Athletes stage gear for Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene
Jeff Humphrey | KXLY4 Reporter
Posted: 7:28 pm PDT June 26, 2010
Updated: 8:18 pm PDT June 26, 2010
COEUR D'ALENE -- Athletes competing in the 2010 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene spent Saturday working on a few last minute race duties.
On Saturday morning, each competitor had to check-in their bikes and other equipment they'll need when they transition between different events at Independence Point.
Some athletes are also making last-minute repairs on their equipment. Fintan Lyons, from Ireland, had to make a pit-stop at the Terra Sports cycling shop to fix some unexpected tire trouble.
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Athletes set up equipment for Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene
June 26, 2010
Athletes competing in the 2010 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene spent Saturday working on a few last minute race duties. KXLY4'S Jeff Humphrey reports.
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"I've got special tires and special tubes and I still got flats, a second one. I had a lot of confidence until 10 minutes ago but my nerves are on edge right now," Lyons said.
Jerry Wayne traveled from North Carolina to north Idaho for his first Ironman. On Saturday, he headed to the Fleet Feet tri-store to pick up and new swim cap for a little extra insulation.
"The swim this morning was a little breezy, little choppy. Hopefully it will calm down by tomorrow," said Wayne.
Water temperatures in Lake Coeur d' Alene were sitting at a chilly 61 degrees Fahrenheit just one day before the race. The cold weather was making 11-time Ironman winner Lisa Bentley worry about the conditions.
"I didn't expect it to be quite that cold. I planned to stay in an hour and only made it 35 minutes. It's a bit cold for me today," Bentley said.
Away from the busy crowds of Ford Ironman Coeur d' Alene, cyclists will face some of their toughest challenges all by themselves. They have a 112-mile bike course, which is like pedaling from Spokane to the far side of Moses Lake, and with too much wind or heat, the ride will make the hills north of Hayden, Idaho seem that much steeper.
"There's hills up north, luckily we're done all the hills and we feel good about it," Wayne added.
Racers like Shiggy Ichinomiya of Los Angeles say they also appreciate the warm welcome they've received from the Coeur d' Alene community and race organizers.
"These guys are professionals, they have everything covered here and I trust them completely," Ichinomiya said.
Many of the competitors have brought along their own cheering section. Gordon Baker made the trip from San Francisco just so he could show support his 26-year-old daughter Teri.
"She's been training hard for a year, biking every weekend, running , it's just incredible," Baker said proudly.
Organizers say security guards will be posted in the staging area overnight to protect the collection of road bikes with an estimated value of two million dollars.
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