Anyone have a good day at WF? + rules question

Triathlon Forum
1

Unfortunately, I was one of the hundred people out there who had a flat, which took me around 15 minutes to change due to my completely numb hands.

Add in the 15 minutes of transition time and cold, wet conditions on the bike(I don’t do well in cold) and my race turned into a glorified workout.

I’m just curious if anyone out there actually exceeded their expectations.

Also, I thought I read some rule recently that you had to wear a top. Is that a WTC rule? I know I’ve read it somewhere. I left T1, realized I had forgotten my top and went back for it. Then I saw several people on the course w/o them.

I did pr in the swim and got experience changing a tubular during a race, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.

2

don’t sell yourself short; at least you gutted it out. i drove out from Paso Robles (wife and kids had already said no to camping, and wouldn’t even consider leaving the hotel) early on Saturday figuring I’d race if it looked like we were at least hitting the back of the storm.

sitting at the top of the hill in the car in a cold downpour i saw a guy get out of his car to take a look at the lake. by the time he walked back in front of me his socks and shoes were soaked through and he was shivering. add to that the hideous number of medicals in the two tris that i’ve done in pouring rain in the past, and i went slinking back home.

i’ve been checking the board all day looking for anyone’s WF stories that might help me rationalize the decision to punk out. kudos to everyone that raced - i will wear a skirt on my next ride in homage.

p.s. extra props to the guy in the parking lot next to me who had no rain gair, no arm warmers or tights and was going to suck it up and race in a skin suit - i could barely face him as i pulled out of the parking lot…

3

Jaylew

the issue of wearing a top is not a USAT rule. It is however a WTC rule applicable at their races

Eric

4

I had a so-so swim, a crappy bike and a pretty good run. It was not what I would call a good day, though, as I had absolutely no fun, not for one minute of the race. And then I missed the Saturday night party because I had to leave unexpectedly right after the race.

I raced in just shorts and a tri top with arm warmers, and I was fine. But a few miles in, as I passed all the folks changing flats, I realized that if I had to stop, I’d freeze my ass off. Thank God I didn’t have to stop.

5

the rule you might be referring to is mostly an ITU rule and is enforced at all ITU sanctioned events, including Age Group Worlds. It is also a rule that is enforced at Hawaii Ironman, but is not a rule at most other USAT sanctioned events.

I’ll post more of a report on my Wildflower experience later when I am all caught up but I can tell you this much about my race.

Positives: had a great swim, usually my worst event, but Saturday was my best event; had great transitions. Anyone who questions whether the T1 wetsuit is slow in transitions, I had some of the fastest transitions of anyone in the race, even got the wetsuit off faster than Emilio himself.

Negatives: had to ride the brakes down all of the hills because I was shaking so bad. I am a terrible cold weather racer. Ran out of gas the second time up Beech Hill and dropped from top 5 contention in the Masters to 20 something place.

Did anyone else have a funky chip time? I had 5:18 on my watch but my chip time was 5:26? I used my Polar 710 so I downloaded the whole thing and couldn’t find any place where time was missed.

6

This was my 5th ½ IM and my first WF long course. I thought the race was extremely difficult, both the course and the conditions. I was pretty much miserable all day and had a bad race based on my expectations but am satisfied that I gutted it out and finished.

I am curious if any LC veterans can comment on whether the race was more difficult this year or in previous years when it was hot?

7

IAG, don’t beat yourself up for making a smart choice on Saturday. I made the same choice, and have zero qualms about it, especially after hearing the preliminary reports from folks here. Words cannot describe how much I HATE racing in the rain and cold. I gamely went to registration on Friday, and dutifully prepared all of my gear that night, but when the alarm went off at 4am Saturday and I heard the downpour outside the hotel, I heaved a heavy sigh and made the painful decision not to race.

I knew that not only would it be unpleasant (more like MISERABLE), but also unsafe— especially for those of us stuck in the last waves, first having to stand around shivering in the rain waiting for our start, then having to plow our way through the field on the bike. Ugh! I’ve done WF Long Course seven times already, I had nothing to prove, and besides—racing is supposed to be FUN. I didn’t see racing on Saturday having much chance of being fun. Oh, sure, there’s the “epic” element of meeting the additional challenge of the weather, but quite honestly, that just couldn’t make up for how miserable I knew I would be.

