards it. At this point I start to think about what I am going to do next in anticipation of T1. I stood up as soon as I felt the group and unzipped my suit. I heard my friends yell ‘you’re in 2nd!’ Whew, the guy that swam away was still the only one in front of me even with my slight detour.

I ran anaerobically up the ramp and into transition. I spotted the red flag that indicated my isle and I headed down. I knew I was near the end, but still would need to ‘see’ my bike. Big problem here, I did not see my bike. I ran back and forth again…and nothing. I ducked under the other rails thinking that I might be an isle off… still no bike. CRAP! I asked some people that were staring at me where my bike was… no help. So I stopped, stood there, took a deep breath and tried to relax. I looked again and then I was able to locate it. Someone had moved it around from the front wheel pointing out to the rear wheel which was my disc. I was looking for my front wheel, helmet, glasses,… the image that I had when I left it there. Still don’t know what happened, but it did. No time to worry about it, I needed to get out of there fast. I literally jumped out of my B70 suit, threw on my Rudy Project helmet and glasses, and was off.

Finally, on the bike. Immediately we headed up the steep 1 mile long 8-9% grade out of transition. A tough climb on any account, but tougher when you feel like you are behind and then the guy you are chasing just was given a 40 second bonus. I was passing people like they were standing still… some were actually :). By the time the adrenalin wore off, I was still climbing and really needed to get things settled down. There was plenty of time to make things up… or screw it up by blowing too much on this hill. My mind was gently swayed from the pain in my legs when I saw 3 college girls dropping their shorts and exposing their rather ‘tan’ rear ends with something written on them. Can’t say that I really noticed what was written, but if I saw those bottoms, I could probably identify them. That helped me smile a bit and collect myself, or take to a 'happy place.'

Once over the top, it was all business. I was wound up and was all about making time. I was passing groups of people, individuals, everyone and anyone I could. I was not saying ‘hello,’ or ‘good job,’ I was moving forward as fast as I could. There were people that were riding 3 abreast and in packs… I was passing them on the left, right, yellow line, and in between. Some I did not say a thing to when I came up to them because I did not want them to move. But I think the sound of a thundering disc kind of blows your cover. This bike course is pretty tough. I found myself using every gear I had. From a 53x11 at 50mph to a 42x25 at 8mph… I needed them all. As I came back into the park, about 4 miles from transition, I could see that I was going quite well. There were still quite a few rolling hills to get over, but I was riding well. My bigger concern was would I be able to run well. Did I put too much out on the bike? My SRM did not indicate that, but it’s hard to tell on a course that has so many ups and downs. Very difficult to maintain a steady effort. I came to the final descent… man that is fast. I stayed in the aerobars and just focused on people in my lane. I was actually more worried about the masses coming up the hill. It would not take too much for a person to accidentally swerve across the yellow line and hit me while I was going 45-50 mph. And brakes were not an option on this hill. Especially when you are trying to make up 40 seconds :)

I leaped off my bike and ran it into T2. Legs felt pretty good. I racked my bike, threw on my shoes, grabbed my TIMEX visor and off I went. There were still people leaving T2 from prior waves so the flow was good leaving T2. One of the first challenges you face in the run is a set of 15 stairs up a hillside. This is a good place to see where your legs are and where they are not. I took them 2 at a time and was ready for a quick turnover. I was running well cutting the corners as tight as I could. I saw the first marker come up and it was ‘1.’ Nice, that came quick…then 2, then 3…man, this run is going by so fast. When I started this run I did not want to look at my HR or the time. I wanted to run off of feel for a bit. I felt good and was passing many people. But they all had younger age groups on their legs. Still, I was passing people and that is always motivating. Sometimes when I am running I wonder if I am really moving forward or just bouncing up and down. This was proof that I was moving forward. As I approached 5, I knew something was not right. That’s when I realized that the run was marked by kilometers. Crap! I had to smile because if I would have looked at my watch at the first one, I would have known that. But it did not matter… I was running hard and it felt pretty good. I hit the aid stations fast, never slowing at all, grabbing as many cups of water as I could. I think I avg’d about 4 cups per station at a sub 6 min mile pace. Some water went in, but most went on. It was hot and it felt good. So now I knew that I had about 4k to go…keep it steady and run with a purpose. The last 4k has a lot of hills and is on dirt trails. The dirt was more of a powdery silt, the type that you would cringe at when training, or even avoid because of the mess. But in a race, you run the shortest line and land on whatever is fastest. I finally got to the highest point on the course and was now ready to descend to the finish. 1 mile to go, and mostly downhill at an 8-9% grade… here we go.

I tried to turnover my legs as fast as I could but man this was steep. I know I was going fast, but I wanted to go faster. I think I could hear bones cracking as each foot slapped down, but I needed to get to that finish line. At the bottom of the hill it flattens out for about 400 meters to the finish. I was running with everything I had wanting to get to that finish line asap. As I rounded the last corner, and onto the blue carpet, I just started striding it out as much as possible. I knew I was racing people I could not see, and every second would count. I crossed the line and bent over… DONE! I had a cool towel placed on my back and someone apparently placed a medal on my neck as well. I guess I finished. Now I would wait….

Actual time 2:04:41

After all was said and done, I ended up 1st in my age group, 2nd amateur, and 3rd overall. But the best part is this. The difference between second place and me… 1 second. I missed 2nd place by 1 second! 1st place was occupied by John Dahlz who is an ITU pro that was 2+ minutes ahead. But 1 second to second place. I bet the guy who got 2nd feels pretty good about that, and in all reality, so do I. Things happen in races to everyone. It just depends on how we choose to handle them. Heck, the guy who got second might have had a flat? Who knows.

I am very happy with all my splits. I had a great swim, bike, and run. Transitions were a little funky, but easy fixes. I am looking forward to racing some more Oly races and getting faster.

After the race I did not have that much time to hang around because I still needed to get my bike packed up and drive to Oakland (3 hrs). It’s always easier to pack a bike when you had a good race than when you don't. I think you like your bike more :). Makes it all worthwhile. I have to say a big thank you to Laura and Phaedra for taking my bike back with them. That alleviated me having to pay $50 and lug it around the car rental area and airport. It also allowed me to make my flight on time.

Wildflower 2008 is over and the season looks good. Make every second count, because often it is what defines 1st and 2nd :)