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2015 Wildflower Long Course
By Timothy Carlson
IN THIS 33RD EDITION OF THE WORLD-FAMOUS WILDFLOWER LONG COURSE TRIATHLON, some of the greatest practitioners of the sport have returned to face the beautiful
and daunting hills of inland Monterey County. They hope to join the ranks of the immortals who occupy the Staircase of Wildflower Champions established in 2012 – and include world champions like Paula Newby-Fraser, Chris McCormack, Natascha Badmann,
Simon Lessing., Samantha McGlone, Peter Reid, Tim DeBoom, Heather Fuhr, Leanda
Cave, and Terenzo Bozzone. Not to forget the Masters of Wildflower who have beaten
those selfsame world champs – 4-time Wildflower champion Cameron Widoff and, now,
still active legends like 4-time champion Jesse Thomas and 3-time-champion Heather
Jackson who may yet win a world championship elsewhere but who have proven their
international credentials on this unique and pure test of triathletic strength.
The classic long course race – which features a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike leg featuring the ominous 2-mile climb called Nasty Grade at Mile 41 and the rugged dirt trails
and hills on the 13.1 mile run – awaits all the dreamers who want to prove they are up to
the ultimate Iron-distance test.
JESSE THOMAS, 35, Bend, Oregon
JORDAN RAPP
74 WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015
What can he do for an encore? The 2011-2012-2013-2014 Wildflower long course winner’s
last two wins came with some drama. In 2013 he prevailed by a minute in a race long duel
with Australia’s Leon Griffin. What fans at the time didn’t know was that Thomas broke a
navicular bone in his foot during the race and suffered more than usual pain in his victory.
Three weeks later, doctors inserted a pin to stabilize his foot and he was not able to run
or compete for nine months. Just 10 weeks prior to last year’s Wildflower, Thomas had
surgery to remove the pin which began sticking through the bone. Just a month before
the race, Thomas was finally able to run again but came to the defense of his title with
serious doubts.
On the day, Thomas managed 7th-best 24:12 swim, followed by a race-best 12:16 for
the 2-mile run from swim to transition, and a 2nd-fastest 2:18:41 bike split. Thomas passed
swim and bike leader Andrew Starykowicz on the 7th mile on his way to a 2nd best
1:07:23 for the final 11.1 mile run to finish in 4:06:13 with a 2 minutes 7 seconds margin of
victory over runner-up New Zealander Callum Millward. In that final mile, Thomas thought
a lot about his difficult year: “I thought about my family and my young son. It was hard to
believe that this win was going to happen. I had my doubts - not just that I could win this
race. I had doubts about whether or not my career was over three months ago. So this
was a big deal. I’m kind of in shock.”
After that skin-of-his-teeth effort to take an unprecedented Wildflower four-peat, Thomas was still trying to regain his overall fitness and earn enough points to qualify
for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. After a second surgery for a sciatic nerve injury,
a shoulder injury and a wrong turn at Eagleman, he had to race four times in five weeks
just to qualify. He got back on track with a win
at Ironman 70.3 Mt. Tremblant, a subsequent
3rd and a 6th got the points needed to tee it
up for a disappointing 12th at the World Championship. Two weeks later, he had enough rest
to get back on form and win the Princeton 70.3
at his alma mater.
JORDAN RAPP, 34,
Thousand Oaks, California
Jordan Rapp is a 3-time Wildflower finisher
– 4th in 2009, 6th in 2011 and recording his
best finish of 2nd overall in a 2012 duel with
Jesse Thomas that saw them finishing in the
3rd and 6th fastest times in the history of the
race. Jordan is also the 2011 ITU Long Distance World Champion and a 5-time Ironman
winner – 2009 Ironman Canada and Ironman
Arizona,2011 Ironman Canada, 2012 Ironman
Texas and Ironman U.S. Championship in New
York City. Formerly a rower on the Princeton
lightweight crew team (class of 2002), he has
been a professional triathlete for 10 years. He
lives with his wife Jill Savege and their three
kids, Quentin (age 3-1/2) and twins Ellie and
Vanessa (age 15 months) in Thousand Oaks,
California..