I’m actually at the point where, at Wildflower anyway, I get the most fun out of continuing to improve my time there. I was definitely in shape to PR, but knew that there was no way I could PR on a day like that.

Having said all that, I totally agree with you in the hats-off to all those who slugged it out on Saturday. That was brutal, and all who finished have every reason to be proud! Well done, Long Course finishers!

Very much looking forward to hearing the reports from those who dared.

TriBaby

8

Wildflower was a good day with a bad overall time…

I found a good pair of feet and had a great swim. Unfortunately, I hit that ridge of pavement at the entrance to the beach city parking lot (~ 1 mile into the bike) and pinch-flatted both wheels. I rode the slow leaks up to the top of beach hill where I changed one tube and then realized the other was flat. Not knowing what else to do, I rode the flat back to my campsite, where my girlfriend had luckily forgotten to lock the car. I had gotten my race wheels ready the night before, but decided not to ride them due to the conditions- so I stood in the ankle-deep mud and put my zipps on the bike, and got back onto the course (unfortunately the cassette that was on the disc was a 12-23, not the 12-27 I had been planning on riding). From there on I had a good ride - I must have passed several hundred people on the bike course. Unfortunately I left my legs on the hills after nasty grade and was reduced to crawling up several of the hills on the wretched run.

I got out of the swim when we had that brief moment of sun, so i left my warm clothes in transition- not the wisest of decisions, but I was riding so hard after my flats that I never really felt anything. On a side note, I still can’t believe that someone thought that running a bike across a metal bridge while wearing metal cleats was more safe than riding across.

All in all, not a bad day. I am bummed about the flats- My early wave, combined with a good swim and my bike split minus 20 minutes would have put me as the first amateur off the bike. Alas, my brief moment of glory was not to be.

It was a very …memorable weekend though. I could feel my character building the entire time.

J

9

I should also note that I live in Northern California and have spent the last several months riding in the rain on a regular basis. Around here, if you don’t ride in the rain, you run the risk of not riding outside all winter. My standard advice for dealing with the conditions is, ‘once you accept the fact that you’re wet, cold, and miserable, it’s actually a lot of fun.’ I’m used to the weather- I just wish we had gotten to run in the mud as well, it would have improved my placing significantly.

J

10

This was the most challenging WF and half I have done. I know it sounds crazy, but I actually love the challenging weather. Yes, it sucks, but like to dig deep. Buuuuuut…man were my times way off. I was off five mins on the swim. 30 mins on the bike and 15 mins on the run. So yes, my personal time sucked.

Also, I never have seen so many flats and people going to the bathroom.

I knew they re-routed the run, but was still expecting the trail from Beach parking lot to Harris Creek. My stomach dropped when we turned up beach hill and I did the math real quick to realize two loops.

was a fun, humbling weekend that reminds me that on days like that, check your personal expectations at the entrance and just finish healthy and upright.

I loved it, but really don’t recommend it or want to do it again.

11

IAG, don’t beat yourself up for making a smart choice on Saturday. <<

Tricia is right. A friend of mine came out from Texas to race. He has three broken ribs. He woke up, checked the weather and went back to sleep. Sometimes a DNS is a smart thing to do. (And, his wife would have killed him if he’d tried to race in that weather with broken ribs.)

Another friend broke his rear derailleur out past Nasty. He stood in the cold for over an hour before he could get sagged in. (And then the sag had room for his bike, but not him so he ended up catching a ride with the ambulance and didn’t get his bike back until 9:30 PM that night. Not so organized.)

12

So here’s my race report…

Preface- this is my first 1/2 IM, and my first time at WF, and my first time racing in this kind of weather, so I really had NO idea what to expect. I woke up Saturday with the attitude that I would just take whatever was handed out and chalk it up to experience- no expectation on a finish time.

