Photos from Today
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Is there any water where the “new” swim course is?
I kinda feel like WF should just pull the event this year. Sucks but from what I hear about water quality and then their extremely low registration numbers right now… it just doesn’t seem to make sense.
Also, as a Los Angeles resident… I don’t see EVER doing this race again when St. George is the same distance and I don’t have to camp. Ugh… I really hate camping.
Damn that’s low. I am registered for this year so praying for more rain. What was it at last year?
Is there any water where the “new” swim course is?
I kinda feel like WF should just pull the event this year. Sucks but from what I hear about water quality and then their extremely low registration numbers right now… it just doesn’t seem to make sense.
Also, as a Los Angeles resident… I don’t see EVER doing this race again when St. George is the same distance and I don’t have to camp. Ugh… I really hate camping.
Maybe I’m crazy, but MapQuest shows your distance to St. George 3x the distance to Lake Saint Antonio.
I like camping, but not before a race. I stay in a hotel about an hour north. Allows me to wake up and eat breakfast while driving.
California needs rain!!!
Man, those pics are depressing. I’m already signed up for Wildflower, but originally considered St. George also. Now, I’m starting to get buyer’s remorse 
No. California needs snow pack in the sierras. And lots of it and it is too late this year already. We’re in a damn heat wave across the state practically this week and weekend. Not a good prognosis for lake swims in Cali this year
Damn that’s low. I am registered for this year so praying for more rain. What was it at last year?
It’s about the same as last year, 5%.
We are lucky on Northern Calif we have a number of places with plenty of water for races. I cannot think of anyone that I do that is impacted
at the moment.
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I feel bad for Tri California! They are doing everything they can to keep this rolling. Did you guys see the plea they sent out earlier this month? Here’s an excerpt:
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The Good News: Water Level & Quality at Harris CreekThe good news is that even during the drought there is still plenty of water in Lake San Antonio for a triathlon swim. The water level now is almost as high as it was last year (and there are still rains to come). We were able to have a good swim course for the triathlon last year. It wasn’t perfect; the water was a little murky for the start/finish of the swim, but it was clear on the course itself and was tested as safe and healthy. Wildflower was still great overall. Many people were impressed with the organization of the event with the challenges. You are the triathletes who have been to Wildflower, you have experienced the thrills of victory and you have the memories. We need you to come back and experience it again to keep this tradition moving forward.
How You Can Help Wildflower Remain A Tradition
As the founder and race director of the Wildflower Triathlons for 33 years, and owner of Tri-CaliforniaEvents, I humbly request that you seriously consider registering and racing at Wildflower this year. We really need your support for this historical event to continue to provide quality experiences for families and individuals in the future.
I hope they can keep it together until the water comes back. This is one of the historical iconic races for triathlon. I would like to do the race, and will be sad if I never do, but I’m not traveling cross country for a race with the current awkward format and questionable experience.
I guess they should have kept the topless aid station.
Is there any water where the “new” swim course is?
I kinda feel like WF should just pull the event this year. Sucks but from what I hear about water quality and then their extremely low registration numbers right now… it just doesn’t seem to make sense.
Also, as a Los Angeles resident… I don’t see EVER doing this race again when St. George is the same distance and I don’t have to camp. Ugh… I really hate camping.
Maybe I’m crazy, but MapQuest shows your distance to St. George 3x the distance to Lake Saint Antonio.
I like camping, but not before a race. I stay in a hotel about an hour north. Allows me to wake up and eat breakfast while driving.
California needs rain!!!
If you guys need rain, how about setting up a convey of trucks from the North East to California…we have more of this stupid frozen wet stuff than we know what to do with, and it’s March 21 and SNOWING AGAIN (and I’m a skier and supposed to like this stuff).
Bummer about the lack of water. I hope you get lots of rain soon. I was actually thinking about doing Wildflower this year, but this is not looking that great. I don’t want to do a duathlon!
