General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread Rss Feed  
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2010-03-21 9:01 PM

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Subject: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
I just registered for the Wildflower Oly.  Who else is doing it?


2010-03-21 11:14 PM
in reply to: #2739225

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Subject: RE: Wildflower : Official Thread
yep

although, just hours fresh from the LA marathon, my body protests a bit.    i mean, even my toenails and sternum hurt at the moment.
2010-03-22 1:11 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower : Official Thread
Long Course.  But more importantly, who's bringing the beer and grills?
2010-03-22 3:14 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower : Official Thread
Long course, 4th time.
2010-03-22 8:47 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower : Official Thread
I'm also doing the long course in addition to the Oly (I did the same last year).  The long course race thread is here.  It's confusing since the Oly is listed simply as "Wildflower" and this race thread shows up in the California forum and the race thread for the long course shows up in the half iron forum.  I'll try to get the moderators to change the name on this one.
2010-03-22 6:16 PM
in reply to: #2739225

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
You're doing long course AND oly back to back? That's either quite impressive or really dumb. I guess if it's all just training for the full Vineman then it may be great practice/base building.

I've been to wildflower twice for relay legs (swim and run). I gave some serious thought to the long course for the sole purpose of having Saturday night to party but I'll be doing the Oly this year. This will be training for my A race: Vineman 70.3.


2010-03-23 12:47 AM
in reply to: #2739225

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
hey anyone know how rough it is to get a camping spot just for saturday night if you're doing the oly?  rough meaning i prepay for it and everything, but get there saturday to try and stake a spot.  is everything taken by then and will i be on a concrete block somewhere behind a utility building the next county over?  or will i still find a place for my humble little tent?  
 
2010-03-23 2:22 PM
in reply to: #2741890

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
novas - 2010-03-23 12:47 AM hey anyone know how rough it is to get a camping spot just for saturday night if you're doing the oly?  rough meaning i prepay for it and everything, but get there saturday to try and stake a spot.  is everything taken by then and will i be on a concrete block somewhere behind a utility building the next county over?  or will i still find a place for my humble little tent?  
 


I was originally camping sat. night only and ended up adding Friday too. Yes, you'd still be able to put a tent down somewhere but the good, flat spots fill up FAST. If you know someone going Friday I'd say have them reserve you a place by them to park/sleep. Better yet...give them your tent and have them set it up for you in a flat spot so it's ready to go when you show up Saturday. A lot of tri clubs send someone down in an RV a week before the race to set up a bunch of tents in a big area for their club members. Last year it was raining on Friday so a semi-dry spot was also important.

Also, keep in mind you can't even get into the park between 7am and 3pm on Saturday due to road closures for the long course.
2010-03-23 4:23 PM
in reply to: #2741427

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
dhopman - 2010-03-22 4:16 PM You're doing long course AND oly back to back? That's either quite impressive or really dumb. I guess if it's all just training for the full Vineman then it may be great practice/base building.

I've been to wildflower twice for relay legs (swim and run). I gave some serious thought to the long course for the sole purpose of having Saturday night to party but I'll be doing the Oly this year. This will be training for my A race: Vineman 70.3.


Yeah, haven't decided if it's impressive or dumb, but I did it last year as did the president of our tri club and he convinced me to do it again this year.  Although, Vineman for me is really an active recovery/torture race one week after IMLP...maybe that is what is really impressively dumb!
2010-03-24 12:07 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
dhopman - 2010-03-23 12:22 PM  

I was originally camping sat. night only and ended up adding Friday too. Yes, you'd still be able to put a tent down somewhere but the good, flat spots fill up FAST. If you know someone going Friday I'd say have them reserve you a place by them to park/sleep. Better yet...give them your tent and have them set it up for you in a flat spot so it's ready to go when you show up Saturday. A lot of tri clubs send someone down in an RV a week before the race to set up a bunch of tents in a big area for their club members. Last year it was raining on Friday so a semi-dry spot was also important.

Also, keep in mind you can't even get into the park between 7am and 3pm on Saturday due to road closures for the long course.


thanks for the info -- yeah i sent out an email to my tri club to see if anyone wants to either carpool or could save me a little spot.  we have a pretty big tri club and the people doing most of the organizing tell me that it should be no problem to save a little spot.  i was planning on getting up there after 3pm on saturday anyway, so road closures shouldn't be a big deal.  if i can get a carpool buddy, though, and someone to share the per-vehicle camping cost, i'd be up for friday night as well.  still working on that.  
 
