THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Fan or participant last weekend, give yourself a hand.

Better yet, go jump in the lake.

DON'T TAKE that last comment out of context, but if you were on the streets of Coeur d'Alene during the hottest day in history for the annual Ironman competition, you deserve to take a day on the lake, or better yet, just out of the sun.

Since the competition began in 2003, there has only been two years through 2014 when temperatures climbed to above 80 degrees. Sunday's high of 105 degrees was the highest temperature recorded here since records starting being kept in 1895.

In the case of now three-time men's champion Andy Potts, as the weather heated up, so did he.

"I thought I rode the bike really well," Potts said. "At least the first 18 miles. My swim was atrocious, but it's not a zero sum game. When you're focused on riding, you can get better on all three sports (swimming, cycling and running). I've been focusing about 90 percent on biking and running, so my swim has kind of suffered."

And if you think it was that warm on the pavement, you're fooling yourself.

Anyone that finished the race before 11 p.m. earned the medal they received at the end of the night.

Those that didn't, you shouldn't feel sad about it.

On an ordinary day, the temperatures might have been cooler, but they weren't.

No matter how much training you could have put in, the elements were ridiculous to deal with.

Competing at the top of your game, even for the weekend warriors, wasn't going to happen without some serious determination and drive to keep going.

ACROSS THE border in Spokane, the Hoopfest 3-on-3 basketball tournament brought out players of all ages and ability on Saturday and Sunday.

Preparing to play in Hoopfest is as easy as going into your driveway and getting some shots up, or even going to the local park.

But playing games, in near 100-degree temperatures, that's a different story.

"I've got a big jug of water," said St. Maries native Todd Bitterman, who played on Country Fair. "I didn't do any pre-hydration or drink water like I was supposed to the last two days. We're going to sweat and hope for the best."

After winning its first two games on Saturday, Country Fair went 1-2 on Sunday and did not reach its goal of the championship game.

The heat didn't do any favors for Why Not Us, a team made up of former Idaho men's basketball players including Post Falls native Connor Hill.

When the game began at 11:30 a.m., the thermometer had the temperature at 110 degrees at the court, with no shade to be found.

They lost that first game, before winning three straight and losing to Roadrunners in a loser-out game.

COMPETING IN events such as Ironman or Hoopfest takes a lot out of you.

I've played in Hoopfest on plenty of occasions, but it wasn't anywhere near the temperatures that we got to enjoy last weekend.

Even then, I still came home with rolled ankles, sprains or other injuries that seemed to happen.

I can only imagine how those that actually hit the streets feel a few days later.

And for that, give yourself a hand.

You made it - somehow.

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 jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.