Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report

Hey gang! This post will be more of an actual race report and less of a logistics description as in my past reports. I intend it to be informational for the athlete who wants to learn about the Coeur d'Alene Ironman venue as well as those who are merely curious about this extreme adventure called The Ironman.

A little background AND IRONMAN info

Coeur d'Alene (pronounced CORE DUH LANE) is in the northern part of the state of Idaho, USA. It's a small town surrounded by woods and mountains. The nearest "city" would be Spokane, Washington, 45 minutes east by car. Most athletes drive to Coeur d'Alene or fly to Spokane and rent a car. It's a beautiful area and perfect for an event like the Ironman.

This was my 3rd Ironman and they don't get any easier. For those who don't know, the Ironman triathlon is a race that starts with a swim of 2.4 miles, out of the water and right onto the bicycle for 112 miles, and then change shoes for a 26.2 mile marathon. There are 2,000 to 3,000 athletes at the swim start and it is a massive spectacle to behold. To be actually in it is a whole nother level of intensity/insanity that can't be explained if you haven't been in it. YouTube: Ironman Swim Start.

The Ironman has been called the hardest one day race in the world. I can tell you that many people who finish this race are literally crippled for several days following it. There is a 17 hour time limit on the race that starts at 7am and ends at midnight. I have found that triathletes tend to be a supportive, positive group. Those who finish the race in the later hours are not ridiculed or frowned upon. They in fact have earned the title of Ironman Finisher. I finished Ironman St. George in Utah in 13 hours and 41 minutes; Ironman Switzerland in 12 hours 41 minutes; and Ironman Coeur d'Alene in 12 hours 49 minutes; Arizona in 12:25; Cozumel in 11:31. I consider myself an average triathlete who loves the sport and what it does for my physical and mental well being.

I try to get to an Ironman venue a week early to swim in the waters, ride the bike course, and just generally get a feel for the vibe of the community. I drove the 1,000 miles from California to Idaho in a non-rushed three days.

In this day and age of Facebook and social media, I am very fortunate that my good friend Ryan Moll is Mr Connected. He hooked me up with a "friend" of his, whom he'd never actually met, Andrew Evenson. Andrew is a wonderful human being who made me feel welcome and at home in his beautiful town of Coeur d'Alene. Andrew invited me to swim in the lake that first day and we hit it off right out of the gate.

Coeur d'Alene has a reputation of being fickle when it comes to weather and water conditions. This week would be no different. On that first swim the water was about 52 degrees F and there were good sized waves with white caps. I really didn't want to swim but figured if it was like this on race day I better build some character. Andrew swam like a torpedo through that mush. Christopher and I were more like small boats getting tossed around in a vast sea. It was rough.

Again, the lake is well known for it's changing conditions and this week showed us everything. As the week went on the water temperature slowly got up to around 60 deg F on race day. The conditions slowly improved throughout the week as well. Weather is such a huge factor in Ironman races that athletes are watching it closely for many weeks before race day. Imagine the collective sigh of relief when a good weather report is released just days before the race.

Swim start with three people: Myself, Andrew, and Christopher.

Swim start with 2,500 swimmers fighting for position!

The swim course is two loops of 1.2 miles each. It starts at the Independence Point beach in the town of Coeur d'Alene. It's a beach start so when the cannon goes off there's a mad dash into the water and then swimming pandemonium. It is full contact and vicious. It is my least favorite part of the race but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. All the training in the world can't prepare you for a mass Ironman start. It must be experienced.

Soon the swim is over and it's time to get on the bike where some real work begins. After exiting the water at the beach there's a short run to T1 which is about 200 yards away. I can't say enough about Ironman volunteers. They are absolutely the best in the world. And specifically in Coeur d'Alene the community and volunteers are so supportive, helpful, and knowledgeable. Many of them are athletes as well. They help you out of your wetsuit, take the whole thing off if you want. They hold your bike while you get your stuff on. They slather on sunscreen. All with a smile.

The bike course is two loops of 56 miles each. Unfortunately I didn't take enough photos of the bike course but suffice it to say that it is very pretty. It starts out around the lake and lulls you into thinking it'll be an easy, fast day. Then you come back around through town and thousands of screaming fans (this is an amazing rush). Then you head back out of town to the west and the hills seem to go up and up and up. The first one is 2.5 miles of climbing. My Garmin registered 6,301 ft of climbing for the race. Not bad compared to the Alps of Ironman Switzerland. But it was still a grind.

I'm a cyclist first and I enjoy the bike the most so I was in my element. I had a great time on the course and if I had to bitch about something it would be the no-pass zone on the fast downhill return to town from the west. The course is on a highway with one of the lanes closed for racers. One lane isn't too much when going 45-50 mph downhill. And there are always less experienced riders who aren't familiar with "keep right except to pass." One thing I can't stand is hitting the brakes going downhill and there's a section of no-pass on a screaming fast downhill section. Oh well, it was more frustrating than anything. I doubt it affected my time by more than a few minutes.

Aid stations were well stocked with water and nutrition and were about every 10-12 miles. Again, the volunteers were outstanding. I tried to set a personal record in the number of times I thanked a volunteer (Thanks to Isa for that idea!).

After six grueling hours on the bike it was time to start the marathon. My only experience on the run course was driving it two days before. One thing about driving a run course is that the hills aren't really intimidating. Let me tell you, this run course was challenging. The first thirteen miles weren't too bad. The last thirteen were a total f*&%ing grind from hell. It starts out uphill out of town along the lake. Once out of town the climbing begins. And there's two loops of that. By the end of the first loop my mind started playing little games and the body was pretty nearly done. I started thinking, "I've done two Ironmans before this one. I have nothing to prove. If I don't finish it wouldn't kill me..." Then the guy on the other shoulder chimes in about finishing what you started and blah blah blah. The legs aren't functioning properly, the mind is getting messed up. The last 12 miles I hooked up with a dude that was clearly in the same boat as me and we pushed each other harder than we would've gone alone. Thanks Zach!

In conclusion, I ask myself if I would race this venue again. And the answer is ABSOLUTELY! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Cheers!