2007 Wildflower Recap

Yes I know what you're thinking, a recap? From a guy that didn't even race? Yup! That's me. I was out there supporting my team. Which team is that you may ask? Well that's the Los Angeles Team in Training Ironteam, the very one bound for Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho in June.

The very best news about training with a group of people on their way to an early summer ironman race is that Wildflower is a tune-up race. YEAH! You heard me, a tune-up race! (Again, not that I did it.) We, that is to say the team, had a great day out there. Good race day decisions made by all. Everyone approached the day knowing that they couldn't kill themselves out there, after all there's a race to do in six or seven weeks. hint hint. That having been said, there was no slacking out there. (Just ask someone about the famous naked aid station or the streakers that ran through camp Saturday night after the race.)

To quote coach Paul, "It was a good day. No one drowned." It's funny, he says that after run practice too. And why shouldn't that be the measure of a good day? With so many participants and waves that the start of the race stretched over an hour and half with each wave separated by five minutes it's a great thing that no one drowned. Everyone I saw from our ironteam group emerged from the water on fairly fresh legs bounding up towards transition. Collectively I'm sure that the concensus was "Thank God I'm out of that. Now all I have to do is ride."

The team looked strong with Gregorio, Chris, Heather, Raul, Maria, Trish, and Laurie moving with excellent pacing through the field. The day was long, but everyone came through just fine.

For anyone not having experienced Wildflower, even from the vantage point of a spectator, Wildflower is a spectacle and a sight to be seen. Talk to any group of triathletes and you're bound to hear that Wildflower is the Woodstock of triathlon. With many races today taking place in or near sizable cities or towns, hotels and motels are the common lodging of choice. With Wildflower, taking place in the scenic locale of Lake San Antonio, and the nearest populated area being close to an hour away by car, camping is the way to go. (Or an RV if you're so inclined.)

On Thursday the bulk of races start to arrive. Many carry tents to setup for friends, color tape to rope off sections and get ready to put their flag in the sand for race weekend. Come Friday and you'll still find a spot on the ground to stake your tent. Get there too late and you might not. By the time all is said and done the ground is covered in tents, RVs, parked cars, campfires, and athletes either relaxing before their race or celebrating a finsih. I grew up camping in that same campground and the long hot days of July and August are no where near as crowded as this past weekend was.

Saturday morning starts early with the long course athletes going in first and then the sprint athletes, which includes a youth division. Sunday is all olympic distance athletes. I was fortunate to have been able to volunteer on Saturday. Wildflower is actually run by students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Volunteers are pooled from each of the campus groups and the race was well supported throughout. I actually found myself out of a job before 930am. So I went with Karen, one of my ironteammates, to the swim exit to try and spot our teammates coming out of the water.

Now a moment for this: Triathlon is a hard sport to watch. It really is. Think about it. Football, football (soccer), tennis, baseball, even nascar, these are all sports that occur on closed grounds for the most part where the objective or source of the action occurs in one place, more or less, for the duration of the event. Triathlon, marathon running, cycle road races, these are sports where athletes goal is survival first, then to thrive over distance and time. Where an hour covers several miles of work. For spectators this blows! Of course if the race took place on a track or in a small loop it would be the worst race in the world, but then, to watch a race means that one has to be in one place to spot their athlete for the 30 seconds tops, as they zip by on the bike, a minute or two as they pass on the run, and forget about the swim. Anyone who can spot and honestly keep track of a swimmer from a 2000 person mass start to the finish of the race from shore deserves a finisher's medal too, but dip this one in gold or something. When you see them you were standing or sitting in one point not longer than a couple of feet in a race that lasts 70.3 or 140.6 miles. Maybe they'll be back on the second loop or when they come in to finish, but that's it. Unless you hoof it cross course to see them at another point in the race.

From an athlete's perspective, there's little that I've seen on the course that lifts my spirit than a familiar face and the sound of someone calling my name cheering me on. Not even a cup full of ice at mile 20 of an Ironman marathon lifts my spirits like that. Better still is that familiar face in a bar or restaurant after the race with an ice cold pint. But that's neither here nor there. We could run the race without support. It would be harder and less fun, but it could be done. If you know an endurance athlete and want to support them go to a race. It's hard and trust me the vast majority of the day will blow, you'll do a lot of waiting around, but for a couple of minutes and more miles than you will know you will carry your athlete's spirits.

For some, race season doesn't start until Wildflower race weekend, which comprises of a long course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run aka half ironman distance), a mountain bike sprint, and an olympic race. For others this is the race for which they've trained the entire year. From the crudest point of view a race is just a race. But Wildflower is battle, bragging rights, and a rite of passage in this tribe of athletes. Completion can be seen in the same vein as winning, a finish, any finish is a victory and something of which to be proud.

So, Go Team! Be proud.