I am torn between doing Wildflower or Ralph’s. I can’t do both. Benefit of doing Ralph’s is I can take the family to Disneyland afterwards and flatter run where I can shoot for a fast time. Benefits of Wildflower: tough course and 1 month longer to prepare. The deciding factor might be the quality of the roads. Is the WF course still full of crappy sections in the middle portion? It seems to get worse each year.
They have repaved a lot of the Wildflower course, and the old roads on the back are not that bad. It will be the 25th anniversary there this year, so that might add to the celebortory atmosphere. As for a fast time, the courses race out almost identical. The bike is long at Oceanside, so any run gain is negated. In fact, last year the conditions were so mild at WIldflower, the course there was actually faster. A lot of people that did both went faster at WIldflower. I was there but unable to race, but the guy that got 2nd to me at Oceanside, Dean Harper(an old seasoned ex pro) won at WIldflower going 3 minutes faster than he did at Oceanside(4:48 I think for 50+) . SO I think you can throw out time as a consideration, and just go with what will be more fun for you and the family…Do your kids like to go camping???
skip disneyland. take the kids to Legoland or Sea World…much closer to oceanside and a better time for the kids.
the Ralph’s course has a sand section on the run course, fyi…slows it down a bit.
Monty, Good to hear that the bike course conditions have improved. Probably will be the deciding factor. The last time I rode the course I wished I had 36 spoked wheels.
I have done WF a number of times. First time was 1985. Camping was a different experience then compared to now. When I came back from my triathlon hiatus a few years ago I was shocked by the frenzied attempts for camping accomodations. If I do it then I will probably crash at the in-laws and drive down the morning of from the South Bay. I only lose 1 hour more of sleep but I will probably sleep better.
I can save my attempt for a fast 1/2 IM run split for another race.
I hear you on that sand portion. I figured it slowed me down by 60-90 seconds total last year.
It will be the family’s call on the after race activities. Disneyland would be on our way back home as we road trip in the minivan.
I live in San Clemente and we love Disney! We have the annual passports, so I go about every 2-3 weeks with my 3-year-old daughter. If you go midweek, non-holiday, you’ll have a blast. Cal Adventure is always less crowded too, so hit Disneyland first thing in the morning, and then move to Cal Adventure when the crowds start hitting Disneyland. Return to Disney for the parade in the evening. That’s assuming you get Park Hopper tickets.
The Wildflower course is in great shape— I did it in 2005 and 2006 and it is my favorite race. No problems with any aspect of the course conditions or race support. Camping out on Friday night is not bad— We did not have any significant noise problems. Camping out on Saturday night (for the Sunday OLY) is bad since the 1/2 IM folks stay up late drinking after their race.
March is not the best time of the year to visit San Diego— The ocean tends to be at its coldest then so even though the days should be perfect you’ll probably be jumping into ~55 degree water when you go for swims.
Personally, I’m racing both and am psyched about both races, but if I had to choose I’d choose Wildflower hands-down.
-Marc
I’m doing both also…I’m curious to see how far apart my times are…Can’t wait.