Ironman Coeur d’Alene was the first triathlon event I ever watched back in my early years as a triathlete in college. I still remember watching the agony on the faces of competitors, and strangely, I thought to myself, I wanted to know what it felt like.
Fast forward to this season, and I had built the first half of my year around racing CDA for the first time. I had completed quite a few Ironmans, and know what that pain feels like, but there were still many unknowns. The season had begun slowly for me this year, with mediocre placings at several half distance races, and the questions would arise as I trained: Was I doing things right with this plan of Kona qualification and patience to build into the back half of the season? Could I win another big race? Self doubt is ever-present in my life, but I always try to channel it into something positive… fear-based motivation might be a good way to describe it.
So, I pressed on in my training in Boulder, had a glimpse of speed despite an uncharacteristically bad swim in Boise, and tried to take care of the details: Train hard, eat well, wear my recovery boots and compression gear, get regular massage, sleep well. The signs began to show up in training as I completed strong bikes, runs, swims, and lifting sessions. My strength coach drilled me on the mental side of things and forced me to be in the mind of a winner. The pieces were coming together, and suddenly it was race week.
My girlfriend Kelsey has been a big part of my success over the past couple years, and she again came through, driving my gear to Idaho as I took a one-way flight. Having everything you need leading into a race like this makes all the difference and gives such peace of mind. I even packed the espresso machine! I also must give a huge shout out to my incredible homestay at the Hutter Hotel. Sue, Mike, Chloe, and Peter all made my family feel welcome and took spectacular care of us. One thing they didn’t do was manage the weather, as it rained for 3 days before the race, but you can’t have everything. In fact, it turned out to be a little blessing and a bonus taper as my coach put it. I try not to stress about the things that are out of my control, so I did a couple short swims, runs (including a fun Zoot run from Fleet Feet), and one ride. Not my normal lead-in, but sufficient.
Race morning saw heavy fog on the lake, but miraculously it lifted only 20 minutes before we started. This was the first event to showcase Ironman’s new SwimSmart initiative, so the professional field took to the water at 6. When the cannon sounded, I found myself swimming right next to Bryan Rhodes. This was where I wanted to be, so I settled into a draft behind him and tried to relax. When we came through halfway on the beach run, I realized we were slightly clear of TJ and a couple others, and I was still comfortable. Things were starting off right.
Exiting the water in 3rd, I took off on the bike in search of the lead. I wanted to ride my own race in practice for Kona, so I didn’t push way beyond what I thought was reasonable, and let the others chase. By about 30 miles, I saw that TJ and Viktor had closed the gap from the swim, but I stayed within my numbers and ended up pulling away from TJ after about 45 miles. It was the last time I would really see anyone near me, but it’s always better to be in front if you have to be alone.
Off the bike I had a solid 4:30 lead over TJ, and more importantly, 10+ on Viktor. I went out smooth and felt like I had to work to hold back on my pace. The body was operating perfectly, so I just locked into 6:25 miles and stayed on top of nutrition. Honestly, I never really felt in true distress, even though the final miles always hurt. To come down Sherman with all the crowd cheering, and then to see the clock showing that I would easily eclipse Craig Alexander’s course record was beyond words.
Coeur d’Alene was my fourth Ironman title, and third in a row, and it was just as sweet as the others. To take a win on home soil is always a great feeling, and to secure points for Kona this October completes my goals for the race. Even though the season started a little slower this year, I feel confident and ready now for the back half, and think that it will actually be a boon come October.
As always, I have to take a minute to thank my incredible support network, as Ironmans are not won solely by an individual’s efforts. Thank you to Kelsey and my family who traveled far to watch and support, the Hutter family for graciously letting us into their home, to my coaches Elliot, Peotr, and Wolfgang. To my training partners, massage therapist, Marcos, and countless other people who gave their support, before, during, and after the event. Finally, to all my sponsors who allow me the freedom to pursue my dream of racing at the highest level. I simply could not do this sport without all the help from Zoot, Specialized, Volkswagen, Clif Bar, Zipp/SRAM, Tender Belly, Infinite Monkey Theorem Wines, SportPump, Fuelbelt, and Oakley. Their backing is truly invaluable.
After the race, I enjoyed a great little road trip home, camping in Glacier National Park, mountain biking in Montana with old friends, and just taking my time getting home. Now it’s time to relax a little more with some light training before building into the second half of my season at Xterra Mountain Champs, Boulder 70.3, Timberman 70.3, and possibly REV3 Branson before Kona. Thanks for reading, and see you down the road…