What fans didn’t know
was that Thomas broke
a bone in his foot during
the 2013 race and suffered more than usual
pain in his victory.
MATT REED, 39,
Encinitas, California
FIVE FASTEST OVERALL TIMES - MALE
RANK
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
YEAR
1
TERENZO BOZZONE
NZL
3:53:43
2006
2
MICHAEL RAELERT
USA
3:55:57
2010
3
JESSE THOMAS
USA
3:58:59
2012
4
SIMON LESSING
USA
3:59:33
2005
5
ANDY POTTS
USA
3:59:41
2009
Born in Palmerston, New Zealand, Matty Boom
Boom Reed became an American citizen
in 2007 and currently trains and lives with
wife Kelly and their three children - Lachlan,
Peyton and Kingston - in Encinitas, California.
While he has a stellar career record, his most
encouraging recent finishes were 3rd at Lake
Stevens 70.3 last year and 6th at Ironman 70.3
St. George in 2013. In 2011, Reed won Life
Time Fitness Minneapolis, Rev3 Knoxville, 5i50
Galveston. In 2010, he won Life Time Fitness
Minneapolis, Rev3 Knoxville, and the Malibu
Triathlon. In 2009, Reed won 7 triathlons and
the prestigious Toyota Cup Series. His wins
included Oceanside 70.3, Miami International,
the Pan American Championships, Rev3 Half
Ironman, Life Time Fitness Minneapolis, and
the Chicago and Dallas Triathlons. In 2008,
he won the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Trials/USA
Elite Championship, Miami International, St.
Anthony’s, Boulder Peak and placed 5th at the
ITU Olympic Distance World Championship and
32nd at the Beijing Olympics.
WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015 75
JOHN KENNY
CHRISTOPHER BAGG
DEREK GARCIA
SCOTT DEFILIPPIS, 34,
Boulder, CO
A hard-working pro since 2009, DeFilippis
honed his skills under famed coach Brett
Sutton and then switched to master coach
Siri Lindley a year and a half ago. Among
his 11 Ironman-distance races, his highlights
include a 2nd place at Challenge Atlantic City,
a 3rd at Ironman Boulder last year and a swift
8:09:33 for 3rd place at Ironman Florida in
2013. Other highlights include a 3rd at the
Alpe d’Huez Triathlon which includes a formidable climb on the famed Tour de France
mountain stage. Just warming up for later
races, he placed 7th at the 2014 edition of
Wildflower long course. DeFilippis’ ace is his
run – with a 10k personal best of 29:12, a half
marathon PB of 1:05:44 and a 2:43 marathon
at Ironman Switzerland.
BRIAN FLEISCHMANN, 36,
Colorado Springs, CO
The man they call Flash has had a long
and consistent Olympic distance career in
draft-legal ITU racing and non-drafting North
American contests. Highlights include a
2nd place at the 2001 USA Triathlon Elite
76 WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015
Nationals, winning the 2006 ITU Team Sprint
Championships in Lausanne with teammates
Andy Potts and Matt Reed, and was the 2007
Tri-California Series champion and won the
2009 Triathlon at Pacific Grove. In 2010, he
ventured into long course racing, scoring a
2nd at Calgary 70.3 and 6th at Rev3 Knoxville. In 2013 he took 5th at Boulder Peak.
DAVIDE GIARDINI, 26,
Boulder, CO / Italy
Giardini was born in Italy and educated in
the U.S. where he attended Roger Williams
University in Rhode Island and competed
in Division III swimming. After receiving his
undergraduate degree, he spent some time
working in Honolulu and devoting a great
deal of time and enthusiasm surfing, kite
surfing, standup paddling and freestyle windsurfing. He is now working for an MBA at
Colorado University-Boulder and competing
for the CU-Boulder Triathlon team as well as
embarking on a professional triathlon career.
