The method to the Iron madness
Chances are, some aren’t just going to get off the couch and go win an Ironman.
It takes a lot of work, endurance and ability to pull it off.
And in some cases, a little luck.
AFTER NOT competing at Ironman Coeur d’Alene since 2011, Sarah Piampiano returned for last Sunday’s event, and finished second in the women’s professional race.
Piampiano, from San Francisco, started her weekend by volunteering for the annual Ironkids race in McEuen Park on Saturday.
“For me, the Ironkids, that’s what it’s all about,” Piampiano said. “You go out and help the kids and when you’re handing the kids their medals, it puts a smile on your face. It’s so cool to watch them on the course. And I think it’s fun for them as well because they might not know there’s professionals competing the next day and have someone to cheer for the next day.”
Piampiano added that she did some light training after the Ironkids race to prepare.
“It was earlier in the morning, so afterward I went and did a swim and kind of checked out the lake a little bit,” Piampiano said. “Then I went for a little bit of a bike ride. On Thursday, I rode the bike course to get myself ready. I stayed up by Hayden Lake, so I rode up there and kind of avoided downtown. For me, a lot of it is stress management and I tried to stay as calm as possible and remove myself from what’s going on.”
Kennett Peterson of Boulder, Colo., hadn’t finished higher than third in an Ironman before his runner-up finish on Sunday.
Had it not been for slow-leaking tire in the final miles of the bike course, who knows where he could have finished.
“I flatted with about 10 miles to go,” Peterson said. “And I almost wiped out with about a mile to go, so that’s when I knew for sure that it was flat and it wasn’t something in my head. Luckily, there was only a mile left so I was able to just ride it in. It means a lot to finish second. Andrew (Starykowicz, who finished third) is one of the best in the world. I was very fortunate to have the race that I had today.”
Peterson writes legal blogs from his home.
“I do a little bit of coaching as well,” Peterson said. “I’m kind of a writer and get to work from home, so it’s nice sometimes.”
INSTEAD OF getting back on the course as soon as possible, Matt Hanson is going to step away from competition for a few weeks.
“I’m taking a nice midseason break,” said Hanson after winning his second straight Ironman Coeur d’Alene 70.3 on Sunday. “I’m going to do the 70.3 Steelhead in Benton Harbor, Mich. (on Aug. 12), and Augusta (Ga.) on Sept. 23 as my buildup for the championship. My wife is going to compete at an Ironman in Germany, so we’re going to head over there. Instead of training, I can do my job and be her sherpa and support her when she needs it instead of the other way around. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Female champion Haley Chura of Bozeman, Mont., also won a second straight title in Coeur d’Alene on Sunday.
“Matt is such a strong athlete,” Chura said. “It’s an honor to repeat with him. We actually ride a bike from the same sponsor. I think we race differently, but are similar athletes and really believe in ourselves. And that’s a cool thing.”
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.