COEUR d'ALENE - When Tony and Danielle Parks signed up for the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2011, it wasn't exactly under ideal circumstances

He was in a wheelchair, having torn his ACL at Hoopfest in Spokane.

"I didn't know how bad it was when I signed up," said Tony, who would have surgery a few weeks later.

"I wheeled him into the tent to register," said Danielle, who admitted to being a little nervous at the idea of being in Ironman instead of watching.

As they stood in line that day, Tony recalled that his wife asked more than once, "Are you sure about this?"

They were - kind of.

Tony, a two-time Ironman, said the only way he would do another was if he and Danielle did it together.

Danielle wanted to try after being inspired by watching others finish. She wasn't sure, however, if she could complete the 140.6-mile swim, bike and run.

"She was kind of on the fence," Tony said. "I said, 'I'll tell you what. If you do it, I'll do one more with you.'"

Sunday is go time.

They're tossing aside the doubts, the worries, the second-guessing.

"I'm excited to be on the beach with her and go through all that anxiety together," said 32-year-old Tony.

His recovery from the knee surgery had been going well. Had been.

"I just recently re-tore the meniscus, so the race is kind of up in the air for me right now," he said.

Another surgery is scheduled July 5.

Tony can swim and bike, "but running is pretty painful," so he plans on taking lots of ibuprofen.

The manager of the Boardwalk Marina vows to be there when Danielle finishes, even if it means he doesn't.

"If I need to bow out so I can make it to the finish line in time to see her finish, then that's what I'll do," he said. "It would be nice if I can keep pace with her and we can cross the finish line together. That's the ultimate dream is for us to be able to cross together."

"That's definitely what we went into it thinking," 25-year-old Danielle added. "If you're going to spend all this time, you might as well do it together."

Married 2 1/2 years, the Parks decided Ironman would be good for their marriage - a change from their other hobbies, boating, snowboarding and wakeboarding.

But training together has been a rarity, what with Tony's aching knee. Danielle has pushed on alone most days, and she admits it hasn't always been what she calls fun.

"I really have struggled. I personally have gone through a lot of ups and downs," said the petite, 5-foot-4 blonde, who has completed the Coeur d'Alene Triathlon and run two half marathons. "I definitely have come home crying many times, 'I don't want to do this anymore. This is hard.'"

That's where the 6-foot-1 Tony's experience made a difference.

"He was always really patient with me. Since he's been through it, it gave him a better way to deal with me," said Danielle.

Tony has endured his own trials.

Just a six days before Ironman in 2007, he hit a deer while biking around Hayden Lake. The accident shattered his helmet and left him with a fractured rib, sprained knee and a concussion.

Still, he finished.

But this year's painful knee has left him mostly sidelined, with minimal biking and even less running.

"There's nobody who did less biking than me. I have no business making it to the finish line, honestly," he said, chuckling. "I'm counting on a lot of adrenaline."

His best advice for Danielle?

Relax on the swim.

"That start is the most awesome experience in life, really, but when you get out there and you really freak out, it will pass," he said. "When you get out there in that black water and you've got all those people around you, it's a different feeling."

"You told me to take it easyish on the swim and the bike. My strength is the run, so give it everything on the run," Danielle quickly added.

Tony is confident his wife will do well.

"She's trained more for this race than I did for my previous two combined," he added.

OK, bottom line, has Ironman been good for their marriage?

"Yes, I'd say so," Tony said. "It's a healthy lifestyle."

"It hasn't hurt it in anyway," Danielle said, nodding in agreement.

"Tony has pushed me to do things I would have never done, so it's caused me to grow in way I never thought I would have."

The adversity along the way, they agreed, made them stronger.

"It's brought out new parts of us and they're only going to make us better," he said.

Tony even recommends Ironman to his married friends.

"I think anybody should do it once," he said, smiling. "The smart ones will only do it once."

Danielle, sitting next to him at the Boardwalk on a sunny afternoon, listened at first.

"I don't know, though," she finally said. "I'll have to see how I feel after race. It feels good to work hard for something like that."

She hesitated, then added, "I don't know if I'd recommend it, necessarily."