Hello all -
I am reporting in after my weekend at the Wildflower triathlon over the weekend. I am happy to report I came away with a 2nd place finish - signaling that I am right where I should be for this time of year. Would I have loved to win this event? Of course! Guess I have reason to come back next year.
Wildflower is an iconic event in the sport of triathlon as far as I am concerned. The event, dubbed as “80 miles from anywhere” is a triathlon event, reminiscent to a giant “Woodstock” festival. 30,000 people (racers, spectators, campers, volunteers, party goers, college students, club teams, you name it) all file into Lake San Antonio for a weekend of triathlon. The 1/2 Ironman course is a true test of fitness and grit showcasing a challenging bike course with a few large climbs near the end of the course and several ups and downs on dirt trails on the run.
As for my race - I will keep things short and sweet. Race highlights included a great swim (for me!) coming out with the main pack of contenders. A swim PR may have been hiding in there as well, but rumors are the course was short. Regardless, thanks TYR! I played my cards just right on the bike - leading off the bike aboard my new Trek Speed Concept & claiming the fastest bike split of the day. Yes!! My run left a bit more to be desired and eventually I succumbed to eventual race winner (and new course record holder), Heather Jackson. I did my fastest time on the course and proved to myself that a.) my swim training is paying off and b.) my new partnership with TREK rocks! I also came home knowing my run still needs a bit more TLC. All in all, things are tick tick ticking along nicely.
Now - what you really want to know about is Cabin #10. Half the fun of racing & training is the experience. We were fortunate enough to bunk up in Cabin #10 for the weekend with a few great people that still have me smiling. Read on if you want the dirty details.
Roomie #1 - The Seasoned Veteran - Chris Legh. What I took away from Chris is a side ache from laughing so much. This guy won Wildflower back in 2000, is a wealth of knowledge, extremely humble, and really freaking funny. He fueled our fire with plenty of epic triathlon and training tales. And guess what? The guy still has game! He had a solid 5th place finish.
Roomie # 2 - The Champ! - Jesse Thomas. Now the 2x Wildflower Champ, a high school teammate, and an all-around awesome guy! Jesse may have appeared cool-as-a-cucumber on the outside - but his roomies from cabin #10 knew better. He was nervous as $#@! to be defending his title on Saturday. Well guess what? The guy didn’t sleep a wink on Thursday, Friday he slept on the floor of our walk-in closet, and Saturday he laid it down. Point being: impressive. He also was the sole reason we were invited into Cabin #10 - so thanks, man!
Roomie #3 - The Wonder Dog - Milli. Our Team Mascot belonged to Roomie #4. How can you not let something as spunky as a Parsons Terrier not make you smile? And she didn’t poop or pee in the cabin. Good dog!
Roomie #4 - Mr. Man Van - Matt Lieto. What I love about Matt is you never hear him complain. He is nice to everyone and finds a way to share his passion for fitness and sport. Matt played the ultimate poker face, feeling a bit under the weather pre-race. He never let his feeling under-par bring anyone in cabin #10 down. Rather he pumped us all up! While better races are to come for Matt - he stuck it out and gets mad style points for racing in a trucker hat.
Roomie # 5 - Missoula Gal Pal - Jen Luebke. Jen is my go-to training partner in Missoula. She was also my go-to training partner at Wildflower. We shared a fun swim and ride pre-race. Saturday she was nice enough to pull me around the entire swim and produced the worlds best bubbles to follow. It’s always great to share a fun weekend with a gal-pal and I am looking forward to many more to come!
Honorary Roomie #6 - Team Mechanic - Mark Andrews. I found the secret to keeping Mark from Trek happy is sneaking him Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Frozen ones. While Mark didn’t stay at the cabin - he tinkered with all of our bikes. I can’t speak highly enough for what a positive addition Mark has been to Team Corbin. He keeps me calm before the races, makes sure my Trek Speed Concept is rocket fast and is positive no matter what your result. Coming off the bike in 1st was the LEAST I could do to show Mark my appreciation! Thanks, Mark!
Roomie #7 - Save the Best of Last - Chris Corbin! Who doesn’t love Chris Corbin? Chris is likable to everyone, made sure to wet a line, had cold beers in the fridge at all times and most importantly is my rock. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Chris and his relentless support. And that’s just how I raced on Saturday. Relentless. Through thick and through thin, Chris finds the positive in all situations and makes living the life of Linsey Corbin a fun one! You should hang out with him if you have a chance.
Thanks for the fun weekend everyone!
A big shout out to all my sponsors, family, friends and training partners for the continued support, smiles and laughs! I am en route home to Montana to put in some great preparations for the the month of June. Next up will be the Dirty Dixon Double: Honu 70.3 and a week later Boise 70.3. Exciting things to come!!!
Linsey
PS - A big congrats to my dear friend, Meredith Kessler, and college amigo, Ben Hoffman. Both became Ironman St. George Champions on Saturday! Fires me up!!!
