Ironman Coeur d'Alene is pulled off each year by a cast of thousands, and many of them aren't triathletes; they are volunteers.

When the triathlon takes place June 29, volunteers will man aid stations, direct race traffic, and help triathletes as they transition through the three athletic events that make up the 140-mile race.

Dani Zibell-Wolfe, the triathlon's volunteer director, said by midweek the organization had about 2,800 volunteers signed up for this year's event.

"We really would like to see another 800-1,000 volunteers sign up," Zibell-Wolfe said.

Volunteers will be stationed throughout the course providing food, drinks and moral support to the athletes as they swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles.

Zibell-Wolfe, in her first year as volunteer director, was a volunteer for eight years.

"It's exciting. If you want to see chaos, feel the excitement and be inspired, come volunteer," Zibell-Wolfe said.

There are plenty of volunteer jobs available, which can all be viewed online at www.ironmancda.com. Volunteers can register on the website as well.

"We have a couple of areas that are always difficult to find volunteers for," she said. "The most critical need at this time are for the bicycle and run sectors."

These are people stationed at intersections along the course, primarily in the downtown area, Zibell-Wolfe said. They make sure the athletes stay on track, that they don't make any wrong turns, and that spectators and others stay out of the way.

"We think it's really good to have a strong volunteer presence down there," she said.

The other area where help is needed is with the gear bags.

Each athlete has 3-5 bags they put their clothes in that they need for each leg of the race. They come out of the water from the swim, peel off their wet suits and put on their bicycling gear. The same happens when they move from the bike leg to the run.

The bags have to be kept in order so the triathletes can be matched up with them quickly as they transition. They're kept in numerical order, according to bib numbers.

The bags have to be re-packed with the clothing left behind, and placed back in order.

"The volunteers handle over 12,000 bags over the course of the race, organizing them and keeping them in order," Zibell-Wolfe said.

Carly Morse, a triathlete from Pullman, Wash., has been a volunteer co-captain handling the gear bags for Ironman Coeur d'Alene since 2007.

Now she's a triathlete herself. She completed Ironman Coeur d'Alene in 2010 and 2013, but this year she'll just be volunteering.

"It is just an amazing event to be a part of," Morse said. "It's just so inspiring to be a part of their day and to help them through it."