COEUR d’ALENE — The first Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene triathlon fit both Andy Potts and Heather Jackson like a cool, snug wetsuit on a warm Sunday morning, thank you very much.

Potts turned a two-second deficit coming out of Lake Coeur d’Alene and a 15-second deficit coming off the bike into a 55-second advantage at the halfway mark of a 13.1-mile run. The 2004 Olympic triathlete who finished fourth in the 400-meter individual medley in the 1996 Summer Olympics won with an overall time of 3 hours, 54 minutes, 45 seconds and held off Australian Josh Amberger (3:56.49) for his 26th career 70.3 title.

Both Potts and Jackson tacked on another victory in Coeur d’Alene, with Potts having won three full Ironman triathlons here (2010, ’14, ’15) and Jackson winning her first full one in Coeur d’Alene last summer. The 39-year-old Potts, from Colorado Springs, Colo., ran down the final half-mile with his arms spread wide like an airplane, before he jumped through the white banner and into the arms of his wife Lisa, son Boston and daughter Sloane.

“I’d like to say there’s something special in the air,” Potts said. “There’s a lot of hard work there from my preparation, Ironman’s preparation, the city of Coeur d’Alene’s preparation. I don’t know who’s out there watching the race for the first time, but my goal is to put on a great show, give it my very best out there and hopefully encourage someone who’s watching today to want to come out and race me next time.”

Mark Bowstead of New Zealand came in third (3:57.16) and he was second coming off of a 56-mile ride. Ben Hoffman of Boulder, Colo., who won the 2013 Ironman Coeur d’Alene (4:01.24) was fourth. Derek Garcia of Coeur d’Alene was ninth (4:09.55).

“I know Josh and Mark swam and ride great,” Potts said. “They made me run better than I’ve ever run before. I know they came to compete, I came to compete and I knew it was on and that I’d have a tough day.”

Amberger, who had some mechanical issues with his bicycle at the 8-mile mark, had to lay it out on the line from that point on.

“All of a sudden, my gearing just went down with 50 miles per hour downhill,” Amberger said. “I had to stop and fool around with my bike and I think the guys must have gained a minute on me and with 10 miles to go, I was holding to try and catch back up. I thought like it was over, (that I’d get disqualified). That’s a tough and honest course. Ben and Andy know this course, so I’m thrilled to come in second place.”

The Ironman 70.3 began with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene. Athletes transitioned to a 56-mile bike ride that first follows the North Idaho Centennial Trail out Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive to the end of the road at Higgens Point. Athletes turned 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.

Amberger said Coeur d’Alene definitely helped him prepare for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, scheduled for Sept. 4 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, along the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Sunday’s race alllowed 30 spots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Since Amberger lives in Everton Hills near Brisbane, Australia, he’s only an hour away.

“I think this race is about 10 weeks away from the world championships,” Amberger said. “My form’s good, there are similarities along the course, in terms of radiance, the climate, I’m looking forward to going home, it’s my home course. We (Potts and I) were basically together after the swim,” Amberger said. “We’ve done that before in the past. Andy and I were feeding off each other the whole way, the bike ride went really well, and the run was just ‘Game on.’”

Potts laid out the course strategy and how he was able to win, pushing the pedal to the metal a bit up until near The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.

“What made it fun was there was some good camaraderie out there,” Potts said. “So we wanted to take advantage of that and just slam the door shut on anyone behind us. It’s nice to see the three of us were able to hang on at the end. The way you race in the Ironman on this course is the same way I raced today ... breaking it up, not thinking about the run when you’re on the bike, not thinking about the bike when I’m in the swim. Just being in the moment, because it’s a two-lap everything, so when you’ve done one lap, why not do it again? The second lap is a lot slower, but the effort is still the same. I knew I wanted to run hard and honest, the ideal situation is you don’t have to stay just full-gas all the way to the (finish) line, when there’s a long year. The longer and harder you run in racing, the longer the recovery is. I ran pretty hard during the first 12 miles, then I was like, ‘I’m sure I’m not going to get caught. I pulled off the gas a bit, cracked a smile and realized the support out on the course.”

Jackson, 32, was 3 minutes, 35 seconds behind then-leader Haley Chura after the swim, but the resident of Bend, Ore. recovered with a bang and a 6:11 advantage after the bike ride to finish in 4:19.34, 8 minutes, 11 seconds ahead of Ellie Salthouse (4:27.44) of Carindale, Australia. Malindi Elmore (4:29:42) of Kelowna, British Columbia, came in third.

Jackson took control of the lead for good around the 20-mile marker or turnaround on U.S. 95 going from south to north, winning a 70.3 for the fifth time.

“For me to hear I was three to four minutes (off the lead) is amazing,” Jackson said of the swim. “I was so grateful today, it wasn’t as choppy as (Saturday), I was like, ‘Oh crap.’ It was a lucky day, it was calm out there. For me, three minutes is like, ‘nice, I can do that.’”

Jackson talked about how she turned the slight deficit into one of her biggest leads in a half-Ironman.

“The bike was windy out there,” Jackson said. “The bike is my strength and I just race as hard as I can and hold on for the rest. I went through some rough patches out there, I wasn’t sure where the girls were. So I got to the run and I was a little drained but I felt pretty good out there. For me, I’m building for full-distance, so for me this was awesome. The run was flatter than it was for the full, the spectators cheering gets me up even more. For 70.3s, you have to go all out and not so much all out on the bike, but it’s a different effort than the full, where you’re out there for about five hours and you’re worried about nutrition. You have to put some time in and it’s harder for 70.3.”

Potts and Jackson each received $6,000 for winning on Sunday. The second-place pro male and female each earned $3,000, third place $2,250, fourth place $1,500, fifth place $1,250 and sixth place $1,000.

Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene

Top 10

Men

1. Andy Potts, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3:54.45. 2. Josh Amberger, Everton Hills, Australia, 3:56.49. 3. Mark Bowstead, Waiuku, New Zealand, 3:57.16. 4. Ben Hoffman, Boulder, Colo., 4:01.24. 5. Luke Bell, Sandringham, Australia, 4:03.02. 6. Kennett Peterson, Boulder, Colo., 4:03.17. 7. Jonathan Shearon, Tucson, Ariz., 4:03.29. 8. Chris Baird, San Francisco, 4:05.47. 9. Derek Garcia, Coeur d’Alene, 4:09.55. 10. Robbie Wade, Westminster, Colo., 4:11.21.

Women

1. Heather Jackson, Bend, Ore., 4:19:34 2. Ellie Salthouse, Carindale, Australia, 4:27.44. 3. Malindi Elmore, Kelowna, British Columbia, 4:29.42. 4. Sue Huse, Missoula, Mont., 4:34.47. 5. Skye Moench, Holladay, Utah, 4:35.20. 6. Jen Annett, Penticton, British Columbia, 4:36.26. 7. Amanda Wendorff, Naperville, Ill., 4:37.09. 8. Haley Chura, Bozeman, Mont., 4:38.17. 9. Kelly Williamson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4:40.57. 10. Erin Spitler, Whitefish, Mont., 4:43.36.