In 2013, Giardini finished 4th at the USA Triathlon Collegiate nationals, was 1st Elite Amateur at the Boulder Peak Olympic distance,
1st Elite Amateur at Kansas 70.3, and 3rd Elite
Amateur at the Hy-Vee 5i50 U.S. Champion-
ship. Last year in his first pro season, Giardini
won the Super Frog Half, was 2nd at the UWC
Bahamas Invitational, 3rd at the Challenge
Rancho Cordova Half, 4th at the Triathlon at
Pacific Grove, and 6th at 5i50 New Orleans.
AJ BAUCCO, 28,
Clermont, FL
A.J. Baucco grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and
played hockey in high school until he quit
organized sports to play music full time. He
played drums for a punk rock band called
Chaotic Alliance and toured the U.S. after
graduation. After several tours, he quit the
band and enrolled at Cleveland State where
he earned a degree in Mathematics and got
a teaching license and picked up the sport
of triathlon to maintain fitness. In 2009 he
graduated at the top of his class but instead
of teaching, he packed up his car and traveled to Tucson, Arizona to train and pursue
a career in triathlon. In 2010, he suffered a
season ending injury to his heel. In 2011, he
turned pro and earned Rookie of the Year
honors from USA Triathlon. In 2012, he signed
on with coach Jesse Kropelnicki and earned
three top 8 finishes. In 2013, he earned top
12 Ironman finishes at Texas, Tahoe and
MATT SHEEKS
KARL BORDINE
SCOTT BRADLEY
year, he overcame a winter bike crash and
finished 11th at Wildflower long course and
6th at Ironman Brazil.
This 25-year-old New Zealander is starting
to make an impact in his three-year triathlon
career and with his bike skills should find
Wildflower and its challenging Nasty Grade a
good fit. This year he scored a 3rd place with
the fastest bike split at the highly competitive
Australian Championships Geelong 70.3, and
was 7th at the Auckland 70.3 Asia Pacific
Champs, again with the fastest bike split. Last
year he won the Taupo (New Zealand) Half,
scoring the fastest bike split , was 4th at the
Boulder peak 5i50, 4th at Buffalo Springs
70.3, 4th at TriRock Philly, and 5th at Ironman
70.3 New Orleans. In 2013, he was 5th at
Timberman 70.3 and Buffalo Springs 70.3,
7th at Eagleman 70.3 and 27th at the Ironman
70.3 World Championship.
injury last November and reports that it is not
100 percent but is getting better. His triathlon
career began with two flat tires and he never
thought his career would flourish after that
start. When he entered UC Berkeley, he was
drawn by the camaraderie of the triathlon
team and loved training and racing with his
teammates on one of the best teams in the
country, winning first overall man at the USA
Triathlon Collegiate Nationals in 2009. His
triathlon career highlights also include a wins
at Wildflower Olympic in 2008, Scott Tinley’s
Dirty Adventures in 2009, Folsom Triathlon
in 2010 and 2012, Full Vineman in 2011 and
2013, San Jose Triathlon in 2012, Santa Cruz
Triathlon in 2013, and 2nd place at the Triathlon at Pacific Grove in 2011 and 2012. He
graduated from Berkeley in 2009 and since
then coached the UC Berkeley Triathlon team
from 2009 to 2013. Currently he coaches
track for the Golden Gate Triathlon Team and
he is a swim coach age group, master’s and
high school teams at St. Ignatius College Prep.
JOHN DAHLZ , 31,
South San Francisco, CA
CHRISTOPHER BAGG, 35,
Portland, OR
MARK BOWSTEAD, 25,
New Zealand
Dahlz survived potentially career-ending foot
Ink professionals. Last year he was 2nd at
Challenge Penticton, placed 8th at Challenge
Rancho Cordova and got off the bike in 6th
place at Wildflower but wants to forget the
run. In 2013, he was 6th at Wildflower, 10th
at Ironman 70.3 Mt. Tremblant, and 7th at
Challenge Penticton.