2010-03-24 10:18 AM
in reply to: #2743673

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
enginerd - 2010-03-23 4:23 PM
dhopman - 2010-03-22 4:16 PM You're doing long course AND oly back to back? That's either quite impressive or really dumb. I guess if it's all just training for the full Vineman then it may be great practice/base building.

I've been to wildflower twice for relay legs (swim and run). I gave some serious thought to the long course for the sole purpose of having Saturday night to party but I'll be doing the Oly this year. This will be training for my A race: Vineman 70.3.


Yeah, haven't decided if it's impressive or dumb, but I did it last year as did the president of our tri club and he convinced me to do it again this year.  Although, Vineman for me is really an active recovery/torture race one week after IMLP...maybe that is what is really impressively dumb!


How did I miss the full Vineman one week after IMLP??? Your Wildflower plan doesn't seem nearly as impressive/dumb anymore. =)


2010-03-24 7:40 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread

novas - 2010-03-22 10:47 PM hey anyone know how rough it is to get a camping spot just for saturday night if you're doing the oly?  rough meaning i prepay for it and everything, but get there saturday to try and stake a spot.  is everything taken by then and will i be on a concrete block somewhere behind a utility building the next county over?  or will i still find a place for my humble little tent?  
 

I did this the last 2 years.  If you plan on getting there Saturday morning, you must get there early, like 6:30 AM at the latest.  The traffic will be insane once you get there, so you have to give yourself time to get through it.  When you encounter volunteers on the road, they will try to divert you to the parking area and main camping area.  You may have to explain to them that you're going down the road to overflow camping, and they need to let you go straight.  If you let them route you into the campground, you'll just go in a slow-moving, people-filled and bike-filled circle that will eat up an extra 20 minutes and spit you back out in the same spot.  So anyway, after you pass by the campground on the right and Lynch road on the left, the road will veer right and you'll keep going straight for a couple minutes.  At some point you'll start to see tents set up along a big flat area on the right side of the road.  We camped there next to the bushes, and it is fine.  It's not nearly as crowded as the main camping areas, and you'll be camped about 50 or more feet away from the road, so there's plenty of space and you can watch the race from your campsite.  It's a bit of a walk to the festival, but not too bad.

Getting there Saturday evening works also, although I'm not sure when they open the roads.  You'll still get an overflow spot with no problem, and the traffic situation might not be as bad.

2010-03-24 9:38 PM
in reply to: #2739225

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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
froglegs - thanks for the info.  still undecided if i'm going to head up friday or saturday. work situation may necessitate saturday and, if that's the case, my plan was saturday later in the afternoon once the roads were re-opened.  tho i'd love to be there friday nite so i could watch the racing on saturday and generally hang out at the festival.  

if you know anyone interested in carpooling and sharing the per-car camping fees, let me know!  i'm looking to share a ride all the way up there from down here in LA.  
2010-04-08 6:45 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread

I'm doing the long course.

I'm driving up from San Diego on THursday, and returning on Sunday.

If anybody lives on the way and wants to carpool (and split parking/camping fee & gas) lemme know.

Danny

2010-04-20 10:47 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Hey guys...I'm new to BT and this will be my first venture to Wildflower.  Planning to go up late Friday night...will I be able to find a decent spot for car and tent?

Also, I'm doing the OLY distance on Sunday...are there enough food vendors around to keep a person fed for the weekend or do most participants bring most of their food?

Last, any comments regarding the 'pasta load' evening dinners?

Thanks for any insights.
2010-04-20 12:29 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Jsh - 2010-04-20 8:47 AM Hey guys...I'm new to BT and this will be my first venture to Wildflower.  Planning to go up late Friday night...will I be able to find a decent spot for car and tent?

Also, I'm doing the OLY distance on Sunday...are there enough food vendors around to keep a person fed for the weekend or do most participants bring most of their food?

Last, any comments regarding the 'pasta load' evening dinners?

Thanks for any insights.


^^^   Not based on my experience last year.  We got there much earlier than that and ended up in the "overflow" campground.  Lots of elbow room there...but the portajohns in that area are a nightmare...floorboards broken out, infested with black widows...ni-i-i-ce...

We brought our own food, but picked up a few things from the little general store down at the lake...the thing to keep in mind is that it is quite a shlep down to the expo and general store.  The more self-sufficient you can be, the happier you'll be.


2010-04-22 3:58 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Jsh - 2010-04-20 10:47 AM Hey guys...I'm new to BT and this will be my first venture to Wildflower.  Planning to go up late Friday night...will I be able to find a decent spot for car and tent?

