Locals compete for the joy of it
JUDD WILSON/Press Hayden resident Scott Voyles gives the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene finish line two thumbs up on Sunday.
Coeur d’Alene resident Jennifer Williams comes home to the finish line at the Ironman 70.3 in Coeur d’Alene on Sunday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Chris Dohrman raises his arms in triumph at the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene finish line on Sunday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Idaho Department of Lands firefighter Cory Flesher notches a nice finish at the Ironman 70.3 in Coeur d’Alene Sunday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Hayden resident Shaun Endsley races across the finish line Sunday at the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Scott Voyles of Hayden ramps up his speed in the bicycle stage of the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene Sunday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Mike McKinney of Post Falls speeds down Northwest Boulevard Sunday en route to a 5:38:56 finish in the Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Hundreds of swimmers strive toward Lake Coeur d’Alene’s shore at the Ironman 70.3 in Coeur d’Alene Sunday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Korey Kreider, of Coeur d'Alene, mounts his bike to begin the 56 mile Ironman 70.3 bike ride on Sunday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Jennifer Williams, of Coeur d'Alene, comes across the finish line in 10th place in the female 35-year-old to 29-year-old group with a time of 5 hours, 34 minutes and 39 seconds. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — Local competitors in the Ironman 70.3 Sunday had a common motivation behind their willingness to gut out 1.2 miles in cold water, 56 miles on a bike with many steep hills, and 13.1 miles on foot.
It’s fun.
Hayden resident Scott Voyles was the first local finisher in the Sunday competition, posting a time of 4:44:31. He notched times of 39:30 in the water, 2:23:27 on the bike, and 1:27:57 pounding the pavement at a 6:40 per mile pace.
Not bad for a Sunday morning stroll.
The athlete competed in sports at Idaho Falls High School, and then came to North Idaho courtesy of the University of Idaho’s architecture program. He spends his weekdays designing and building roller coasters for Rocky Mountain Construction. The thrill-seeker wanted to stay competitive, he said, and so he took up the hobby of putting himself through what most people will never consider doing.
For fun.
Voyles said it was his 10th half-triathlon. He also has four full triathlons in his resume. “It keeps me honest,” he said.
Chris Dohrman was a multi-sport athlete at Lakeside High School, and like Voyles, he wanted to stay at his best. His friends talked him into taking up triathlons. He said he has enjoyed the sport since 2013. He posted an overall time of 5:07:03, just ahead of his down the road in St. Maries neighbor, Cory Flesher. The Idaho Department of Lands firefighter came in at 5:08:12. He did the full Ironman last year and said he was pretty happy with his time Sunday. The rugged competition is a good fit for him, he said. “It’s kinda my personality,” said Flesher.
The sport of triathlon is one of the ties that binds Hayden couple Shaun and Suzanne Endsley. The pair have competed in 10 full triathlons and more than 50 half-triathlons since 1997, said Shaun. He joked that she was trying to run him down toward the end, so he pushed hard to stay in front, finishing in 5:14:47. Suzanne said Sunday’s 70.3 required a little more work than last year’s event, but she was happy with her time of 5:16:25. They’re in training for the 140.6 Ironman Canada on July 29, and Sunday was a good warmup, she explained. She said they were glad Ironman has a presence in Coeur d’Alene. “It’s great to have this in our community.”
Jennifer Williams of Coeur d’Alene was a swimmer growing up and said the switch to triathlon was a natural transition. She competed in her first triathlon at the age of 16 and has done two full triathlons plus two or three halves. She finished in 5:34:39, not quite the time she said she was looking for, she said, “but it’s a beautiful day.”