SHS grad Hadley competes in last Ironman
COEUR d’ALENE — Being from the surrounding area of Coeur d’Alene, the one thing you can prepare for when competing in the annual Ironman event is the course itself.
What you can’t simulate is the record high 105-degree temperature that hit the area on Sunday afternoon.
Not an excuse — they’re still Iron tough — but a little melted for sure.
Coeur d’Alene’s Derek Garcia, who finished seventh in last year’s event, finished ninth in 8 hours, 58 minutes and 55 seconds, just 58 seconds off his seventh-place finish in 2014.
“I knew from the get-go today that it was going to be important to temper the effort,” said Garcia, who finished his fifth Ironman Coeur d’Alene. “Anytime you go just a little harder than you want to, you pay for it.”
Coeur d’Alene’s Brian Hadley — a Sandpoint High graduate whose parents own the Paint Bucket in Sandpoint — switched jobs over the course of the past year, and finished 140th overall in 11:07.16.
“It was a grinder today,” Hadley said. “And we knew it was going to be one coming into the day by the forecast this week.”
Hadley, who finished fourth overall in the 2011 Ironman Coeur d’Alene, said that Sunday’s race was his final Ironman.
“Actually, I’m kind of done doing it,” said Hadley, 43. “My job that I used to have (as a manager at Center Partners), I had more flexibility to train more. Now (as a marketing and media strategist), I’m working harder, and I like working harder and not being super intense about this and doing it anymore. It gives you a lot of respect for those that are doing it in the same constraints, but I’ll officially say this is my last one.”
Sagle’s Keith Hertel, who finished the swim in 1:00, just 14 seconds off of Hadley’s pace, and the bike in 5:25, a strong time just nine minutes behind Hadley, did not finish the marathon portion. Hertel is a veteran of Kona, so he was no stranger to heat, which took their toll on everyone.
Andy Potts didn’t just beat out his fellow Ironman competitors during Sunday’s race.
He beat scorching temperatures as well.
Just minutes after Potts, 38, crossed the finish line Sunday the temperature did what it was expected to do all day — crossed into triple digits. Before the day was over, the temperature would reach 105 degrees, the hottest Coeur d’Alene temperature recorded in June since records started being kept in 1895, leaving everyone involved in Ironman seeking relief from the heat.
“I think everyone deserves a medal today because it’s a cooker,” Potts said to the crowd before using three water bottles to take an impromptu shower.
Potts, who won Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2010 and 2014, captured the 13th annual event for a third time, distancing the rest of men’s professional field by nearly 20 minutes. Potts won with a time of 8 hours, 20 minutes and 44 seconds - five minutes faster than his winning time of 8:25.44 in 2014.
TOP 10 FINISHERS
1, Andy Potts, Colorado Springs, Colo., 8:20.35. 2, Callum Millward, Havelock North, New Zealand, 8:41.12. 3, Stephen Kilshaw, Victoria, British Columbia, 8:43.04. 4, Trevor Wurtele, Kelowna, British Columbia, 8:46.38. 5, Barrett Brandon, Fort Worth, Texas, 8:47.29. 6, Trevor Delsaut, Cozumel, France, 8:47.29. 7, Pedro Gomes, Scottsdale, Ariz., 8:53.15. 8, Matt Russell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 8:57.34. 9, Derek Garcia, Coeur d’Alene, 8:58.55. 10, Jonathan Shearon, Tucson, Ariz., 9:02.01.
1, Heather Jackson, Bend, Ore., 9:23.27. 2, Amanda Stevens, Boulder, Colo., 9:40.16. 3, Kim Schwabenbauer, Knox, Pa., 9:50.19. 4, Amber Ferreira, Concord, N.H., 9:58.53. 5, Katy Blakemore, Denver, Colo., 9:59.18. 6, Leslie Dimichele-Miller, Reston, Va., 10:02.29. 7, Tamara Kozulina, Lvov, Ukraine, 10:09.29. 8, Sarah Graves, Ballantine, Mont., 10:18.18. 9, Alyssa Godesky, Baltimore, Md., 10:18.38. 10, Anne Basso, Nice, France, 10:21.24.