KARL BORDINE, 39,
Carlsbad, CA
Bordine grew up in Rochester Hills, Michigan,
attended Indiana University, is married to Jen
and has two daughters Kelly and Elizabeth.
In 2003 and 2004, he spent two years as
a professional cyclist and took up triathlon
in 2009. In 2010 he scored a breakthrough
win at the San Diego International Triathlon,
In 2011 he placed 3d at Branson 70.3 and in
2012 he earned two more 70.3 3rd-place
finishes at Mooseman and Branson. In 2013,
he was 11th at Wildflower long course and last
year he won the Carlsbad Triathlon and took
3rd at Honu 70.3. ➤➤
Bagg is a four-time Wildflower veteran who is
coming on strong as a member of the Wattie
WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015 77
STEPHEN KILSHAW, 31,
Victoria BC
Kilshaw is a Canadian pro from British
Columbia and has several top 10 finishes at
Ironman and 70.3 races. In 2012 he was 10th
at California 70.3 and inb2013 he was 8th at
Ironman Canada and 7th at Austin 70.3. Last
year he was 11th at Oceanside 70l3, 3rd at
Victoria 70.3, 4th at Silverman 70.3 and 8th at
Ironman Canada.
JOHN KENNY, 34,
Horsham, Pennsylvania
This 2002 Co-Captain of the Cornell swim
team and current swim and triathlon coach
has gone on to a notable competitive career
in swimming and triathlon. He won the U.S.
Open Water National Championship 15k swim,
and was 2nd in the U.S. Open water Olympic
Trials 10k swim. He placed 6th at the Pan
American Games 10k Open Water swim and
placed 15th at the 25k Open Water Swimming
World Championship in 2008.
In triathlon, he won the 2014 Savageman
Half Iron, won the 2014 West Chester Toughman and took 2nd at the 2014 Rev3 Williamsburg Olympic distance. In 20913 he took 4th
at the Philadelphia Triathlon and 3r4d at the
West Chester Toughman. In 2009, Kenny set
the world best for an Ironman swim unassisted by current at 41:48.
ADAM O’MEARA, 31,
Victoria, BC
A professional triathlete of 5 years, O’Meara
became fascinated with nutrition and the history of the sport in his mid-20s and recently
became focused on the Ironman and half
Iron distances. In 2012 he placed 7th at the
Rev3 full Iron distance, and 7th at Ironman
St. George. In 2013, he was 4th at Challenge
Penticton, and 10th at Ironman Coeur d’Alene.
In 2014, he placed 10th at Challenge Penticton. In a search to boost his speed, O’Meara
says he will drop down to half Iron-distance
races and Wildflower is his top choice to open
this new chapter in his triathlon career.
JESSE VONDRACEK, 33,
Tucson, Arizona
Vondracek is a professional from the triathlon
mecca of Tucson, Arizona and is raring to take
on the challenging Wildflower long course
after a very busy 2014. Highlights from last
year include 2nd place at Leadman 125 Epic,
3rd at the Superfrog Half, 3rd at Challenge
Rancho Cordova, 8th at Ironman Lake Placid,
1st at White Mountains Triathlon. A renaissance endurance athlete, Vondracek placed
18th overall in a time of 2 hours 44 minutes
at the PF Chang Rock and Roll Marathon and
was 7th in a 5-man team in a 24 hour mountain bike race.