I was also staying in Paso Robles, so I got to the Harris Creek parking lot at around 6:00 am. The logistics sucked! It took over 1.5 hours to get a shuttle to the transition area. Of course I wasn’t dressed to stand in the rain for that long, so I was shivering hard by the time I got to the transition area at 7:30. First thing I did was put the wetsuit on, and I warmed up right away. I actually had a much better swim that I expected.

Got out of the water and into T1 without incident. The smartest thing I did all day was to take my time and put on a long-sleeve jersey, jacket, leg-warmers, full-hand gloves, and neoprene toe covers in T1. Long transition, but I wasn’t cold on the bike at all. Well worth the extra few minutes. The bike leg was an adventure all day. It was pouring rain for the first 30 miles or so. Nothing like a nice 40mph descent in the aero bars in a torrential downpour to get the adrenaline flowing! Nasty grade sucked, but I got through it OK. I also noticed a ton of people with flats all day, and I joined their ranks at mile 48 with a staple (of all things) in my rear tire. Changed it pretty fast, but learned my first valuable lesson of the day- don’t take your mind off what you’re doing. In my haste to get going again I forgot that valve stems and CO2 adapters get VERY cold when you release the cartridge. I literally froze my index finger to the valve stem and I now have a nice blister on my finger as a souvenir. Got going again and made it to the park entrance OK, but as soon as I made the turn and hit the first big downhill I hit a nasty pothole that was hiding in an innocent-looking water puddle. Ripped a big gash in the rear tire, and I was now on foot. I ran the bike the last 3.5 miles into T2. I have to admit that I was ready to bag it, but the cheers from all the people on the course got me running again. Thanks to everyone that was cheering me on!

Got out of T2 and into the run, but my calves were already trashed from running in my cycling shoes, so the entire run was more of a death-march for me. Walked all the aid stations and the big hill both times. The highlight of the run was getting a “high five” from the naked girl at the aid station as I came around the second time.

All in all, I have to say that despite the weather and the mishaps, this was maybe the best race I’ve ever had. I’m very proud to have started the race, let alone finished it. I’m definitely not knocking those that didn’t race. If I’d been to WF before or done a 1/2 IM before I might also have decided to watch from the sidelines, but I was there solely for the experience, and I got an experience I’ll never forget.

A few comments- the NeverReach performed flawlessly, and was worth it just for the comments alone. I got called “torpedo man” all day. I met Frank Day, and if he is, in fact, an AI machine he’s very convincing. Frank, I’m putting the PC’s on the bike tonight, right after I change that damned rear tire.

13

Was anyone prepared for the B**ch hill run? From the bottom looking up, it was like watching a death march. As far as you can see there were walking triathletes - the ones that were running seemed to be making only slightly better time than those walking.

I also completely blew it on the bike - stupid me, I forgot to drink and got dehydrated. It was cold and wet, so I just didn’t get thirsty and paid for it in spades on the run - abdominal cramps before I hit the topless girl in the parking lot, and calf cramps before the first aide station after Beach Hill.

It was my first WF and my first 1/2 IM - live and learn… I will exact my revenge next year.

