January Athlete Newsletter

Happy New Year!

It’s fitness month and we are all about Exercising With a Purpose! We are in the midst of planning another world-class Wildflower weekend full of fitness, wellness, music and outdoor adventure!

Announcements

New stylish camping option – “Elevate” your Wildflower Experience by pre-ordering your Elevated Tent today. Affordable and luxurious camping option that eliminates the stress of setting up a tent when you arrive. With plenty of room for 2 adults, your tent will be ready for you when you arrive, so just show up, check-in and begin your Wildflower Experience. *Limited Quantities available, so hop on our pre-order list HERE

Returning 2018 Champions – We are pleased to announce that both Wildflower Champions Rudy Von Berg and Heather Jackson are returning to the Wildflower start line this May. Stay tuned for more details on the world-class elite field that also plans to return to the central coast to battle for the title of this historic race.

*Important Gate Closure Information – Please plan your arrival and departure around our gate closures! Triathletes’ safety is our first priority and since Wildflower is located in the Lake San Antonio Campgrounds, the roads leading in and out of the park will be closed to traffic.  If staying outside of the park/campgrounds, all participants and athletes MUST be through the main gate no later than 8:00 am and will not be able to leave the park until after 3:00 pm on Saturday 5/4 and Sunday 5/5. This is very important to note when scheduling flights and rental car reservations!

For all the Wildflower News – Read our latest news, blog and previous athlete newsletters HERE!

Pre-Event Check List

Wildflower is more than just a race, it’s an experience! To help you have the best Wildflower Experience possible, we have created a checklist to make sure you’re ready for your weekend!

Race registration – Maybe you’ve already registered but check out all of our other events throughout the weekend like yoga classes, paddle board, open water swim, a trail run and more! Check out all the weekend events HERE

Camping Registration – Purchase your Camping Passes and Day Use Passes HERE

NOTE* (If not camping, you’ll need a Day Use pass to get in the campground gates for the race & festival)

Bike Shipping – Let our friends at Tri Bike Transport handle your bike. Since 2004, TriBike Transport has helped over 100,000 athletes by providing hassle-free and economical bike transport. Whether you’re using their Fully-Assembled, Pack & Ship or Valet Services, they take the hassle out of transporting your bike, so you can focus on your race. Learn more and reserve here: HERE

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Wildflower Pro Training Tips

Yes, there are hills at Wildflower. Yes, it is challenging. Yes, you will have bragging rights. Wildflower is known for its hilly and grueling course so, start preparing yourself for the hills!  Here’s a snapshot of the run elevations on the Long Course. Important to note that the Wildflower Run course is 60% trails and 40% road! Visit our website to see the Sprint, Olympic and Off-road course elevations!  Here’s how our Wildflower Elites are getting ready to tackle the run course:

“Make sure you’ve done some hard trail running routes, end even better in your racing flats, to prepare yourself for the relentless ups and downs, the pounding of the downhills, and making sure your shoes have good off-road traction.” – Davide Giardini

“The hills at Wildflower can wear on you, for training, it’s best to do hill repeats, 8-12 repeats of 30 second to 1-minute hills on the run and 1 to 6 minutes hills on the bike. It will build strength and make you speedy come race day!” – Leslie DiMichele Miller

“Hit the trails or your local cross-country course. Much of the run course is on dirt trails with some challenging hills, including the last climb at mile 12 of the race. If you can do some runs off the bike on hilly trails or on your local High School Or College Cross Country Course. This will prepare you for the uneven run surface while giving you some strength, which you’re certainly going to need for this run course!” – Scott DeFilippis

“Do at least some of your run training on hills, as this course dishes up plenty of rollers, including some punishing downhill near the very end. Shorten your stride, engage the glutes, and keep the heart rate under control when going uphill.” – Ben Hoffman

What the First-Timers Are Saying…

Thanks to review websites like Race Raves we have a place where everyone is talking about Wildflower!

“Scenic, mind-blowing, and just tough enough that you feel the sense of accomplishment when finished. It’s tough, but as my first 70.3 now I know I can do any other one. The experience was a mix of scout camp and my favorite summer camps as a youth. I didn’t think I could re-experience those emotions outside of teen years. – Joseph Lanctot, San Diego, CA

Wildflower was the triathlon that is keeping me in this sport! I want to keep competing so that I can continue to participate in this event. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many athletes across all different skill levels. And the energy of the weekend was felt from the moment we drove through the entrance. The volunteers were true champions in moving everything forward so smoothly, and the overall production was top notch. I’ll be back next year! – Alison Kaprielian, Tustin, CA

What a fun weekend! 5,000 racers meet in the middle of nowhere to race, socialize, and party. Live music all day and night. Delicious local food trucks, Batch Ice Cream was well deserved after the race. Fun sponsored parties, like the CLIF bar 80s, themed dance party. Friendly racers and race organizers. Plenty of camping space to park my mini-RV.  The race itself was very challenging with a lot of hills on the bike and the run. The racers themselves were very encouraging when they passed me on the run. This was my first triathlon and I cannot wait to compete again next year. – Ivan Barnes from San Jose, CA

Ambassador Highlight

“After 16 years of dreaming, I finally got to participate in Wildflower for the first time in 2018. It was exactly the experience I was hoping for, and I wish all triathlons had the same festival vibe.” Read more about Sarah Hawkins and her first experience at Wildflower HERE!

Wildflower Tri Club Highlight

Mermaid Mafia Tri Club in Santa Cruz CA was a brand new all women’s club in 2018 and Wildflower welcomed us with open arms! Our participation numbers were not out of the ballpark the 1st year but we were still treated like VIP’s…. every racer, club or not is a VIP at Wildflower! Wildflower is truly a full experience event with race options to fit just about anyone’s needs. But Wildflower isn’t just about what race you participate in, it’s about bringing our community together along with our friends and family to experience the whole weekend at Lake San Antonio; camping, music, great food, celebration and support for all athletes. We can’t wait to come back in 2019 bringing along more people to Experience Wildflower!

–Co-Founder Mermaid Mafia Tri Club, Christine Matheny

Wildflower Experience – The Vibe is Contagious!