Wildflower holds a special place in my heart. In 2011, it was my first half ironman distance race, and I’ve raced the long course every year since then. The race is located out in the middle of nowhere and just about everyone camps at the race site. Because of that, Wildflower has become known as the “Woodstock of Triathlon.” This year was actually the first time I camped at the race site, and I loved it. It was so much fun spending time around the campfire with friends (old and new), racing with my friends and teammates on Saturday, and sticking around to watch the Olympic distance race on Sunday.
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so here are some pictures (along with a few words) to recap Saturday’s race:
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Exiting the swim, happy that my calf cramp never materialized 🙂
Running up the boat ramp in T1A didn’t seem quite as bad this year… probably because I knew it was coming.
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When your husband gets an entire group of volunteers to flap their arm-wings and make bird noises when you ride by, you smile and laugh and feel loved. |
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My tired legs were happy to be done with the bike. |
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My tired legs were slightly less happy to be starting the run. Haha. |
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My support crew (husband) got two flats on his mountain bike, so I didn’t see him until the run was almost over. I was sure that he had crashed and was headed to the hospital. Thankfully, he wasn’t… when I saw him on the side of the course, naturally I started flapping my wings with joy. |
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The finish chute is a very welcome sight after the hot, humid Wildflower course. |
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This is one of my favorite finish photos. I look like I’m flying! 🙂 |
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W30-34 podium |
Even though the Wildflower course has been modified due to the drought the past two years, it’s just as fun/hot/challenging/hilly/unique as it has always been. There aren’t many other races out there where you can spend an entire weekend camping and racing with your friends out in the middle of nowhere. There is a reason why the race organizers have nicknamed Wildflower “The One and Only.” If you haven’t raced Wildflower yet, add it to your bucket list of races. You won’t be disappointed.
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Special thanks for the support this year:
Freeplay Magazine, Rudy Project, HUUB, Salming Running, Fluid Sports Nutrition, Arts Cyclery, Temple Coffee Roasters, Nature’s Bakery, Pro Compression, and Taco Works Tortilla Chips