PAST ELITE WINNERS
YEAR
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
2014
Jesse Thomas
United States
4:06:13
2014
Heather Jackson
United States
4:34:18
2013
Jesse Thomas
United States
4:02:19
2013
Heather Jackson
United States
4:33:20
2012
Jesse Thomas
United States
3:58:59
2012
Heather Jackson
United States
4:26:29
2011
Jesse Thomas
United States
4:04:45
2011
Leanda Cave
United Kingdom
4:27:58
2010
Michael Raelert
Germany
3:55:57
2010
Julie Dibens
United States
4:27:53
2009
Andy Potts
United States
3:59:41
2009
Virginia Berasategui
Spain
4:35:00
2008
Chris McCormack
Australia
4:00:33
2008
Samantha McGlone
United States
4:31:38
2007
Bjorn Andersson
Sweden
4:07:53
2007
Becky LaVelle
United States
4:35:19
2006
Terenzo Bozzone
New Zealand
3:53:43**
2006
Samantha McGlone
Canada
4:31:08**
2005
Simon Lessing
United States
3:59:33
2005
Samantha McGlone
Canada
4:32:59
2004
Chris McCormack
Australia
4:05:50
2004
Natascha Badmann
Switzerland
4:45:31
2003
Tim De Boom
United States
4:04:21
2003
Heather Gollnick
United States
4:42:06
2002
Chris McCormack
Australia
4:03:59
2002
Katja Schumacher
Germany
4:41:38
2001
Chris McCormack
Australia
4:00:12
2001
Barb Lindquist
United States
4:37:42
2000
Chris Legh
Australia
4:01:22
2000
Jeanne Anne Kritzman
United States
4:43:53
1999
Cameron Widoff
United States
4:03:51
1999
Heather Fuhr
United States
4:37:35
1998
Cameron Widoff
United States
4:03:42
1998
Heather Fuhr
United States
4:37:58
1997
Cameron Widoff
United States
4:02:31
1997
Paula Newby-Fraser
United States
4:35:33
1996
Peter Reid
Canada
4:06:19
1996
Paula Newby Fraser
United States
4:44:12
1995
Cameron Widoff
United States
4:09:25
NATHAN KILLAM, 29,
Vancouver, BC
SCOTT BRADLEY, 31.
Rochester NY
Like several converts to swim-bike-run,
Nathan Killam’s road to triathlon began as
an overweight young man who didn’t like
the rude comments he received when he
ballooned to 210 pounds. In three months
of gym work and treadmill pounding, he
trimmed off 40 pounds and set a PR of 40:26
at the Vancouver Sun 10k. Later that year
he tried his first triathlon and won his age
group by 5 minutes and by the next year he
won the national age group Olympic distance
triathlon and placed 3rd in his age group at
the Wildflower Olympic distance. . In 2011,
he became a professional firefighter and
decided to turn pro at triathlon. Under the tutelage of coach Björn Ossenbrink, he placed
7th at 2012 Ironman Canada, 3rd at the 2013
Vancouver International and in 2014 was 15th
at Wildflower long course, 9th at Challenge
Atlantic City, 8th at Challenge Penticton, and
2nd at Vancouver International.
Bradley is a latecomer to endurance sports
and did his first triathlon in 2010 at the age of
26. He earned his pro card last year at Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico with a 10th place finish
and went on to finish 21st at Syracuse 70l3,
12th at Timberman 70l3 and 26th at Ironman
Cozumel. When not competing, Bradley is a
high school business teacher in Rochester,
New York.
1995
Paula Newby Fraser
Zimbabwe
4:44:12
1994
Wolfgang Dittrich
Germany
4:05:22
ERIC CLARKSON, 33,
Santa Cruz CA
78 WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015
Clarkson was born and raised in northern
California and has been active as a coach
in the endurance community for half his life.
Clarkson competed for the UC Santa Cruz
swim team and took up triathlon and cycling
when after he graduated in 2009. He has
been racing professionally for 5 years. Notable 2014 results include a 6th at the Triathlon
at Pacific Grove, 8th at Escape From Alcatraz
and 3rd at the Santa Cruz Triathlon, just 10
seconds behind overall winner John Dahlz.