John

14 
   I had a good day!  However, I brought a 24 ft. camper on Tuesday and grabed one of only two full hook up spots left.  I think there were more truggles (non-triathletes) than usual camping out for the week.  Wildflower is an event I've read about for five years and pusposely passed up on  because of it's demanding profile compared to my own short comings with regard to hilly courses.   I had time to mentally prepare myself for a less than ideal race day.  Rain and wind only bothered me for the bike.  I climb like a turtle and descend like a rock.  I realized that a rainy wet course would not benefit me and therefore I was prepared for a wet slow time.  
 If I was a long time veteran of Wildflowere I'm not sure I would have commited to the day.  However, I'm pretty sure this was a one time shot and decided to make the best of it.  I had no previous Wildflower results and would have been happy with an easy sub 6 hour result.  I ended up with a 6:25.  This was a very weird race for me.  Overall, my average heart rate was the lowest of any endurance event I've ever done.  Nasty grade was everything I had read about and I was glad that I had conserved for it (maybe too much).  The biggest concern I had about the bike was what to wear, arm warmers or a wind breaker, or both.  I did not decide unit T1.  I saw people on both sides of me putting on wind breakers and I decided, what the hell, I can always take it off.  The wind breaker sprayed with Scotch Guard turned out to be the right call.  Luckily I brought clear rose glasses which also turned out to be ideal for the day.  I have never biked in rainy windy conditions like that.  I hate rain. However, I had a whole week to tell myself that rain was going to fall and I would make the best of it.  As it turned out, I actually enjoyed the conditions once I was in the middle of it.  
  All Friday night I heard the rain falling.  The next morning was a slight drizzle.  The nice thing about Tri-California is that the bike racks are prenumbered and your bike area is reserved no matter how late you arrive.  I had lots of clothing on under rain apparel and noticed everyone else around me doing the same thing I was doing.  We were all staring at our stuff and trying to determine what we were going to do compared to what we would usualy do in dry conditions.  The whole place was wet!   The plastic transition bag was the call while putting on the early wet suit to stay dry.  Once the wet suit was on everything became clear.  We would start wet and end up wet.  
 I still can't believe how slow I biked.  Even more unbelievable were all the flats.  I would have thought that all the rain would have washed away any sharp objects.  
I started the run feeling better than ever.  I purposely held back knowing I had to go up Beach Hill two times.  I ran up the first time with no problems.  The second time up I had to walk.  Something was wrong and I was writing it off as too much Pinot with dinner.  I was bonking or something but at the next aid station after Beach Hill I had the most wonderful tasting Strawbery Bannana Powergel I have ever had in my entire existence.  Rather than instantly washing it down, I was chewing on it and loving it like Halloween candy.  I had another one!  The rest of the race was just going through the motions and enduring the last painful descent down

Lynch Hill.
My hats off to the veterans who do this race year after year.

Rick Swanger

15

It’s funny that no one ever complains about the heat when it melts those of us that don’t do well racing in an oven. I loved the conditions for a change. Most triathlons are held in hot conditions, so those of you that opted out will have plenty more chances to have a comfortable race. For those that toughed it out and had bad races, focus on the challenge that you overcame and remember this is all supposed to be fun…

16

i hate to rain on everybody’s parade (as it were) but i had a perfectly delightful day. i swam 4 times between last year’s WF and this, and so swam very conservatively. it worked out fine, and my split wasn’t too bad.

i thought i’d have the slowest T1 in the race (i dressed with the care of a woman going to the opera) but i actually found some slower splits (i didn’t put on jewelry and make up, i suppose others must have). i put on all dry clothes after the swim, a polypro top covered by a cycling jersey, arm warmers, gloves, ear warmers, knickers, and a wind shell in the jersey pocket if i needed it. i was totally comfortable on the bike, and monty and i had (i think) the fastest two bike splits in the 45-49, which is expected of monty but not from me. i credit that to my wardrobe choice (and hed alps, which were precise and stable in the winds and proved very fast in roll down tests i performed before the race).

same thing on the run, very conservative first lap, even split my two laps, and i loved the hill. but then that’s what i run every day.

i was shocked to make the podium. but then my age group was the soft one this year. plus, a lot of you guys who’d normally beat me decided to hunker down in your sleeping bags :slight_smile:

18

I had a blast. It was actually my worst personal performance at a race ever, but that was due to my own stupid mistakes and not the weather. Poor training the 4 weeks leading up to the race, improvised nutrition, no goals set. Basically I was more prepared for the weekend Event than I was for the race. This was the first race where I’ve walked (with the exception of about 100 yards on the rock at Big Rock) and I walked every uphill. Basically half of the run course. The biggest positive was my attitude. I just thought of the race as more of an adventure race and tried to have fun. I chatted with a ton of people on the run(walk) which is something I never do.

That course was very hard and gives me a ton of respect for the pros and those of you who could really race it. Now I can’t wait to go back, prepared, and do it some justice.

19

I actually loved the conditions too. Coming from New York I was dreading a hot sunny day, but when the weather reports started to look cold and rainy I kept telling myself that’s what I’ve been training in and I could handle it. This was my first 1/2 and I was determined to finish strong.

