COEUR d'ALENE - Run Aid Station 1 was bursting with Ironman spirit Sunday as its volunteers screamed "Ice!" "Gatorade!" "Water!" and worked their tutus off to keep the athletes going strong.

"Run Aid 1 is 'tutu' fun," station co-captain Debi Pierce of Coeur d'Alene said with a smile.

She and her husband, Dan, have had long runs themselves - they've served as run aid station captains for nine years.

"It is everything," Debi said. "I love it, or else I wouldn't be doing it."

Debi and many of the volunteers at the station on East Lakeshore Drive near the rear of Tubbs Hill wore flashy tutus while working in temperatures that reached a record 105 degrees to hydrate and nourish the passing athletes.

First-time volunteer Robert Frey of Coeur d'Alene wore a bright pink curly wig with his pink tutu, adding a dash of comic relief to an event and conditions that otherwise were pretty serious.

"I've run two marathons, so I know what they're going through. Well, I know one-third of what they're going through," Frey said. "It's fun. I'm happy that these guys and gals can do this. It's amazing."

Debi said volunteering is as rewarding as it is emotionally fulfilling because the volunteers are the helping hands that lift the athletes to achieve their Ironman dreams.

"You cry, you get hugged, I've been kissed," she said. "When it's late at night and there's somebody that's not a pro that comes through, they are just so appreciative. They're probably walking, their feet are probably blistered beyond belief, and you're there to say, 'Good job, you're going to do it, just keep going,' and they'll tell you, 'Thank you,' and you know that they mean it, that we are helping them to their goal."

On average, about 3,500 volunteers assist with Ironman on race day, but that doesn't include the countless others who help out in their own way. The number of spectators may have been down a bit because of the heat, but those who did come out made up for it.

"We love Ironman," said Liz Wilson of Coeur d'Alene.

Wilson stood on the curb in front of her house, which is along the route, and sprayed runners with her garden hose to cool them in the midday heat.

"It seems like they speed up when they see us," Liz said. "We invited more people over because we love cheering."

Wearing their swimsuits and shades and rocking the positive energy, Liz and her husband, Jeff, were thrilled to do their part in helping the racers along.

"We're just trying to brighten their race, just one little part," Jeff said. "We want Coeur d'Alene to be the best Ironman, we want them to know that we're the best town so that they want to come back and do it here."

Just around the corner, 10-year-old Ashton Loken of Coeur d'Alene set up his own free drink station for the runners and the spectators.

"I decided to set up a lemonade stand so the Ironmen could come have something cool to drink," he said. "When some other people ran by, they got cooled down too. It feels pretty good to help people. I feel good to help the people and they come by when they're too hot."

Sprinklers, misters, hoses, squirt bottles and every thinkable water apparatus was in use in the residential neighborhoods along the route as volunteers and civilians alike cheered and cared for their Ironmen and Ironwomen. Some people dressed up, some blasted upbeat music, but all were sweating right alongside the athletes.

Even visitors from out of town exhibited exceptional Ironman Coeur d'Alene spirit. John Rutledge of Atlanta was in full cheering mode with a Troll Doll-type wig and gladiator costume. Many of his colleagues from the Atlanta Tri Club also wore crazy outfits as their cheered on their club's athletes.

"We did a number of signs that were individualized for everybody," he said. "We also wanted to do some costumes that were just kind of funny and unique for what this race is. We had a Mr. Potato Head out here, and because of the heat the devil, and I don't really know what I am, a gladiator or a troll of some sort."

He said his Georgia team was loving Coeur d'Alene and the weather felt about the same as back home.

"It's a beautiful little town, it's gorgeous," he said. "You can tell when a community embraces (Ironman) and when they don't, and you can tell that they do here ... I feel like the city here has really embraced it."