Also, I'm doing the OLY distance on Sunday...are there enough food vendors around to keep a person fed for the weekend or do most participants bring most of their food?

Last, any comments regarding the 'pasta load' evening dinners?

Thanks for any insights.


Good spaces will be long gone by late Friday. As mentioned before, if you know someone going earlier in the day, have them reserve some flat space for you. I can't comment on the pasta load dinners, I've always brought my own food.

10 days to go! Who's getting pumped????
2010-04-22 4:20 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
I'll take the opposite view. Usually we go up Friday morning, and between the time we go to bed and Sat morning it seems like the tent fairy came in and put tents up in every possible space. Last year, there were a LOT less tents Saturday morning than years prior. Camping at Wildflower means finding any open space possible, not finding a camp site. Every year I see bunches of folks coming in Friday night.

They may divert you to overflow at some point, but many people like being there anyway (Waterdog comes to mind).

Agree on the self sufficiency. Haven't done the pasta dinner but heard stories.... not appealing

Edited by ChrisM 2010-04-22 4:21 PM
2010-04-22 10:28 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Thanks for all the feedback...really looking forward to the weekend.  I'm not sure I've got enough hill work in from what I've read, but I'm sure it will still be a great experience.
2010-04-22 11:20 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
ChrisM - 2010-04-22 2:20 PM I'll take the opposite view. Usually we go up Friday morning, and between the time we go to bed and Sat morning it seems like the tent fairy came in and put tents up in every possible space. Last year, there were a LOT less tents Saturday morning than years prior. Camping at Wildflower means finding any open space possible, not finding a camp site. Every year I see bunches of folks coming in Friday night. They may divert you to overflow at some point, but many people like being there anyway (Waterdog comes to mind). Agree on the self sufficiency. Haven't done the pasta dinner but heard stories.... not appealing


"Not appealing" is an understatement.  I'll leave it at that.
2010-04-24 6:39 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
tcovert - 2010-04-22 9:20 PM
ChrisM - 2010-04-22 2:20 PM I'll take the opposite view. Usually we go up Friday morning, and between the time we go to bed and Sat morning it seems like the tent fairy came in and put tents up in every possible space. Last year, there were a LOT less tents Saturday morning than years prior. Camping at Wildflower means finding any open space possible, not finding a camp site. Every year I see bunches of folks coming in Friday night. They may divert you to overflow at some point, but many people like being there anyway (Waterdog comes to mind). Agree on the self sufficiency. Haven't done the pasta dinner but heard stories.... not appealing


"Not appealing" is an understatement.  I'll leave it at that.


Now my curiosity is piqued.  While I paid for 2 dinners in advanced I was already on the fence about actually eating the food; until I read these two replies that is.  

 


2010-04-25 9:47 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
jbell533 - 2010-04-24 4:39 PM
tcovert - 2010-04-22 9:20 PM
ChrisM - 2010-04-22 2:20 PM I'll take the opposite view. Usually we go up Friday morning, and between the time we go to bed and Sat morning it seems like the tent fairy came in and put tents up in every possible space. Last year, there were a LOT less tents Saturday morning than years prior. Camping at Wildflower means finding any open space possible, not finding a camp site. Every year I see bunches of folks coming in Friday night. They may divert you to overflow at some point, but many people like being there anyway (Waterdog comes to mind). Agree on the self sufficiency. Haven't done the pasta dinner but heard stories.... not appealing


"Not appealing" is an understatement.  I'll leave it at that.


Now my curiosity is piqued.  While I paid for 2 dinners in advanced I was already on the fence about actually eating the food; until I read these two replies that is.  

 


I'm probably being harsh...found it really bland.
2010-04-25 3:16 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Any tips or advice on where and when to warm up on Sunday?  It seems like between the number of participants, the transition layout and the road closures for the course it might be a tricky thing to do - especially swim and bike.


Thanks 
2010-04-25 5:15 PM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
Swim - you can't warm up at the swim entrance dock, but you can warm up directly in front of transition, there's a little slope down to the lake.

As for the bike, good luck. The only flat parts are lakeshore drive following the half course, and the area behind the finish bleachers, but not sure any of that is open pre-race. You're basically in a hole at the lake, the only way out is up
2010-04-26 10:17 AM
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Subject: RE: Wildflower - Olympic Distance : Official Thread
The weather report for the weekend is looking pretty good! Sunday says sunny with a high of 78.

This will be my first race of the season and I seriously can't wait another minute! This will be a long week.

Anyone out there have any goals in mind for this race?
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