Wildflower winners interviews
LAKE SAN ANTONIO, California — Jessie Thomas ended all talk that his 2011 longshot victory at Wildflower was the short-lived glory of a one hit wonder.
With his 3:58:59 finish, he joined an exclusive club of five men who have broken 4 hours at the ultra tough Wildflower half Ironman layout. In fact, he is now the second fastest on that short list, behind only Terenzo Bozzone's supernatural 3:53:43 in 2006. He was 5:46 faster than his time last year and faster than fellow sub-4 hour Wildflower winners Michael Raelert, Simon Lessing and Andy Potts.
ST: How did you go so fast today?
Jesse Thomas: I worked hard on my bike last year and I knew I could ride faster.
ST: You rode 2:17:35 – 5:04 faster than last year. But that gain came with a price, didn’t it?
Jesse: I was more worried about my run strength. But I thanks to my bike I was in a much better position. Last year I started the run 8 minutes down. This year I only had two minutes to make up.
ST: You started the run hard. Brave or stupid?
Jesse: I think I ran that first six miles really hard. Probably a little too hard. Because I had a rabbit in front of me. I finally passed Paul Matthews and got the lead about Mile 6. Then I tried to relax, and I'm glad I did. Because even relaxing a lot I was really hurting the last mile and a half or two miles., If I'd kept trying to go, I would have risked it all. I wasn't thinking about anything but just being conservative and hanging on for the win.
ST: Can this compare with your win last year?
Jesse: I will never be able to replicate the experience of last year at Wildflower. It was such a surprise. It was my first big win. But this one means almost as much just because I just felt I was physically capable of racing well and defending. To perform well under the pressure I put on myself means a lot to me.
Heather Jackson's breakthrough win at Wildflower was equally dominating and slightly more impressive as her 4:26:29 time broke Julie Dibens' 2010 race record by 1 minute and 24 seconds. Jackson's road to triathlon success was a circuitous one as she started her big time athletic career playing NCAA ice hockey for the Princeton University women's team.
ST: You started well back after your 27:13 swim. How long did it take to get back in contention?
Heather Jackson: I was maybe 7th or 8th coming off the bike. And in my head I knew I had to beat Magali [Tisseyre], Leanda [Cave], [Melanie] McQuaid and [Linsey] Corbin. Those were the people I was looking out for. Wattie [her boyfriend Sean Watkins] and I talked a lot about how to go about the bike course. I knew you can make up the most time the last 10 miles. For the first part of the bike I just keep spinning and spinning and don’t go hard. When I hit Nasty Grade I thought 'OK. It's 15 miles to go. Go as hard as you can."
ST: By the time you got to the final downhill into transition, where were your four most feared rivals?
Heather: I could see those four girls just ahead and followed them into transition. "I knew I was right there. So I didn’t panic. I thought I'd just ease into the run. I got Leanda Cave first, then McQuaid and finally ay Mile 5 I ran past Corbin into the lead.
ST: Was it smooth sailing after that?
Heather: I felt pretty good until Mile 6, when I could feel right above my knees start to cramp. I thought 'Oh Crap!' Then I started taking a GU and it came round.
ST: When you hit the turnaround at Mile 10, you had a pretty big lead Did you let off a bit to nurse your legs?
Heather:: It is tough to tell how big your lead is on that out and back. At that time I was thinking, 'It's three miles. This is all you have. It’s uphill. Just push it. Just one final effort on that hill!'"
ST: After several close calls, how do you feel after finally winning a big half Ironman?
Heather: I am in shock right now, I often lay in bed thinking about winning one of these big races and I picture it. But first I always picture that Oceanside race (2011 Ironman California 70.3) where I almost had the win and Rinny [Carfrae] went past right at the end. I was still new to the sport and I yelled "Good job Rinny!" when she passed me. Then my perspective shifted. 'No, Heather! You have to go out there knowing that you can get them too!'
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