Getting pumped for Ironman 70.3
Kaitlyn Hawkins runs near The Coeur d'Alene Resort during Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene in 2017. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)
Jen Annett, right, and Linsey Corbin, left, shower first place womens Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene finisher Haley Chura with sparkling cider in 2017. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)
LOREN BENOIT/Press File Ironman athletes enter Lake Coeur d’Alene at 2017 Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene.
LOREN BENOIT/Presswomen Ironman competitors swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene.
A group of Ironman athletes bike flat ground before making the climb up Mica Grade during Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene IN 2017. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)
Courtesy photo Ricky Bustillos, 18, of Coeur d’Alene, has wanted to compete in an Ironman since he was young. Bustillos’ first Ironman will be Sunday’s Coeur d’Alene 70.3. He’ll join athletes from all over the world to swim, bike and run for a piece of the $30,000 prize purse and the chance to advance to September’s championship in South Africa.
Courtesy photo Kenneth Marker, 76, of Hayden, has the distinction of being the oldest competitor in the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene on Sunday. The race begins with a swim at Coeur d’Alene City Beach, followed by a bike ride on Highway 95 south to Setters Road and a run on the Centennial Trail and E. Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — From a young age, Ricky Bustillos imagined himself in the running shoes of an Ironman athlete.
"I've always been an athletic-type kid," Bustillos, of Hayden, said Tuesday afternoon.
He started volunteering for the full Ironman Coeur d'Alene races with his mom when he was about 13, which led him to sign up as soon as he was old enough.
That day came late in March, when he finally turned 18.
"When I would volunteer, I'd see how crazy these people are out there doing it," he said. "Triathlons always caught my eye because they're three sports."
Bustillos, a Lake City High School graduate bound for the University of Idaho, has the distinction of being the youngest participant in the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene.
"I thought it would be crazy to complete in one one day, and now I'm doing it," he said. "I turned 18, and I'm like, 'OK I’m 18 now, let’s do it.'"
North Idaho is also home to this year's eldest racer, Kenneth Marker of Hayden.
"I've been practicing and watching my times," said Marker, 76, who was also last year's oldest participant. "I'm hoping I'll do better this year, we'll see."
The retired carpenter stays busy throughout the year competing in Olympic and sprint distance races. He is also participating in the Iron Series, which requires athletes to finish the Coeur d'Alene Marathon run, the Coeur d'Alene Crossing swim and the Coeur d'Fondo biking event.
This year he is mentally prepared for Ironman, "more so than any other."
“They're just fun to do. The sprint and the Olympic distance, they don't take all that long, but then you want something more challenging,” he said. “I have a lot of friends that I train with and know ... You meet a lot of people who are friendly, wonderful people.”
The 2018 Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene will begin at 6 a.m. Sunday on Coeur d'Alene City Beach with a 1.2-mile swim for the pro men, followed by the pro women and age group rolling start. The athletes will then bike 56 miles along Lake Coeur d'Alene on U.S. Highway 95 to the turnaround on Setters Road. They'll conclude with a 13.1-mile run in two loops through the Sanders Beach neighborhoods and on the Centennial Trail along E. Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive, racing to the finish at the First Street and Sherman Avenue.
This year's competition has a diverse cross section of participants. The more than 2,100 athletes hail from 42 states — 737 of them from Washington — and 12 countries, including Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Mexico, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
“It's cool that Coeur d'Alene is on the map globally. We've won multiple awards for athlete satisfaction,” said race director Zach Ukich of Sandpoint.
The race will award a total prize purse of $30,000 and 30 age-group qualifying slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa in September.
“The tents are already going up in the park, the trailers are in, the staff is starting to come into town,” Ukich said. “It brings in a different crowd of people for the week, allows the outside world to come in and see what Coeur d'Alene has to offer... I get excited for people who haven't been to Coeur d'Alene to come and experience it.”
Organizers are hoping about 2,000 volunteers will pitch in to help the race run smoothly. Volunteers are still being accepted. Those interested can register at https://bit.ly/2MCigwR.
Ironman Village will open in City Park at noon Friday and through the weekend. The Ironkids Fun Run in McEuen Park is Saturday at 9 a.m. and the pro athlete panel at 1 p.m. Saturday on the stage of the bandshell in City Park.