ATHLETES ELITE

S
MEN
ATH
L
ETE
ELITE
Name: Thomas Gerlach
Name: Jesse Thomas
Name: Josiah Middaugh
76
Wildflower Triathlons
Name: Joe Gambles
T
By: Tim Carlson
he 2013 Wildflower long course
elite men’s and women’s fields
are typically strong, bringing in
the best international triathletes,
befitting one of the most challenging and
truest tests of any half Ironman distance
event in the world. Through its 31-year
history, this great race has attracted the
legends of the sport from all over the world,
men and women who have already won
world championships at every distance or
helped define the greats who have gone on to
win those same medals against the toughest
competition everywhere on the triathlon
planet.
The plaques of the winners on the Staircase
of Wildflower Champions established last
year at the 30th anniversary of this great race
tells the story. It includes 8-time Ironman
World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser, who
won Wildflower 4-times; 5-time ITU World
Champion Simon Lessing; 2-time Ironman
World Champion and ITU short course
and long course world champion Chris
Jesse Thomas
Springfield, Oregon - 33
Jesse Thomas set 3000-meter hurdle
records at Stanford and graduated in 2003
with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in
Mechanical Engineering. For the next
four years, he left athletics with a dream
of making millions with a startup high
tech consumer products firm. But in 2007
he regained the competitive itch, sold his
company and devoted his passion to triathlon
for a year in which he won bronze in the 2529 age group category at the ITU age group
World Championship. In another whipsaw
move, he enrolled at the MBA program
at the University of Oregon and took two
more years off from sport. Finally, in 2010,
he got serious about triathlon and in May
of 2011 shocked the world by winning
the prestigious Wildflower long course
McCormack; three-time Ironman World
Champion Peter Reid; 6-time Ironman World
Champion Natascha Badmann; Ironman 70.3
World Champion Julie Dibens; two-time
Ironman 70.3 World Champion Michael
Raelert; 15-time Ironman winner and 1997
Ironman World Champion heather Fuhr;
and 1988 Ironman World Champion Scott
Molina.
grew up idolizing in triathlon had raced it
and I wanted to see what it was all about. I
believe the integrity of the sport lies within
these old school races that were founded
on the love of triathlon as a sport -- not a
corporation. Its triathlon in its purest form
and as an athlete you can really enjoy the
true value of doing a race that brings a
sporting community together.”
Two-time Ironman World Champion Tim
DeBoom, the 2003 Wildflower champion,
says: “It is a classic race with roots in the
heart of triathlon. It helped create the
Half Ironman distance around the world.
If Hawaii is the Tour de France, then
Wildflower is the Tour of Flanders. Hard
and relentless. I'm very proud to have won
a title on that brutal course.” Leanda Cave
says, a two-time ITU World Champion
and the current Ironman and Ironman 70.3
World Champion and 2011 Wildflower
champion Leanda Cave says: “Back in 2007,
I raced Wildflower because of its legendary
status on the triathlon circuit. Everyone I
The classic long course race on Saturday is
the jewel in the crown of this wildly popular
three-day festival of triathlon that helps
draw a total of 7,000 triathletes to Lake San
Antonio in beautiful Monterey County. Of
all triathlons around the world, the legendary
long course race is the coolest of the cool
and helps draw thousands more age groupers
to compete with the hall of famers as well
as the mountain bike sprint race on Saturday
and the Olympic distance test on Sunday.
Here are the stars of today and tomorrow
who will be competing on May 4th.
FIVE FASTEST OVERALL TIMES - MALE
RANK
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
YEAR
1
TERENZO BOZZONE
NZL
3:53:53
2006
2
JESSE THOMAS
USA
3:58:59
2006
3
MICHAEL RAELERT
USA
3:59:33
2010
4
SIMON LESSING
USA
3:59:33
2005
5
ANDY POTTS
USA
3:59:41
2009
against some of the greatest middle distance
triathletes in the world. In 2012, Thomas
rose to international stature by repeating at
Wildflower and setting the second fastest
winning time ever with a 3:58:54 mark. As
the 2012 season went on, his world-class
talent was revealed with wins at Rev3 races
in Maine, the Poconos and Florida as well
as posting the fastest run on his way to 3rd
place at Ironman 70.3 California. His 2013
form looks even more promising with a
close 2nd to Andy Potts at Ironman 70.3
California. While he is still chasing Chris
McCormack’s 4 wins at Wildflower, he is on
the verge of a record Wildflower long course
three peat. While he is now careful not to
interrupt his triathlon career, he and wife
Lauren Fleshman, a world class 5000-meter
runner, run a gluten- and dairy-free energy
bar company.
