Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: Part Two

Are you thirsty for more?  You're in luck because I have more photos from CDA for you.

Welcome Dinner
Two nights before the race we attended the 'Welcome dinner' where the MC gets up on a podium and gets all the athletes psyched up about the race.  They play a video and loud music while everyone loads up on pasta, salad and cannolis and then they have all the athletes stand up for various categories such as: oldest racer, youngest racer, first time racers and finally, number of Ironmans completed.  The winner for 'most Ironmans completed' was a Canadian gentleman, around 55 or 60 years old, who had completed 120.  Not to mention, his wife, also about 55 or 60, had completed over 50.  Crazy Canadians! Very impressive.  They even had the mayor of Coeur d'Alene, who wears a Harley Davidson vest, give a speech.

Did I mention yet that Will's parents came? Here they are!

CDA mayor

 

Sure sign of a triathlete -- wears a visor.


Day Before Race
1. Buy extra cartridges: check.
2. Buy aero-bottle cage: check.
3. Buy new tire for bike: check.
4. Buy neoprene booties: check.
5. Buy extra socks: check.

See a pattern?  It takes a lot to get ready for this huge event, but once we finally got all the necessary racing items, we checked Will's Kuota into transition and said a little prayer.

Pre-race ride.

Note vest: please see below.



Driving the bike route.

It takes a lot to be an athlete in this race, but it also takes a lot to be a supporter!  Mr & Mrs E and I had a lot of cheering items to make and take around the course including, but not limited to: a maraca, cow bell, multiple signs, whistle and air-horn.  Luckily Will's dad had taken a liking to wearing a vest when he travels because it has lots of pockets (see above photo).  It's kind of like wearing a giant fanny pack...I think he might be on to something.

Note: Will's nickname is 'Poop' and for the record,
he did not poop himself.

Race Morning: 140.6...Here we come!
We woke up at 4:00 am on Sunday morning to 60 degree weather, sunny skies and smooth water! The prayers worked...we had the warmest day and smoothest water of all week.  Will got body-marked with his numbers then we headed back to the resort to relax before the race started.

The swim start was the craziest, scariest (for me) part of the race.  Over 2,600 athletes crowded on the beach in matching wet-suits and green and pink swim caps, making it virtually impossible to tell them apart.  Once the cannon went off, they dove into the water to start their 2.4 mile swim.  They all start at once and just swim all over each other to find their own space, then after 1.2 miles, they exit the water, run around a timing mat, and get back in for lap number two.  I was able to relax a bit after I saw Will run around the timing mat after his first lap, thanks to the binoculars Mr E had in his handy vest.

First pro out of the water, under 50 minute swim.

View of the swim from our room.

After Will finished the swim and ran through transition, we cheered for him on his way out for his 112 mile bike ride.  The course was two loops so we got to see him multiple times on the bike.  We'd scream, ring our cow bells, wave signs at him, then schlep to the next place on the course to wait for him to come by again.  Providing encouragement is a full-time job.  Mr E named me 'Lead Sherpa' because I would lead us from place to place, then pick him out on the course as he came by.

Lookin' good!



Mr E's vest...I spy a water bottle,
 whistle and a rain jacket in the back!

On to the marathon.  It was also two loops, so we got to see Will quite a few times.


Looks like Mr E had some money in one of those pockets and
bought some ice cream on a 'sherpa' break.

 

Starting loop two, still looking great! 
Will is the guy running on the right.

And....the finish!  We were in the bleachers set up by the finish line, but it's so crowded that you can't really see who's coming down the shoot until they are almost at the line.  It was just under 13 hours, and we hear the MC yell 'We have two athletes coming, last ones trying to make it under the thirteen hour mark.  Will Eidson from Dallas, Texas...come on down!'  So we start screaming as loud as we can and there comes Will, last one to make it across the finish still in the 12's.  We bolt down the bleachers and go find Will, who is having his medal put on and photo taken as an Ironman finisher!

Congratulations, Wil!

Will is an Iron-Man!

I'm exhausted!  This post is getting to be very lengthy, hope you are still reading.

Farragut State Park
We took a nice sight-seeing ride in northern Idaho the day after the race.  Mr E used to take a train across the country from, Georgias absolutely beautiful.

Where's the vest???!!!

Farragut!

I spotted two deer!

I should note that we saw a deer and a baby deer (fawn) in town one day and the baby was so cute!  Then when we were at Farragut State Park we saw two more.  Plus, Will said on the run course he saw a deer run out of the woods and jump OVER a woman running the race!

The final stop on our trip north was a visit to a town called Sandpoint.  It's about 35 miles south of Canada. Very quaint and cute.

That's it...next day, packed up and headed back to Dallas.  It's depressing to go from 70 degrees to 100 degrees but it's always nice to be home.