As mentioned in my race preview, this was not your typical triathlon events. But I was still excited to participate in the run (since that is what I do best), the yoga (since I know it’s good for your core) and meditation (since I’ve heard that it’s a good way to relax and clear your mind). Unfortunately, due to other obligations, I only had time to do the run part of this event. The distance was supposed to be 5K, but my GPS had it much less. Even though it was supposed to be a fun run (no timing chips, medals, awards, etc.) I still tried to run it as hard as possible. Results: 2.84 mi, 18:03, 6:21 min/mile. I started the race way too fast at 6:12, but I was more focused on running around the other runners at the start of the race to notice. Once I get settled into the race, I only saw one other runner in front. So I caught up to him by that first mile and tried to run with him for a while. I had my headphones on, but when I took one out, the guy next to me said something like, ‘tempo run’? As in, ‘are you making this a workout run too?’, ‘uh…sure’ as I replied while breathing very heavily. It was definitely much faster than I would usually run a tempo run. I did lead the race for a short while, but only to get passed just before the finish. But I was happy with my overall time and pace (not sure if I would have been able to maintain for the full 3.1 miles, so I’m glad it was shorter.
Before I talk about the rest of the event, I wanted to mention a few logistic issues. San Diego was hit was some unfortunate ran the day before and the forecast said there was a chance of rain during the event as well. Fortunately, I did not deal with any major traffic on my drive to the event. There was a line to park my car since everyone was trying to get to Seaport Village parking lot. Since I knew the area, I decided to park at a nearby metered spot. I didn’t have to start paying until 10am and since I was planning on leaving the event early, I would be able to leave before then. For everyone else who did part at Seaport Village, I believe the rate was $3/hour. But that definitely added up if you were planning to stay for the entire event which was supposed to end at 3pm! Lines were another huge issue. Unlike most races I’ve ran, there was no race expo the day before the race to pick up your bib. So I got to the race about 30 minutes before the start and had to wait in a very long line to check in. But there were people that were still waiting in line to get their bib as the race started (I guess that’s not a huge issue since they would be able to start whenever..) Then there was a line to drop off your bags at gear check. That line wasn’t as bad, but picking our stuff up was terrible. Like I said, I finished the race 2nd, but waited at the finish line for some friends. By the time I did decide to pick up my stuff, the line was much longer!
Since I left after the run, I do not have much to say about the rest of the event, except what I heard from others. The yoga session was a little different than others in that there was a DJ pumping people up and playing loud music. Then there was the more traditional yoga session which you can see in the photo below. The meditation was pretty short and following that was some acroyoga and hooping? I’m sure the people that did stay enjoyed the rest, I had to deal with driving through LA traffic that whole time! Overall, I think the Wanderlust 108 Festival is an interesting event. There definitely is an audience that would be interested in this type of event (probably not the hardcore athletes). I heard that the San Diego event was new, so that may be why the logistics were off. Hopefully if they have it here again next year, it’ll all be ironed out.
Photo by Alexandra Lee for Wanderlust Festival.
Photo by Jake Flazone for Wanderlust Festival.
Photo by Jake Flazone for Wanderlust Festival.