tricalifornia.com
77
ELITES
Name: Clayton Fettell
Name: Chris Legh
Name: Matthew Russell
Joe Gambles
Australia - 31
Gambles is one of the fastest cyclists and
runners in the sport. The highlights of his
career include a win at the 2010 Ironman
Wisconsin, a silver medal at the 2011 ITU
long distance championships, a 2nd place
to Michael Raelert at the 2010 Wildflower
long course in a swift time of 4:01:58, a
4th place at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World
Championship and eight victories at
Ironman 70.3 events. He is also the course
record holder at 70.3 events in Boulder,
Timberman, and Syracuse.
Clayton Fettell
Australia - 26
Fettell started his young triathlon career
as an accomplished but not dominating
Olympic-distance triathlete, scoring 2nd at
the 2009 edition of Memphis in May, 5th
at the 2010 Ishigaki World Cup and 6th at
the 2009 Life Time Fitness in Minneapolis.
Turning to middle distance, Fettell posted
a 5th at the 2010 Geelong 70.3, won the
2011 Port Macquarie 70.3, came close but
was passed in the final mile by winner Jesse
Thomas at the 2011 Wildflower long course
and finished 5th in his Ironman distance
debut at Challenge Cairns. In 2012, he won
70.3 races at Mooseman and Kansas and
78
Wildflower Triathlons
repeated his 2011 victory at Port Macquarie
where he set the fastest swim and bike. So
far this year, he placed 5th at the Geelong
long course and 12th at Ironman Melbourne.
Leon Griffin
Australia - 31
Griffin burst into international prominence
with a victory at the 2006 ITU duathlon
world championship and immediately earned
the reputation as one of the top biker-runners
in 70.3 triathlons, winning 70.3 races in
Buffalo Springs, Shepparton and Geelong in
2008. But a series of injuries and a family
illness caused his to step away from top
level training and he returned to a banking
job in Australia for a few years. In 2011, he
won the Challenge Cairns half Iron-distance
event and the Shepparton 70.3, which gave
him the nudge to quit his job and attack
triathlon full time. In 2012, Griffin placed
2nd at three important long course events
– Timberman, San Juan and Geelong – and
he is fit and eager to return to the top of the
podium in 2013.
Paul Ambrose
Great Britain/Australia - 28
Ambrose, who has dual citizenship in Great
Britain and Australia, has Ironman victories
at Louisville in 2010 and at Australia
in 2012. He has a raft of Ironman 70.3
podiums and has 70.3 victories at Racine
in 2011 and Rhode Island in 2012 and
placed 8th at the 2012 edition of Abu Dhabi
International. So far this year Ambrose
placed 4th at Auckland 70.3.
Matt Lieto
Bend, Oregon - 34
Lieto was inspired by brother Chris Lieto’s
performance at the 1999 Ironman World
Championship in Kona. Vowing to change
his diet and his life, he lost 75 pounds and
started training for triathlon. In 2011, he
turned pro and scored a breakthrough 4th at
Wildflower and was even more thrilled for
training partner and friend Jesse Thomas’
breakthrough win. He also took 2nd place at
Branson 70.3. Last year he placed 4th at the
tough endurance test at Leadman 250, 7th at
Timberman 70.3, 9th at Vineman 70.3 and
10th at Oceanside 70.3.
