The three-day Wildflower event kicked off it's long-awaited return on Friday for its 36th anniversary.
The last time an athlete participated in the Wildflower triathlon was seven years ago, with COVID-19 and a drought forcing people to hang up their race shoes.
What began as a bluegrass festival, transformed into a historic event on the Central Coast.
“Wildflower is not just about triathlons. It is about endurance in general and how we can get together and enjoy all types of sports, no matter what our background is," said event director Colleen Bousman.
Bousman has been around since her father started the event in 1983. She began working for her father, Terry Davis, after graduating from Cal Poly in the 90's. After working alongside him for 20 years, Davis is now enjoying retirement. Bousman is now working alongside her 21-year-old daughter, Emaly Bousman, to keep the family tradition alive.
“I just want to cultivate those relationships," said Emaly Bousman. "As we grow up and we bring in a new generation, I want to be a part of that and help continue that to grow.”
The three-day event is bringing back a Long Course, Olympic, and Sprint triathlons, alongside the Gravel Sprint for athletes who run off-road. It also includes a 20k Trail Run, 5k and 10k Fun Runs, an Open Water Swim, and the WF2 Challenge, which tests competitors across both the Long Course and Olympic distances.
“For me, it just brings a sense of community," the event director added. "It gives a reason for everybody to get together and find out that they have something in common. When so many things are dividing us nowadays, it's that commonality that you get around sitting around a campfire and really being able to enjoy your accomplishments together.”
This year was centered around amateurs according to Bousman. People appearing at the event this weekend include Hall of Fame athlete, Julie Moss, who’s known for her crawl across the Ironman finish line in 1982. She's now participating as a race announcer.
"I want to celebrate someone's first time accomplishing something they never thought they could do," Moss said. "It's great to bring these athletes across the line and just watch all that emotion come flooding out of them. “
From hall-of-famers, to finding forever, married couple Dorette and Duane Franks got engaged during the triathlon 17 years ago, and are back again once more to participate.
“I'd say that there are two types of endurance athletes in the world," Duane Franks said. "Those who have done Wildflower and those who probably should. Then they would understand.”