Dev
Dev, you probably remember a few attempts to tow icebergs from the poles to the temperate regions as a water source:
It’s crazy that will all the talk about KXL, I haven’t yet heard anyone talk about a transcontinental water pipeline. Given the increase in rainfall all through the Northeast, it may be the only way that California and the Great Plains will be able to continue to grow stuff in about 25 years or so…
Last time I did the race, when they had water, I registered on race morning. Who knows, maybe we will get an April Miracle, but not looking good.
I hear they are trying to sell the race. Tough time to try.
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It’s crazy that will all the talk about KXL, I haven’t yet heard anyone talk about a transcontinental water pipeline. Given the increase in rainfall all through the Northeast, it may be the only way that California and the Great Plains will be able to continue to grow stuff in about 25 years or so…
Currently oil is $53 a barrel and water is $70 per acre/ft.
It’s far cheaper to grow the food somewhere else and ship the finished product rather than the input.
What was it at last year?
It was listed as 5% last year too IIRC.
Personally I’m not at all regretting being registered to race both Saturday and Sunday, I think it’s going to be awesome!! It sure was last year. The swim-run-bike-run format is unorthodox but it’s just as much fun as swim-bike-run. I predict two things:
- The attendees this year will be folks that like to have fun and know how, but the whiners and weenies will tend to stay home.
- For years to come it’ll be cool to be one of the racers that was there during the great Wildflower Drought of '14/'15.
And yes, as someone else said, they absolutely should encourage toplessness! Or at least lots of bikinis. There’s lots of races but only one triathlon festival, and no one comes to festivals that aren’t fun.
Right on! This is my attitude also. We do triathlons in part because it’s an adventure, so why not do a swim-run-bike-run?
Personally, I would be sad if this race got bad press or fell out of vogue. It’s just a special, phenomenal event that I encourage everyone to race, enjoy, and support. Nothing quite like it.
FWIW, this looks like more water than last year… And last year was great.
It’s crazy that will all the talk about KXL, I haven’t yet heard anyone talk about a transcontinental water pipeline. Given the increase in rainfall all through the Northeast, it may be the only way that California and the Great Plains will be able to continue to grow stuff in about 25 years or so…
Just dig a canal down from Western Canada and you’re set! Cheaper than a pipeline. For some reason, Canadians would rather see all that good water just go to the sea than divert it to Americans so they can live in places where that many people probably are not naturally supposed to live, but there’s no going back. You just need the right government in Canada to “collaborate”. The big cost would be 'lifting all that mass of water" up before it can come down to California 
Probably not economical right now, but maybe when our kids are running this continent! Hopefully we don’t screw the entire place up first!
If you put the water in little plastic bottles, Canada will give away fresh, pure water to you. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nestlé-b-c-water-deal-too-cheap-says-ndp-1.2964709 I’ll pay $10 for 4,000,000 liters of water, too!
Also, as a Los Angeles resident… I don’t see EVER doing this race again when St. George is the same distance and I don’t have to camp. Ugh… I really hate camping.//
To each his own i guess, but the camping is what makes this such a great weekend for me, and for all the people i know. In fact, it looks like Emilio, myself and slowman are all going back this year and reunite some of the original crew. I think Emilio is going to have a monster booth for the DeSoto line(probably some smoking deals too), and the rest of us will just enjoy the atmosphere. Of the 600+ triathlons i have done I’m my career, this is number one on my list, no hesitation or coin flip in my decision. And i wish i could be ready to do the long course in the dam swim/run/bike/run format, would be nice for a change. I remember we had to do this once in the 80’s during another long drought period, and it did not take one bit away from the race. Certainly not like all the swims that go unswim in triathlons today, and when there is plenty of water to swim in!
So for any on the fence, jump off and come say hi to our old crew, should be a few others out there too from the old days. Lets show Terry some love for his 32 years of putting on this race, no small feat in this world of here today and gone tomorrow.