Ironman continues to be a late June tradition in Coeur d’Alene, but for the first time in 14 years, it won’t be a full Ironman triathlon.

The city will host an Ironman 70.3 event, often called the half-Ironman, on June 26, and the full Ironman will be held Aug. 21.

More than 3,000 participants have already signed up for the half-Iron, more than typically sign up for the full Ironman. The full Ironman has been held in Coeur d’Alene every year since 2003.

“It surprised us,” said Zach Ukich, Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene race director. “We knew it would be popular because more people are willing to do a 70.3 than a full and some people use it as a warmup for the full.”

Not only is there another Ironman race in Coeur d’Alene, but the course will be slightly different than that of the full race, mainly in the run.

The Ironman 70.3 begins with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene. Athletes then transition to a 56-mile bike ride that first follows the North Idaho Centennial Trail out Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive to Higgens Point. Athletes then turn around and head back to cross town continuing on Northwest Boulevard until they turn south on U.S. 95 traveling to a point not far past Setters Road, where they turn around and return to town. The final leg of the race involves a two-lap, 13.1-mile run that goes through McEuen Park and out to Silver Beach Marina on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.

Race maps can be found at www.ironman.com/coeurdalene.

Ukich has been working with the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Association, the city of Coeur d’Alene and many more entities to lessen the 70.3’s impact on the city on race day.

One of the drawbacks of Ironman has been the road closures. Historically, East Lakeside Avenue has been closed for the majority of the race because it was part of both the bike and run courses. This left local stores inaccessible to vehicle traffic.

Ukich developed a plan to change the course to benefit everyone involved.

“Events have impacts on where they take place and we want to show that we are always willing to improve and keep the community happy,” he said. “We want to help make this event more positive for spectators, business owners, athletes and for the community as a whole.”

The run will now leave the transition station at City Park and follow the North Idaho Centennial Trail through McEuen Park. This will open up Lakeside and Sherman avenues, east of Fifth Street, by 9:30 a.m. to drivers, instead of 2 p.m., which would be the case if the original course was used.

Ukich said this change will make the course safer for athletes and more accessible to viewers. There will no longer be both bikers and runners going in both directions on the same street on Lakeside.

Also, runners will now go through McEuen Park three times during their two laps on the running course, giving spectators an easy place to hang out and cheer on their friends and family members.

“Zach has been able to work with the city, the Downtown Association and The Resort to use McEuen Park and have Lakeside open by about 9 a.m.,” said Steve Wilson, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce who has been working with Ukich on these changes. “It was his hard work that created the course and it’s a win-win for the city and athletes.”

If the route change is successful, it might be implemented at the full Ironman in August.

There are a few reasons why the city and Ironman thought it would be a good idea to bring the 70.3 race to Coeur d’Alene in June and push the full triathlon back to August.

According to Wilson, Ironman 70.3 races in Boise and western Washington failed, leaving the Pacific Northwest void of 70.3 races. He also said the World Triathlon Corporation found the largest growth component in their business was the Ironman 70.3 race. Also, Coeur d’Alene has been one of the most popular and profitable destinations for Ironman.

“Ironman has been viewed by the community as a terrific economic engine, bringing thousands of people to Coeur d’Alene to spend thousands and thousands of dollars,” Wilson said. “The Spokane Sports Commission did a study that revealed the full Ironman brought in a $7 million gain to the city.”

One complaint about Ironman in past years has been having to swim in the very cold waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Now, athletes will be spending only half the time in the lake in the 70.3 in June and by August the water will have warmed up for the full Ironman.

The city signed a five-year contract with Ironman to host the 70.3 on the last weekend in June and the full Ironman on the last weekend in August through 2020. This will be the only year the full Ironman will be held during the third weekend in August; every year after it will be on the fourth weekend.

Another part of the deal is the city doesn’t have to pay the sponsorship fee for the half-Ironman.

“There will be no cost to the city to host the half and now we have a race that has over 3,000 participants from all over the country and the world,” Wilson said. “We have people coming from France, Canada and Mexico. Two-thirds of the participants are traveling to get here and will have to pay to spend the night.”

As people come from all over the U.S. and even overseas to compete in Ironman, many say it’s the volunteers that make the race memorable.

“Our volunteers that come from all over North Idaho and eastern Washington are the most generous and incredible people that make this race what it is,” said Dani Zibell-Wolfe, Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene volunteer director. “Our race is world renowned for our volunteers.”

There are currently about 500 volunteers signed up to help at the 70.3 in three weeks. Zibell-Wolfe is aiming to get at least triple that amount for the race.

There are over 100 different positions people can volunteer for, including helping with registration, crowd control, security, body marking, helping at aid stations and keeping racers on the right course.

Ironman tries to keep its volunteers in shifts of three to five hours.

To sign up to volunteer, visit www.ironman.com/coeurdalene70.3 and click on the “Volunteer” tab underneath the big photo.

“It’s wonderful to hear from athletes that ran in Coeur d’Alene and tell stories about a great experience they had with a volunteer,” Zibell-Wolfe said. “Volunteers make this race what it is.”

“All the volunteers here are awesome. The support is different and better than other races,” Ukich added. “A great volunteer makes a great race and that’s what we have here in Coeur d’Alene.”

Athlete check-in will be Friday, June 24 from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at City Park.

Gear check-in and body marking starts as early as 4:30 a.m. on race day, Sunday, June 26. The pros will start at 6 a.m. and everyone else will do a rolling start at 6:20 a.m.

The mandatory gear checkout will be from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at City Park and the awards ceremony will be at 3 p.m. at City Park.

A traffic impact notice detailing all the specific road closures during the race will be mailed out to all residents in town along the course. It will also be available at the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce and Coeur d’Alene City Hall.