From racing hippie-style in Cali to battling the Beast in the Caribbean, there’s a whole lot of fun happening this weekend, kids! Here’s what’s on tap.

One the most storied race festivals in the U.S., the AVIA Wildflower Triathlon Festival shakes down at Lake San Antonio, California, for the 26th year. A perennial fave among age-groupers from across the nation, the long-course and Olympic-distance races draw stellar fields of pros year after year. For the nitty gritty of the course, the camping and the camaraderie, check out Giddyup Wildflower!, but let’s look at the elite scene. It’s meaty, so get ready.

Highlighting the men’s long-course start list are Chris McCormack, Chris Lieto, Chris Legh, Jasper Blake, Luke McKenzie, David Thompson, Eneko Llanos, Hektor Llanos, Leon Griffin, Victor Plata, Steve Larsen and Stephen Hackett. For the women, it’s Sam McGlone, Leanda Cave, Katja Schumacher, Pip Taylor, Linda Gallo, Tereza Macel, Kristin Hilger, Erin Ford and Kelly Couch. With such a wide range of specialties and focuses among these pros, it’s bound to be one heck of a race on Saturday.

Another long-standing tradition in the tri world is St. Croix Ironman 70.3. The 20th anniversary event has attracted a stellar field of pros, with 2007 Ironman Hawaii runner-up and 2006 St. Croix winner Craig Alexander, four-time International Triathlon Union world champion Simon Lessing and 2005 Ironman world champ Faris Al-Sultan fighting for the men’s title along with Michael Lovato, Frederik Van Lierde and last year’s second-place finisher Richie Cunningham. Meanwhile, 2006 race champ and reigning 70.3 world titlist Mirinda Carfrae, 2007 St. Croix winner Julie Dibens, German iron-vet Nina Kraft and still-firing-at-46 Karen Smyers will scuffle for the women’s crown. Missing from the start list this year is four-time champion Joanna Zeiger, who’s battling sickness, but triathlon legend Mike Pigg, who won the first-ever St. Croix Triathlon in 1988, will make a grand return to Christensted. The fast-growing CEO Challenges will also bring a strong field, including defending CEO champ, the gender-line-squashing Kim Nelson of Canada. InsideTri correspondent Barry Siff will be on hand to capture all the action.

Far from the Western Hemisphere action, the ITU World Cup series pitstops in South Africa for the Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup. A strong Russian squad heads to Richards Bay, which is key because Russia currently ranks ninth, one back from the U.S. in country standings, and a strong team finish on Sunday could bolster the Russians’ cause to bump the Americans out of eighth place and become the final team able to send a full lineup of three athletes to the Beijing Olympics. The U.S.’s best chances to stave off Dmitry Polyansky and his fleet of hungry Russians will be 2008 Olympian Matt Reed, Beijing hopeful Brian Fleischmann and recent Mazatlan Continental Cup champion Matt Chrabot. Germany’s Daniel Unger, Canadian Brent McMahon and Reinaldo Colucci of Brazil will also threat for medals Sunday.

On the female front, Americans Heidi Grimm, Sarah Groff and Amanda Stevens will butt heads with Switzerland’s Magali di Marco Messmer, German Ricada Lisk, Australian Felicity Abram, Kiwi Nicky Samuels, South African Kate Roberts and Canada’s Lauren Groves.

You know what’s next … Check back to InsideTri.com to see how this all shakes out!