Chris Legh
Australia - 41
After his digestive meltdown at the Ironman
Hawaii finish line in 1997 that cost him 12
inches from his colon, Legh regrouped and
won Ironman California in 2000. After
overcoming further physical woes – a tiny
hole in his heart that sabotaged his Ironman
ELITES
PAST ELITE WINNERS
Name: Chris Ganter
Name: Chris Baird
YEAR
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
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
Mcihael 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
4:07:53
2007
Bjorn Andersson
Sweden
2007
Becky LaVelle
United States
4:35:19
ELITE LONG COURSE RECORDS OVERALL
2006
Terenzo Bozzone
New Zealand
3:53:43**
2006
Samantha McGlone
Canada
4:31:08**
MALE
2005
Simon Lessing
United States
3:59:33
2005
Samantha McGlone
Canada
4:32:59
NAME
COUNTRY
TIME
YEAR
Overall
Terenzo Bozzone
NZL
03:53:43
2006
Swim
Dustin McLarty
USA
00:21:01
2013
Bike
Steve Larsen
USA
02:14:06
2005
Run
Simon Lessing
USA
01:13:38
2005
efforts -- he won a stirring victory at
Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2004 that
became the centerpiece of a famous
Gatorade ad. Unaffected at the middle
distance, he won nine 70.3 races in three
years with a killer bike and run but his
best at the 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater –
a flat course which did not play to his
strengths -- was 4th. As he approached
and reached the age of 40, Legh seems to
be as cut as an Adonis and nearly as fast
as ever in 2012 with a 5th at Wildflower,
a win at Lake Stevens 70.3 and a 2nd
at Calgary 70.3. Last month, Legh left
his Ironman-distance woes behind with
a surprising 5th place finish at Ironman
Melbourne. If his recent form and his
Melbourne finish are any indication, Legh
has a valid chance at bookending his 2000
Wildflower victory with another podium.
Josiah Middaugh
Vail, Colorado - 34
Middaugh has been one of the most accomplished XTERRA off road triathletes
in U.S. history scoring USA National
Champion titles in 2004, 2005, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Last
October he placed 2nd to 2-time ITU
World Champion Javier Gomez at the
XTERRA World Championship in Maui
and placed 4th at the ITU Cross Triathlon
World Championship in Alabama. He also
won the USAT Winter World Championship in 2006 and 2011. Given his wellearned reputation as one of the three
fastest runners on the tough hills and
trails of XTERRA, the Wildflower course
should suit Middaugh to a T. This will be
his second foray into big time pavement
triathlon but his record is pretty respectable off the trails – he was the 2005
USAT Long Course champion.
Jeffrey Symonds
Penticton, BC, Canada - 27
Symonds burst into international prominence with a 3rd place at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World championship where he
ran a 2nd-best 1:13:33 final run leg – just
1:43 slower than winner Craig Alexander,
a two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champ
and 3-time Ironman World Champion. In
doing so, Symonds became just the second man in his 20s to make the podium
at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds. Last year
Symonds placed 4th at Austin 70.3 and
3rd at Calgary 70.3 before finishing 12th
at 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas. He started
his 2013 campaign with a 4th place at
Ironman Los Cabos.
2004
Chris McCormack
Australia
4:05:50
2004
Natascha Badmann
Switzerland
4:45:31
4:04:21
2003
Tim De Boom
United States
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
1995
Paula Newby Fraser
Zimbabwe
4:44:12
1994
Wolfgang Dittrich
Germany
4:05:22
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
tricalifornia.com
79
RACE
Romain Guillaume
Scott DeFilippis
France - 28
Normandy Beach, New Jersey - 33
Guillaume’s father was a swim coach who
trained him since he could walk. At age 8, he
did a kid’s triathlon and fell in love with the
sport. He competed at short course distances
until age 18, when he decided long course
spirit and atmosphere were more for him. In
2008, he raced Ironman Hawaii and finished
2nd in his age group and 59th overall and
decide to turn pro. In 2010, he placed 3rd
pro at Ironman Malaysia. In 2011, he placed
2nd at Ironman UK in Bolton and 4th pro at
Ironman 70.3 races in Antwerp and Kansas.
In 2012, he won Ironman Mt. Tremblant and
Ironman 70.3 Mt. Tremblant.
