IRONMAN COEUR d'ALENE PROS: New dad, new record

COEUR d’ALENE — Chris Leiferman could have sat Sunday’s Ironman Coeur d’Alene out.

Then again, it’s a story that his daughter, Levi, might appreciate when she gets older.

Leiferman, from Boulder, Colo., won his fifth Ironman title, and first in Coeur d’Alene in a course record: eight hours, six minutes and 42 seconds, breaking the record set by Sam Long by a little over a minute (eight hours, seven minutes and 40 seconds).

It was also his first Ironman since his daughter, Levi, was born last Wednesday.

“It was my wife’s idea to come here,” Leiferman said. “The qualification for Nice (France, where the World Championship will be held Sept. 10) is coming up. And Lake Placid is the last event, so with mechanical things and bad races, she said to ‘go, and get it out of the way. And if you have a bad race, you can make up for it at Placid.’ This was her idea, and I kept reminding her it was her idea.”

Leiferman finished the 2.4-mile swim in 53 minutes, 27 seconds; the 112-mile bike ride in five hours, 15 minutes and 48 seconds; then concluded the 26.2-mile run in two hours, 49 minutes and three seconds.

“I knew right away that the bike was going to be good from the get-go,” Leiferman said. “Unfortunately (defending full Ironman Coeur d’Alene champion) Sam (Long) had a flatty, and I was hoping to be able to work with him on the course. I think with the dynamics of the race, it would have been a lot different had he been there, but that’s racing sometimes. I just had a good bike today and held on during the run.”

Normally thinking out a race beforehand, Leiferman didn’t have time to even do that this time around.

“I was lying in bed last night and remembered that I’d never visualized the race like I normally do,” Leiferman said. “I’ve been pretty distracted this week because there’s been a lot more important things going on in my life. I was stewing in bed last night and got crap sleep, so this kind of took a back seat.”

But make no mistake, it was still just as big as the other titles he has won.

“I think this will be a special one,” Leiferman said. “But this one is going to have an asterisk next to it for sure.”

As for breaking Long’s record, it was something that Leiferman was content with.

“The longer you’re out there, the more painful it is,” Leiferman said. “So I just wanted to get the pain over with. The record, it’s cool and when Same won it two years ago, it felt like it was 150 degrees. But crossing the finish line first is all that matters.”

Matthew Marquardt, who finished runner-up, was on Leiferman’s heels for most of the bike but finished in eight hours, eight minutes and 49 seconds.

“I think we were both in a whole lot of hurt,” Marquardt said. “But he just had a little bit more than me and that’s how it goes sometimes. He put down an incredible bike and really made us all work. I wish I had a little more to catch him, but I kind of ran out of runway. But I’m new to the sport and still learning.”

The top three male and female professional finishers qualified for the World Championships, with the women’s race Oct. 14 in Kona, Hawaii.

Marquardt, who is a medical student at Ohio State University, had previously qualified for the World race.

“It was just about getting into rhythm today,” Marquardt said. “There’s a lot of work we need to do, and I need to improve my training a little bit. I think my bike needs a little bit of work as well. I do a lot of my work on a trainer (bike), and need to get on the road a little more.”

For Jodie Robertson’s first win since 2017, she had to overcome an illness and a lead from three-time Ironman Coeur d’Alene Haley Chura.

“When I started on the run, I had to manage some stomach stuff, and it took a while to get going,” Robertson said. “I really wanted to wait until I thought my stomach was good to go where I kind of kicked it in. In my first lap, she was still three minutes ahead of me, but I was able to catch up.”

Robertson, who grew up in Long Island, N.Y., is an elementary school band teacher.

“There were no songs going through my head today, which I was OK with,” Robertson said. “I was so focused on a few words throughout the day today. It was just a really good day today.”

The top 10 professionals shared portions of the $100,000 race purse, with winners receiving $15,000 and second place receiving $9,000 and 10th place receiving $1,000.

TOP 10 MALE PROFESSIONALS — 1, Chris Leiferman, Boulder, Colo., 8:06.42. 2, Matthew Marquardt, Cincinnati, Ohio, 8:08.49. 3, Justin Metzler, Glenview, Ill., 8:23.29. 4, Adam Feigh, Grand Junction, Colo., 8:24.31. 5, Dylan Gillespie, Bozeman, Mont., 8:32.48. 6, Matt Russell, St. George, Utah, 8:34.01. 7, Robby Webster, Scottsdale, Ariz., 8:36.29. 8, Jameson Plews, Brandon, Manitoba, 8:41.28. 9, Isaac Diaz, Carlsbad, Calif., 8:42.44. 10, Tripp Hipple, Denver, Colo., 9:08.02.

TOP 10 FEMALE PROFESSIONALS — 1, Jodie Robertson, Long Island, N.Y., 9:07.31. 2, Haley Chura, Bozeman, Mont., 9:17.29. 3, Melanie McQuaid, Victoria, British Columbia, 9:22.03. 4, Ai Ueda, Kyoto, Japan, 9:23.58. 5, Jen Annett, Penticton, British Columbia, 9:25.00. 7, Danielle Fauteux, Kamloops, British Columbia, 9:41.41. 8, Holly Smith, Clearmont, Fla., 9:55.11. 9, Brittany Vocke, Oceanside, Calif., 10:15.49. 10, Elizabeth James, Dallas, Texas, 10:29.57.