Fourth Titel 

And a good start on the path to Hawaii 2008

After 4 years of not being back at Wildflower, I really forgot just how big this event is. Since my last win here in 2004, I have raced in Mexico and St Croix at this time of year. I was looking for events with high humidity to test myself early season for Kona where the humidity is really high.
So my family and I made the turn up to Lake San Antonio. 

From Pasa Robles we were in a line of traffic as far as the eye could see. All the RVs, the caravans, the cars with bikes and tents on the roof. It was just amazing. Wildflower is the only event in the world where everybody stays in a massive park (12000 people) and camps out, prior to the race. This is why it has always been known as the Woodstock of triathlon. It is a unique atmosphere and really is representative of the lifestyle that is endurance sport. It is a real buzz. The event also brings in thousands of Cal Poly college kids who help out with the race and party and celebrate in this atmosphere.
For me I was excited to be back in Wildflower. I had put together a solid 8 weeks of base mileage here in Los Angeles, and had yet to do any substantial intensity work.

The course is absolutely brutal

This event really lends itself to strength athletes, as the course is absolutely brutal. It is the only way to describe this race. The bike is a dead road surface and super hilly in the later stages with the dry heat to contend with, and the run is tough. It is soft trail, uneven footing and super hilly. For those of you who have raced here before you never forget the hill at mile 5 of the run. It is one mile straight up.

»Ouch« it hurts!

For me my race went solid. I was exactly where I thought I would be and lacked the early horsepower of the faster guys on the bike. Wildflower is a pack-less race on the bike. They just don’t form. You spend most of the day alone as the course tears people apart early. You have a one mile climb directly after the swim which sorts many people out and then after this a relentless series of punchy little climbs before the last 15 miles where the big climbs start. At mile 4 of the bike I was in 4th position.

It was a nice way to start my season and to win a record 4th title here was really nice. I still have a lot of work to do between now and my Ironman Hawaii defence in October, but to put the 2008 Wildflower title into my season resume feels great. This was a super field and my day went well. It was my second fastest time here in Wildflower and the 3rd fastest time of all time so the form is good. The 26th running of this amazing event was a good one. It was great to be back at Wildflower.