'World's Toughest Biathlon' yields two finishe
From left to right: Lori Powers, Bobby Powers, Beth Maley and her sister Becky Maley celebrate Bobby and Beth's finish of a most unusual biathlon Saturday in Sandpoint. (Photo by ERIC PLUMMER)
SANDPOINT — So just what does one do upon finishing the self-proclaimed "World's Toughest Biathlon?"
"I drank two cold beers, ate lunch, then went home and took a nap," answered Bobby Powers, 52, who lives in Hawaii but resides part time in Sandpoint.
Powers and Beth Maley, a 51 year-old from Portland, Ore., both swam in the 1.76 mile Long Bridge Swim, then promptly took off from Dog Beach and slowly jogged the 15 miles up to Schweitzer Village on Saturday.
The event was the brainchild of Powers, who's hoping it grows to as many as 20 participants by next year. He said the combination of the swim and run was about equal to running a marathon, and he should know, having finished 21 of them.
Both he and Maley remained separate during the entire journey, despite finishing the swim less than a minute apart and hitting Schweitzer Village only 17 minutes apart. Powers finished in 4:15, and Maley in 4:32, with each finishing the swim portion of the biathlon in just over an hour.
"I thought she was going to catch me the whole time," explained Powers.
Both took their time, keeping a steady pace while savoring the beautiful views of Lake Pend Oreille during the 2,600 foot climb up to Schweitzer. Powers said it would have been really disappointing to start, then not finish, adding that the biggest challenge proved to be mental.
"It's more about your mind than your body; your body does what your mind tells you," Powers said, mentioning two of the many inspirational stories from the Long Bridge Swim. "It's like the 87 year-old (Imre Schmidt) or the paralyzed guy (Nate Higgins) finishing the swim. That's just mental strength, not wanting to quit."
The only slight hiccup was a rather inauspicious start to Powers' run. Less than five minutes after changing from his swim clothes to his running gear, he slipped on some gravel by the gas station, finishing the majority of the run with a little bit of road rash.
He and Beth are planning to attempt the second "World's Toughest Biathlon" again next year. He's hoping more people take the fun challenge along with him, pointing to the fact that events like the Long Bridge Swim and Pike's Peak Marathon both started small before picking up steam.
Who knows, maybe next year he'll allow himself three beers at the finish.