Last year - 2009 - at Wildflower Michael Collins and I got to yammering about the “easy double” (Mtb on Saturday and Oly on Sunday) and the “hard double” (Long Course on Saturday and Oly on Sunday). We had both done variations on that theme there and they are big fun. That conversation took a natural progression to “the triple”.
I stewed on that for many months and in November called Mike to remind him of the talk and tell him I was gonna go for it. The plan looked pretty good on paper:
Swim the LC swim with our normal age group, both Michael and I are M40-44. Get out of the water in 30 min, give or take a bit (Michael is a far faster swimmer than I)
Switch chips and then wait around for a while 'til the start of the Mountain Bike Sprint triRace that whole race (sub 1 hour)Cross the finish line and hustle down to get our Long Course chips on and roll out for the LC bike and RunHeal that nightRace the Olympic Distance Triathlon on SundaySome observations:
I have empathy for the mature women who start in the later waves. It’s hotter to race in those hours, the wind is up a bit more and the psychology that others have already finished before you’re half way through the bike. I know that Vine has rotated age and genders in the past and I can see the argument for it.The on course support is solid. We were the LAST ones out of T1 on the bike and I went loaded for bear fearing that there might not be anything left on the course but the aid stations were stocked and the volunteers still had plenty of pep for the hand up.It’s really hard to let go of the Mountain Bike race. Both Michael and I have raced that event a lot and he’s won the overall many times and I’ve been top 3 overall a few times. During the mtb I kept saying to myself “back off…you got long day ahead” but the pace kept creeping up and man did I feel that in the first 10k of the Long Course bike. When you ride last at WF you see thousands of dollars gear strewn on the course: co2s, pitstops, tubes galore, entire water bottle cage systems, sewups, arm pads, etc. Crazy! Sunscreen is good.I’m bummed the Triple T didn’t happen in California, I hope it comes around again.
Results
It’s very funny to see my T1 in the Long Course listed as 1:22 and that’s not 1 minute and 22 seconds.
Michael tore off the mtb and finished 2nd overall and then still got 11th AG in the Oly the next day.Ian
Ian, fantastic effort. They were talking about you two doing all three. I did the “hard double” as you call it and loved every minute of it, but I’m fairly sure I might not have made a cutoff somewhere in there if I’d tried to do all three as I’m not NEARLY as quick as you guys.
Way to go!
BTW, I’ve done the Ohio Triple T, and I’m going to have to say it would have compared to what you guys did. For me, the WF double was perhaps a notch easier than the Triple T, but hard to say since I did that 3 years ago and am probably a bit more fit now.
Did you get a discount on the entry fees for doing the trifecta? It would seem reasonable that they throw in the MTB sprint if you pay for the other two since I heard the announcers talking about it during the race.
Ian, that is a great story. I am writing an article about the entire WF “festival experience” and have some nice inputs from Joe Gambles on why he keeps coming back yearly. Can you please PM me your phone number so that I can ask you a bunch of questions. This is good stuff. Tribodyboarder…can I do the same with you?
I was looking for you during the weekend to talk to you about this, I saw Mike several times for updates…Here is how I wanted to start your story…
$800 camping fee
$600 Motor home rental
$500+ entry fees
3 races in one weekend- Priceless
Molina and I used to do the double in the old days, race your brains out, get on a plane, and race the nest day. Only it was the pro races we had to do, I would much rather do what you guys did this weekend. All about the fun of it, while suffering quietly among yourselves… I looked at the results and you did quite well. Depending on the metric you use between Mike and yourself, it looks like either of you might of come out on top. In total time it looks like you beat him, but if you back out the wait for the LC bike after the MTB race it gets closer… You are fit dude, and Mike is an ex pro, so good job out there. 40 years old and still getting faster and stronger. And you have Tim Sheeper to look ahead to, my old training partner who is 47 now went 4;35 again…He has been going sub 4:36 or so for 20+ years now. At least he finally left the pro field and is racing against his AG now, too bad for them!!!