1994
Donna Peters
United States
4:40:09
1993
Andrew MacNaughton
United States
4:19:30
1993
Donna Peters
United States
4:44:45
1992
Todd Jacobs
United States
4:12:51
1992
Donna Peters
United States
4:32:04
1991
Paul Huddle
United States
4:07:33
1991
Liz Downing
Canada
4:42:55
1990
Andrew MacNaughton
United States
4:09:03
1990
Paula Newby Fraser
United States
4:41:18
1989
Paul Huddle
United States
4:07:22
1989
Nancy Valance
United States
5:01:55
1988
John Devere
United States
3:45:35
1988
Janine Daley
United States
4:24:56
1987
Andrew MacNaughton
United States
3:40:10
1987
Julie Moss
United States
4:25:15
1986
Dean Harper
United States
3:56:39
1986
Paula Newby-Fraser
Zimbabwe
4:22:12
1985
Grant Boswell
United States
3:53:59
1985
Jacqueline Shaw
Canada
4:26:40
1984
Scott Molina
United States
3:51:36
1984
Ardis Bow
United States
4:56:24
1983
Dean Harper
United States
4:07:51
1983
Jennifer Hinshaw
United States
4:36:12
MATT SHEEKS, 31,
Woodinville WA
YU HSIAO, 24,
Cupertino CA
NATHAN DRESSEL, 30,
Seattle, Washington
Matthew Sheeks is a minister who works
with Athletes in Action and competes in
triathlon, as he declares, “to glorify God and
help others know the love of Christ.” He had
a cycling background in high school and
ran track at the University of Portland and
thought that gave him a good background for
triathlon. Although he wondered if he could
be successful in such a competitive sport, he
surprised himself by winning his age group
at the ITU Duathlon World Championships in
2009. In 2010, he won the USAT Age Group
Long Course Duathlon National Championships and was 8th Elite with a race-best 2:52
run split at Ironman Lake Placid. In 2011, he
lost the season with a pelvic fracture but recovered well in 2012 with 6th place finishes at
Ironman Canada and Leadman 250 in Bend,
Oregon and 5th place finishes at Ironman St.
George and Ironman 70.3 Mt Tremblant. In
2013, he was 2nd at the USA Triathlon Winter
Triathlon Nationals and won the USA Triathlon
Long Couse Duathlon Nationals.
Yu Hsiao started racing triathlons when he
joined the UCLA Triathlon Club and became a
competitive triathlete under the guidance of
2011 USA Triathlon Men’s Individual Collegiate
National Champion Brady O’Bryan. Starting in
2012, Hsiao won the Wildflower long course
20-24 age group title three straight times.
In 2014 as a first year pro, Hsiao placed 12th
overall at Wildflower long course, 9th at
Pacific Grove, 10th at Vineman 70.3 and 7th
at Lake Stevens 70.3. He recently obtained a
Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
from Stanford University.
Dressel is eager to race Wildflower long
course and redeem his early exit last year
which ended with a hopital visit. Last season
Dressel finished 4th overall at the Santa Cruz
Surf City Challenge, 8th at the Subaru Victoria
Triathlon, and 21st at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse. In 2013, he won Rev3 Wisconsin Dells,
finished 4th at the Soma Half Ironman and
5th at the Super Frog Triathlon, In 2012 he
placed 9th at The Triathlon at Pacific Grove.
His PRs are 1:21:33 for the Half Marathon run,
1:51:41 for the Olympic Distance Triathlon and
4:08:48 for the half Ironman.
ELITE LONG COURSE RECORDS OVERALL - MALE
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
YEAR
Overall
TERENZO BOZZONE
NZL
3:53:43
2006
Swim
MICHAEL RAELERT
USA
3:55:57
2010
Bike
JESSE THOMAS
USA
3:58:59
2012
Run
SIMON LESSING
USA
3:59:33
2005
WILDFLOWER TRIATHLONS 2015 79