DeFilippis is an American triathlete who
trains with the famed Team TBB headed
by coach Brett Sutton in a moving series of
training camps from Thailand to Mexico to
Switzerland. A triathlete since 2007 and a
pro since 2009, DeFilippis has done 9 Ironman events and several half Ironman races.
His career highlight is 3rd overall at the
Alpe d’Huez Triathlon whose bike course
includes the famed Tour de France mountain
climb. His key finishes also include a 7th at
Challenge Wanaka in 2012, 8th at Ironman
Florida in 2011, and a win at the Toughman
Triathlon in 2011. DeFilippis’s ace in the
hole is the run – his 10k personal best is
29:12 and his half marathon best is a notable
1:05:44.
John Dahlz
San Francisco, California - 29
Dahlz did his first triathlon at age 12 –
Ironkids Bread event. He flatted in his first
two triathlons and, because he didn’t know
how to change it, broke two rims. His third
was the Santa Barbara long course, a tough
assignment at age 14. He joined the triathlon team at Cal Berkeley and won the
Wildflower Olympic distance crown in 2008
and won the USAT Collegiate individual
championship in 2009. He graduated with
a degree in political science and since then
then served as an assistant high school swim
coach for four years and now serves as the
head triathlon coach at Berkeley. Along the
way, Dahlz finished 2nd at Pacific Grove
in 2011 and 2012, won the full Vineman in
2011 and 2012, and won the Morgan Hill,
San Jose and Folsom triathlons in 2012. He
also finished 4th at the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz. Wildflower long course
remains an elusive grail, as Dahlz finished
33rd in 2010 and 17th in 2011.
80
Wildflower Triathlons
Nicholas Thompson
Danville, California - 30
This Cal Poly graduate can really run, as
witnessed by his 2008 USA Triathlon Long
Course Duathlon National Championship.
In 2011, he placed 5th at the ITU Long Distance World Championship and 2nd overall
at Boise 70.3. His record at Wildflower long
course is also impressive, as he finished
11th overall and first overall amateur (still
standing course record) in 2009, 7th overall
in 2007, and 7th overall in 2011 in a time
of 4:11:07 with the second fastest run of
1:16:54. He also finished 6th overall at the
Rev3 Portland Half in 2011 in a time of
3:55:59.
Matthew Russell
Scottsdale, Arizona - 30
Russell has been a pro since 2011 and is
getting better fast. In 2011, he won the USA
Triathlon National Duathlon Championship, was 5th at the ITU World Duathlon
Championship with the fastest bike split – 72
seconds better than the next fastest, took 5th
at Boulder 70.3 and was 23rd overall and
3rd American at Ironman Hawaii. In 2012,
he won Ironman Canada with the fastest run
split (2:53:34), was 3rd at Ironman Coeur
d’Alene, 4th at Ironman Lake Placid and
was 20th at the Ironman World Championship with the 4th fastest run – 2:51:23. He
often posts the fastest bike splits at ironman
events – his best efforts were 4:26 for the
112 miles [25.22 mph] at Ironman Arizona
and 2:04 at Boulder 70.3, 26.88 mph for the
56 mile leg. At every race he does the Blazeman roll in honor of his mother, the late
triathlete Jon Blais, and others who have had
or are battling ALS.
Mauro Cavanha
Curitiba, Brazil - 28
Cavanha works under the guidance of famed
coach Siri Lindley since 2011. He won the
Brazil National Championship in 2010, and
got momentum in 2012 with a 5th place at
Florida 70.3, 6th at Austin 70.3 and 6th at
Buffalo Springs 70.3
Thomas Gerlach
Madison, Wisconsin - 31
Gerlach, a second year pro from Madison,
Wisconsin, most recently finished 7th at
the 2013 edition of Ironman Los Cabos in a
time of 8:47:46. He has raced a lot, gaining
his first pro win at the 20-12 Desert Classic
Duathlon, 3rd at Ironman Louisville, 3rd at
Leadman bend, 4th at Ironman St, George,
6th at Ironman Wisconsin and 11th at Ironman Florida with a sizzling fast 4:11:58 bike
split.