Jesse Thomas, Heather Jackson To Race 2015 Wildflower
Jesse Thomas and Heather Jackson will each attempt to keep their unprecedented streaks at Wildflower going in 2015.
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Americans Jesse Thomas and Heather Jackson will each attempt to keep their unprecedented streaks at the Wildflower Long Course Triathlon going in 2015. Both will compete at the 33rd running of the half-iron distance race on May 2 at Lake San Antonio in Central California.
Jesse Thomas
Despite battling injuries over the last couple of years, Thomas is undefeated on the Wildflower course. The Stanford grad came to Wildflower in 2011 as an unknown, prompting the announcer to ask, “Dude, what’s your name?” when he took the victory. Thomas made it back-to-back wins in 2012, thanks to a 3:58:59 performance. He made it three in a row in 2013 with a 4:02:19 victory, but that win led Thomas to realize a foot injury that ultimately ended his racing year. Last year’s win was perhaps the most impressive as he turned in a 4:06:13 victory in his first race back on very little training.
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Heather Jackson
Jackson first came to Wildflower as an age grouper, and found success as a pro by winning the 2012 race in 4:26:29. She followed that up with a 4:33:20 victory in 2013 and a 4:34:18 victory in 2014. She’ll aim to make it four in a row this May.
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About Wildflower
Known for its particularly hilly and challenging course, the Wildflower Triathlons is one of the largest triathlon events in the world. A tough California drought last year forced Tri-California Events to create an alternate course in which the swim start location was changed from the traditional route. Thomas said many of the athletes appreciated the change as it created a unique athletic challenge.
“I know Tri-California had a tough time with the hand they were dealt with the drought last year, but I loved that race with the split-up run,” Thomas said. “People get so set on the standard times and distances and trying to PR this or that they sometimes they lose sight of just the challenge of triathlon and multisport in general just to go though some crazy stuff and have a blast doing it.”
Both Thomas and Jackson say the tradition and the close-knit camaraderie environment of the Wildflower Triathlons keep them coming back, beyond their desire to defend their titles.
“We’re expecting another elite field of male and female athletes this spring who seek out the Wildflower long course because it provides them with one of the toughest and most beautiful long courses anywhere on the planet,” said Colleen Bousman, president of Tri-California Events in a press release. “Obviously, we’re excited that Thomas and Jackson are returning to compete in hopes of setting more course history, and we’re looking forward to sharing more details about this year’s strong field of world-class elite athletes later in the year.”