Wildflower 2008

On the weekend of May 2-4, the magic that is Wildflower took hold once again at Lake San Antonio, CA for the 26th time. However, this was my first experience of this legendary event and I can say quite emphatically - I was blown away! It was two days of world-class competition on challenging courses, an eclectic music festival for kids young and old, an expertly-managed event at a beautiful rural location tailor-made for it, and a general celebration of all things inspiring about this amazing sport.

[G2:23 class="right"]I had heard Wildflower called "the Woodstock of Triathlon", but luckily the association is, at best, oblique. In both cases, thousands of people converge on a single, remote location to share a passion - music in one, triathlon in the other - but thankfully, Wildflower doesn't share the drugs, the mud or the chaos that was Woodstock. In fact, it's a downright family affair. Over 6500 athletes from 49 states and 26+ countries showed up this year to compete in the three events - Half-Ironman, Mountain Sprint and Olympic - in all skill, age and gender categories imaginable. I saw competitors as young as 13-14 and as old as 70+. I saw challenged athletes that truly inspired. Whether competing or spectating, it was impossible to be immersed in that vast sea of athletes and their supporters and not feel driven to one's best effort and cheer others likewise.

This trek to the hills north of Paso Robles, CA was particularly memorable, thanks to the group of like-minded tri-nuts who conspired to share it with me. We'd spent months planning it. The centerpiece of our adventure was Cal and his intrepid motorhome and trailer, which served as primary transport for our bicycles (eight of them!) and most of our related equipment, not to mention food and drink. Thank you so much, Cal! I know everyone in our group feels the same way, but I am particularly appreciative, because it enabled me to fly to and from the event via Newton Air, and take a couple of others with me, too!

As for the racing, I had opted for the Olympic event, which took place on Sunday. So, Saturday was spent as spectator, cheering Beth, Cal and others around the grueling "long course", browsing the vendor community which had setup in the oak grove and listening to various live bands play throughout the day. When finally it was my turn to race Sunday morning, I was keyed up and ready for a strong performance. The water was a perfect 65 degrees. Beth and I had been training hard in the pool and I felt strong, confident around the 1-mile course. The first real challenge was the climb up "Lynch Hill" right out of the lakeside transition area and up into the surrounding hills where the rest of the 25-mile bike course meandered. Luckily, the day was pleasantly cool and that initial 1-mile climb passed quickly. Along the out-and-back route, the road rose and fell over hills, through open meadows of wildflowers and grasses, past the ubiquitous oaks that cover most of coastal Central California. I continued to feel very strong, even comfortable on the bike. Before I knew it, I was passing through the gates of the recreation area and sprinting at 44+ mph back down Lynch Hill to T2.

So far so good. I'd promised myself to take time to energize in the transitions and I believe this made a difference, both in my performance and my enjoyment of the experience. I set myself into a solid pace for the run - my least favorite phase - knowing that there were killer hills in my future. About half-way through the 10K course they appeared - and did not relent for several miles. Of course, by now the day had become cruelly hot and I found myself struggling to remain focused and positive. I framed the image of the last mile - once again down Lynch Hill, this time on foot - firmly in my mind and soldiered on. Mercifully, it appeared shortly thereafter and before I knew it I was sprinting through the finish arch. My first Wildflower was behind me!

Knowing that this would be only my second Olympic distance event, and keeping in mind the challenging nature of the course, I'd set myself a conservative goal to break 3 hours. Thanks to good training, decent weather and the general excitement of everyone around me, I finished somewhat better than planned - 2:47:07 and 11th in my age group.

But the best part of Wildflower was simply being there - sharing a passion for triathlon with friends and strangers alike in a setting utterly removed from the rest of the world. It was as if our normal lives were temporarily suspended, worldy concerns and challenges forgotten ever so briefly to celebrate collectively our bodies, our discipline, our performance and our triumph.

Yeah, I'm going back again. I don't think you can keep me away.

For some photos of this year's experience, see my gallery.