City officials and organizers could keep a major Coeur d’Alene triathlon running for years.

Ironman is a spectacle that typically attracts thousands of athletes to Coeur d’Alene each year. Donning spandex tri-suits, they swim 1.2 miles through Lake Coeur d’Alene, bike 56 miles through surrounding terrain and finish a 13.1-mile run downtown.

Coeur d’Alene City Council, World Triathlon Corporation and the North Idaho Sports Commission are slated to finalize a three-year contract Tuesday that keeps half Ironman contests in the city until 2029.

Coeur d’Alene has established agreements for Ironman races since 2003, according to the city. 

“The proposed agreement includes past negotiated terms and has been reviewed by Police, Fire, Streets and Engineering and Parks and Recreation Departments,” Municipal Services Director Renata McLeod said in a city memo. “The North Idaho Sports Commission has agreed to the terms and is responsible for direct payments to World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).” 

The North Idaho Sports Commission is a Coeur d’Alene-based nonprofit financially supported by state grants, sponsorships and community donations. The city itself provides municipal services in exchange for NISC hosting Ironman.

If all three parties agree to contract terms Tuesday, NISC will pay WTC $25,000 each year for the next three years for the competition. In return, the city of Coeur d’Alene will provide all the necessary permits, infrastructure and emergency services to accommodate the competition.

The proposed competitions are slated for June 27, 2027, June 25, 2028, and June 24, 2029.

“Hopefully,” Mayor Dan Gookin said Friday, “it is something that people will agree to and see the benefit.”

The Ironman competition has historically caused delays and road closures, prompting the city to advise people to plan ahead when they’re in the area during the event. According to Ironman organizers, a full Ironman event has an economic impact of $16.4 million while a half Ironman is $12 million.

“It's the full Ironman that shuts down Sherman (Avenue) for a weekend,” Gookin said. 

Contract terms have changed multiple times throughout the years. In 2022, the city said it would only agree to a three-year contract if WTC paid the city’s overtime expenses for public safety on the weekend of the race, which was $28,000 for each of the next three years.

Meanwhile, the current 70.3-mile half Ironman competition was formerly a full 140.6-mile Ironman, which officially served as a qualifier for the main event: the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. 

Declining participation numbers and volunteer fatigue, however, led to the end of the Coeur d'Alene full-distance qualifier. 

More recently, the competition finish line has changed from Sherman Avenue to City Park.

“The Ironman 70.3 event traffic control plan has been modified over the years and is run very efficiently.” McLeod said in the city memo. “The movement of the finish line to the park was successful in 2026 and has been agreed upon within this agreement; this change allows Sherman Avenue to open to traffic much earlier in the day and has less time to set up.” 

The Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting is slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 702 Front Ave.