I had a great swim and was able to draft for the entire second half of the swim so I hit the bike with plenty of energy. Did anyone else see the rainbow on through their goggles on the swim? That really pumped me up! I got out of the water to blue sky and sun so I opted against putting on the soaking wet arm warmers - had my fastest T1 ever and headed out on the bike wearing a skinsuit. It was cold for a little bit in the first few miles. The rain felt like nails on the first few down hills, but I just put it out of my mind and concentrated on getting my heart rate down and settling into a good pace. I was passing a lot of people and saw a ton of people changing flats so I set about concentrating on the road ahead and hydration and nutrition and not the rain.

The only time I worried about the weather was when the sun started to come out and I realized I didn’t have on any sunscreen…my shoulders are a tad pink right now…

I got back from the bike and only noticed two or three bikes on the racks so I knew I was running a good race and got out on the run feeling good. I had a great run despite beach hill. I walked it on Friday so I knew what to expect and just got into a rythem on saturday. I just looked a few feet in front of me and tried to stay light. Once up beach hill the first time I saw that my HR was not as high as I expected and I settled in for a great run.

I thought the course was very challenging, but that’s why we do this sport in the first place right? I had a great race on the course - granted my overall time (5:20:01) was 5min slower than my goal time, but I was STOKED to make it accross the finish line after running a smart race on a very difficult course. I hope it rains next year.

Ken Wallace

PS - What a great race by Tim Deboom, but even Tim DeBoom running a 1:10 half marathon on that course seems impossible. Was the run shorter than 13.1? Was the bike really 56? My bike time doesn’t correspond to the avg. mph they have on the website, nor does my run min/mile correspond to my time for 13.1. What’s up tricalifornia???

20

Had my worst race (time wise) ever, but it was still fun. I was mentally prepared to have a slow race because I knew the weather would tighten up my back for the bike ride, and it did. I thought about quiting about 10 times, but hung in there. I almost didn’t do the second lap on the run, but saw that because of the run course change I was not going to get my car out anytime soon so I might as well get a finisher metal.

Did anyone else see the guy on the Softride (I think) crash with under 10 miles to the finish? I came up on him when he was sprawled out, helmet cranked in half. I helped flag down a suburban and a woman with a cell phone that worked (1 in a million) to call 911 and a couple other guys started assisting him so I took off. Just wondering if he was ok.

Anyways at least I can look back in 10 years, sitting around a Wildflower camp fire in 2013 and tell BS stories about the huge storm of WF '03. :wink:

21

Flew all the way from Texas to experience warm and sunny California… Got, cold and wet instead.

The worse time I’ve ever experience in a IM triathlon… would like to blame it all on the weather… but, I can’t. I think poor prep for the bike was my biggest downfall… totally miscalculated the cold and wind chill… went hypothermic on the bike and post race. Those who dressed liked Nanuck of the North on the bike - were right. Oh…Let me not forget to mention waking up from camping with a lower back problem - sciatic nerve issue. Add a previously unknow side effect to my right ITB knee, and viola’ I was forced to climb the hills with one leg. That’s a REeeeal challenge… Now for the mechanical problems, …my aero bar shifters came loose during the last 5 miles… no gear shifting is not a good thing to have at WF.

Let me recap… Hypothermia, cramping lower back, sharp pain in right knee, no gear changes in last 5 miles - I think I can sum my bike ride experience in one word - it su*ked.

However, I must admit the run was quite nice… after suffering through the bike… the run felt like a cake walk (and I did more walking than I anticipated). I guess that’s what happens after your body goes numb from pain. Demoralized and redefining my real purpose, I decided having fun and just completing the race was my new goal - just like any one legged cripple would do.

Was it my imagination but I saw way more bike flats and mechanical failures than usual. I saw all kinds of tubes, CO2 cartriges and rear bottle cages on the road. I even saw an abandoned bike on the roadside. The road vibration had a lot to do with the failures I’m sure. One thing I can safely say is that the roads need to be improved on certain sections to continue to make this a viable race in the future… at some point and time, patching just isn’t going to cut it.

Great race… but, my time really su*ked - period.

Btw, WTC requires shirt… it was a TV rule thing. Kind of ironic since your allowed to wear a Speedo.

Joe Moya