I REALLY enjoy racing against Mike. I think the score over the years is something like 13-2. The first time I beat him was at a mountain bike tri at Castaic at some Big Blue off road triathlon with a brutal bike course. I need a crazy hard bike to make up for the swim - cause he’s a fish and to create a gap for the run 'cause he can get me there too. He had just had his baby and was carrying a bit of sympathy weight and that helped too. The only reason I took him on the long course is because he’s getting over a cold and his back was bugging him.
Mike waited for me to finish the mtb bike so we could ride out together for the LC and I’m glad he did. The first mile was absolute chaos: mountain bike age groupers were coming and going, there were pro men going out for their LC run and then Mike and I were trying to thread the needle up that narrow road. It was hairy. I wasn’t sure we’d catch anyone from the last wave of the LC 'til maybe Jolon (sp?) but we passed our first rider on Beach Hill (mile 2) and Mike counted 91 that we gathered up by the time we got to Jolon.
I saw Sheeper at the start, he’s one of the WF regulars. Another, Pete Kain passed me up half way up Lynch during the Olympic on his way to another AG win (and 7th overall). That guy owns the Olympic course there.
I think I told you this already, but you are crazy. Just for the record, I am still sore from JUST the Olympic on Saturday. Can’t really complain though when I think about what you did.
Congrats again on an amazing (and crazy) achievement!
Someone from the San Diego Tri Club did a slightly different version of the double. He did Wildflower LC on Saturday then Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday!
I think I told you this already, but you are crazy. Just for the record, I am still sore from JUST the Olympic on Saturday. Can’t really complain though when I think about what you did.
Congrats again on an amazing (and crazy) achievement!
Drew
Okay, hang on! You’re still sore because your VERY, VERY FAST. And talk about achievement - you earned your pro card on Sunday. That’s an achievement!!! Good on ya Drew. The sky’s the limit.
X2, Cath. Being thrown out of T1 and having to sit / stand around for 90 minutes waiting for your wave sucks. Then only to get battered by the wind on the bike and heat at 2PM on the run. Thanks, I’m 45 and too old for that shit, well at least on a yearly basis, anymore.
I had been a total pussy the last several years by just doing the MTN bike race. Glad Ian came up with the crazy idea to do all 3. It made me train more than I would have normally leading up to the event. I still didnt do a lot of training, but did get in one big 6 hour day of 2 x (2 hour bike + 1 hour run). That workout kicked my ass but got me mentally prepared for what to expect.
I did OK on the whole weekend except my back was pretty shot by the top of Nasty Grade and that’s were I lost Ian. I putted in the last 15 on the bike and just didnt have the strength to run the hills so ended up walking about 3 miles of the course I think. Finally got my act together after taking a 5 minute break in a chair at mile 9 and reloaded some calories and ran pretty decent the last 4 in. I was hoping to be able to come off the bike with Ian because I think it would have motivated me to run more, but we were just too far out form the end of the bike for him to ride at my pathetic pace. Guess I wasw paying for the extra effort on the Mtn Bike course.
It was a different perspective coming from the back. We saw this huge guy riding with one leg and thought he was cramping, but his pedal had just come unscrewed and was still attached to his foot. He didnt know to get off and just screw it back in. I couldnt help wondering how long he was riding like that before getting it fixed. (A truck was pulling over to help him as we came by).
It was really an expensive weekend with the cost of the 3 races, lakeside camping, RV rental, etc. But I dont think i could have pulled it off if I was camping on the other side of the hill. My RV was about 50 ft from the transition area. Also, the guys at Compex where staying next door to me which was pretty cool because they put the machine on me for recovery both Saturday night and Sunday morning. I do have to admit I knocked down some beers Sat night as “pain killers” though.
Michael Collins
“Triple Threat Finisher”
Multisports Orange County