Martin S.'s profile

   

Race was well staffed at the aid stations, great post-race food, almost immediate results (email sent that afternoon). Only criticisms presentations a little late and raffle was badly organized. Topped off a great Colorado vacation with this run which is part of the Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series I'm trying to win this year. My preparation consisted of a horribly hard and slow 1h15 run in Denver the Sunday before and 3 days of hikes and camping in the Rockies at about the same altitude - about 9000' (~2500m) - as the race. I was a bit concerned about the elevation but it turned out OK. Took it conservative on the way up and out on the wide dirt road. Cranked it up on the way back and was promptly stopped by a train crossing the road at exactly the wrong time at about 8 miles. I decided it wasn't worth diving in front of a train for the sake of a few seconds. Anyway, the break did me good and I was able to reel in 3 more guys and finish 3rd overall, 2nd in my age group. Justin Granger, a pro Australian triathlete finished in front of me so that was cool and his champion wife Belinda was there too. Was a bit huffy puffy in the last mile but other than that coped well at altitude. Results here. tricoachmartin.blogspot.com

   

The best and worst of triathlons. On the one hand, there is nothing like the atmosphere and comraderie of Wildflower. It is a huge event. On the other hand, compared to other LD triathlons it is expensive and a logistical nightmare. The worst is no post-race food - you have to buy it at the expo after the event - and the long trudge up the hill to your campsite after the event. And $60/night camping is a rip-off. But the course is beautiful, love the one lap, and it is pretty well organized and staffed. You must do Wildflower once.

   

We did the relay and hated it for the following reasons: - Early start. Had to be on buses by 4:30am to get bused to start. - No individual split times - Race was mixed in with 4 other races including walkers which made it hard to know where you were in the race and unclear to spectators what was going on. - We won the race and got some plaques, nothing else - The food on the course and post-race was healthy yet unsatisfying. - There was little or no transport of relay runners back to the finish. We liked it for the following reasons: - Unlimited beer at the Michelob Ultra beer tent.

   

First race on the calendar of the Trophy Series. Of which I hope to do a few races this year. Dire predictions for the weather happily turned out to be a false alarm for this beautifully scenic 10K event. A clear, if not warm day, greeted competitors at the start near the tranquil Laguna Lake. Funnily enough it poured rain the entire morning on runners at the Napa Valley Marathon not too far to the north. While short, the San Luis Mountain Run is a true and challenging trail run. After a flat mile we hopped over a fence and climbed over 500'. But that wasn't all, two more peaks awaited before a tricky decent over hard, uneven terrain. Pacing appeared tricky even for the more experienced runners with lots of chopping and changing in positions. In the end it was 23 year old triathlete Alex Padilla the winner of the men's event and Kristin Zaitz for the women. The event was staged by the young team at All Out Events and included great prizes, a fun atmosphere, some creative swag (a beer glass for each competitor) and a real effort to put on a green event. I finished 5th overall but unluckily that only placed me 3rd in my age group which robbed me of some valuable Trophy Series points. Nonetheless, a good start to the Trophy Series and a great event. Martin http://www.tricoachmartin.com