THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A major jump for former Coeur d'Alene soccer standout Kohles

As a Coeur d’Alene High graduate and Coeur d'Alene native, Devin Kohles has always had an appreciation for the Ironman Coeur d’Alene event.

Whether it be watching the full event or half, as a kid or an adult, it was always one of the events that was a must-see.

“It’s always a major event in town,” Kohles said. “I’ve always been a wannabe athlete. My dad (Derek) did a few Olympic-sized triathlons and it always seemed like a cool thing to do. It was always something that I wanted to do and Ironman Coeur d’Alene was something that was always on my to-do list and try it.”

ON SUNDAY, Kohles, 27, will not only watch, but he’ll compete in this year’s Ironman 70.3 in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

“I’ve kind of been training on my own a little bit with the swim,” Kohles said. “I’ve been a little bit of a biker and runner. In March, I got a coach and plan to compete. I work out at the Bio Performance Institute in Post Falls. I’ll go and sit in a warm and cool chamber for a few hours, then do some strength and conditioning work with trainer Justin Knight.”

His training was delayed a little due to a back injury suffered playing soccer, a sport he played at the varsity level at Coeur d’Alene High for three years, graduating in 2015.

“I had a lingering back injury and it really put me out of activity for three to four days,” Kohles said. “I had to hold off on doing anything for a few days, which was right when I should have been doing my longest workouts.”

The course will start with a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike ride and concludes with a 13.1-mile run.

“The swim will probably be the most difficult for me,” Kohles said. “With swimming, you want to go fast, but that’s really not what this is about. I live right downtown, so it’s a lot easier to get out on the bike or run course. I haven’t ran the full thing or anything like that quite yet. I did ride out to the end of the bike course to get an idea of how that will go.”

TEMPERATURES ARE expected to be in the mid-80s for Sunday’s race.

As for his expectations, Kohles hopes to finish within 5 to 6 hours.

“I definitely want to finish under 6,” Kohles said. “If it’s 5 ½ or 6, that’s what I’m looking for. I’m figuring the swim should take 45 minutes, then 3 ½ for the bike ride and the run should be a little under two hours.”

It will be the first triathlon that Kohles has attempted.

“I don’t think any of my friends think I’m crazy for trying this,” Kohles said. “Actually, it’s kind of on brand for me. I haven’t had any of them come out and want to bike or run with me with the idea that they want to get into it too.”

Kohles, who works for Columbia Electric Supply, said he gets up at 4:30 a.m. to train for a few hours before going to work.

Kohles wants to experience this one before deciding what’s next.

“I’ll know if I want to do this again after Sunday or Monday,” Kohles said. “I’m in a training program at work, so they send me to a few different spots. I’ll be moving to Boise at the start of August, so I’m not totally sure if I’ll do the one in Coeur d’Alene again. But I might consider doing it as a destination event once a year if it works out. That’s kind of an alluring thing to me.”

THE ONE thing Kohles knows is that whether his cheering section is large or small, the people of Coeur d’Alene will be out supporting everyone at the finish line.

“My parents, manager and girlfriend will be there watching me,” Kohles said. “And I’ve invited some people from work. But whether you know someone from work or want to come and watch people suffering, people come and watch. There’s a lot of stuff going on downtown. It’s a lot of fun to go and watch.”

To compete in, that’s something Kohles is hoping to learn a lot more about by Sunday night.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @JECdAPress.