THE FRONT ROW with Jason Elliott June 26, 2013

To compete in something like Ironman or play professional sports, you’ve got to have something in you.

Motivation and a will to succeed.

THERE WAS plenty of motivation shown over the weekend in Coeur d’Alene, and that was just the 20 or so minutes that I was able to watch.

By the time I’d started watching via the Internet around 10 p.m. on Sunday night, the course was clear of the professionals and most had long since left to go back to their hotels.

That wasn’t an option for those still on the course. Of course, they could have quit, not signed up and just stayed home and found something better to do with their time.

Not for some however, as I watched folks of all ages cross the finish line at 10:30 that night. Some friends, some folks I’ve never met and likely never will.

As irony had it, when I tuned in, both a high school friend of mine and a coworker had crossed the finish line just a few minutes apart around 10:30 — some 16 hours after starting the day with a 2.4-mile swim.

Competitors continued to cross the finish line until the midnight deadline, with only a few not making it the entire distance.

But it wasn’t for a lack of effort.

More like just running out of time.

WATCHING HOCKEY isn’t something I’ve made a habit of watching on television.

The exception might be the NHL playoffs, but even in that case, it’s difficult to follow.

On Monday, I found myself glued to the final period of Monday’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.

With a few of the games in the series going into overtime, it made watching more and more interesting as it went on.

Boston held a lead with less than two minutes remaining, but Chicago not only found a way to tie the game, but score the go-ahead goal less than 20 seconds later to clinch the series.

When the Miami Heat won the NBA finals for the second straight season, that also took a lot of good luck.

Rallying from down seven points in Game 6 to force overtime when it seemed like they were finished, then to win Game 7 a few nights later took a lot more than just luck.

BELIEVE IT or not, in less than six weeks, most teams will be starting practices for the prep fall sports season.

Doesn’t seem right, does it?

But that’s what it takes to be successful, getting as much practice before games start for real.

Without constant hours of practice, who knows where some of those athletes might have finished Ironman over the weekend.

For those that did, it seemed to have paid off pretty well.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].