THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: June 28, 2014

You can't say there's not plenty to be excited about locally this weekend when it comes to sports.

The 12th annual Ironman Coeur d'Alene is Sunday, starting with the swim at Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Meanwhile, across the border, the 25th annual Spokane Hoopfest 3-on-3 basketball tournament gets going bright and early today.

IT TAKES a certain kind of athlete to compete in both of these events without question.

When it comes to Ironman, you've got to train - weeks, months and sometimes years - just to be in a position to finish what they'll start on Sunday morning around 6:30.

First, they've got to swim 2.4 miles, then take on a 112-mile bike ride, and finish that off with a 26.2-mile run through the Coeur d'Alene area, concluding on Sherman Avenue.

Mentally tough when things aren't going according to plan - they've got to be that.

Possessing the ability to find that extra bit of energy to race across the finish line, when their legs don't want to go any further - they've got to find that as well.

And depending on the weather, they've got to deal with during whatever comes their way - wind, rain, heat - and not miss a step.

However it happens, it will take a lot of guts to get it done.

More than some can imagine.

HOOPFEST ISN'T the grind that Ironman is, with some teams only having to win once today to advance to the final day of play on Sunday.

Then again, if a team wins twice, it has to got to go through at least four games to win a championship, something that's no picnic, should the weather heat up.

I've been through the grind of Hoopfest on a few occasions, and it's nothing like your ordinary basketball game.

You call your own fouls, and in most cases, almost have to be bruised or injured for the other team to actually believe it.

The biggest hurdle in my case was not getting hurt, whether that was an ankle or knee.

And a lot of the time, no matter how in shape I was, it didn't take long before I was seeking out the first aid tent.

Most of the teams that will take to the streets this weekend in Spokane are those that have played a few pickup games here and there over the past 12 months and the last time they've taken the court.

YOU REALLY can't go wrong with taking a few minutes and watching either event.

At Hoopfest, it's another chance for some to hold onto past glory on the basketball court.

With Ironman, they might be chasing a whole lot more than that.

And you really can't go wrong watching either this weekend.

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]