On the weekend of May 4-6, the 35th Wildflower Experience, one of the most historic triathlons in the sport, will return for its 35th anniversary to host several world-class triathletes competing for the title. Racing the original Wildflower Long Course, former men’s and women’s Wildflower champions will attempt to conquer one of the toughest courses in triathlon.
For the past six races, professional triathlete, Jesse Thomas of Bend, Oregon, has dominated the men’s field and now holds the record for the most Wildflower wins. Thomas will race again on Saturday, May 5, with his eye on an unprecedented seventh championship. Thomas will contend with an impressive pro field, which includes Ben Hoffman, who began racing triathlon 12 years ago while living out of his car in the Pacific Northwest.
The Wildflower long course race includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike leg, and a 13.1 mile run. In 2015 and 2016, the course featured a 1.2 mile swim, a 2.2 mile run, a 56-mile bike leg, and a 10.9-mile paved run in order to adapt to lower water levels in the lake. This year, with water levels high enough to exit the lake at the boat ramp, the 2.2 mile run mid-race will be eliminated, which could perhaps affect strong runners like Jesse Thomas, who previously took advantage of an extra run segment to get the edge on the competition.
The women’s elite field will welcome back Wildflower’s three-time Champion, Heather Jackson who, like Thomas, lives and trains in Bend, Oregon. Jackson’s 3rd place finish in 2016 and 4th place finish in 2017 marked her as the top American at the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
Jackson will have to contend with a large field of female elites, including Jennifer Spieldenner, Australia’s Carrie Lester, Robin Pomeroy, Kelly O’Mara, Madi Serpico and Amy VanTassel.
“We’re thrilled with the elite competitors joining us this year, and most of them are no strangers to the Wildflower Triathlons, one of the toughest and most beautiful long courses in the world,” said Colleen Bousman, Race Director. “We are confident our amateur competitors will be excited about the prospect of competing on the same course with some of the world’s best triathletes and Wildflower legends. Due to the volume of water in the lake, we’re able to return to our original long course, and that may suit some racers better than previous years’ modified course.”
Alongside Wildflower’s challenging Long Course triathlon, new partner Motiv Sports hosts a weekend festival of entertainment and celebration for both spectators and athletes. The Wildflower Triathlon is one of the largest tri-oriented events in the world and has previously attracted up to 7,500 athletes and 30,000 spectators.
“When you look at the history of Wildflower, so many of the legends of our sport have raced and won there over the years,” said IRONMAN and USA Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee Bob Babbitt. “Wildflower has a little bit of everything. It’s hilly, it’s windy, the scenery is amazing, it can be hot, the trails are challenging, and the field is always talented and deep. It’s so great to have Wildflower back!”
2018 Wildflower men’s elite athletes:
Christopher Bagg
Chris Berg
Derreck Bernard
Scott Bradley
Fraser Cartmell
Daniel Clarke
James Cook
Sean Daugherty
Scott DeFilippis
Nathan Dressel
Tyler Ems
Davide Giardini
Sean Harrington
Ben Hoffman
James Hotson
Nathan Killam
Stephen Kilshaw
Andrew Langfield
Jose Lomeli
Jim Lubinski
Jesse Moore
Deepak Nagendra
Kennett Peterson
Tim Russell
Kyle Simmons
Paul Stevenson
Jesse Thomas
Rodolphe Vonberg
Jesse Vondracek
Robbie Wade
2018 Wildflower women’s elite athletes:
Anna Buster
Cecelia Davis-Hayes
Laurence Delisle
Nicole Falcaro
Alyssa Godesky
Hannah Grubbs
Heather Jackson
Carly Johann
Kinsey Laine
Carrie Lester
Mackenzie Madison
Leslie Miller
Brittney Oliver
Kelly O’Mara
Kelly O’Neil
Adelaide Perr
Robin Pomeroy
Madi Serpico
Jennifer Spieldenner
Amy VanTassel
Schedule of events
All events take place at Lake San Antonio, South Shore in Monterey County, CA.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Long Course Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)
Mountain Bike Sprint Triathlon (0.25 mile swim, 9.7 mile bike, 2 mile run)
Trail Run
Stand Up Paddle Board Race (SUP)
Wildflower 5K Run
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Olympic Distance Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)
Sprint Distance Triathlon (0.25 mile swim, 20k bike, 5k run)
Wildflower 10K
Stand Up Paddle Board Race (SUP)
WF2 athletes race the Long Course on Saturday and Olympic Course on Sunday.
Motiv Sports is an active lifestyle and entertainment company focused on ‘delivering authentic and immersive live and digital experiences’. Founded in 2015, Motiv Sports is headquartered in Denver, CO, with offices across the US, Australia, United Kingdom, Europe and Canada. The Motiv Sports platform currently consists of 41 triathlon and running events and digital properties – with plans to expand into several vertical industries in the outdoor lifestyle space.
