Taking on a 1.3-mile swim through Lake Coeur d’Alene’s choppy waters on Saturday morning, two locals finished the third-annual Kroc Masters Open Water Swim competition ahead of the pack.

Leading the men’s suited event was Don Moravec, 66, with a time of 34 minutes. Moravec is the owner of A & D Mini Mart in Coeur d’Alene and formerly swam collegiately for the University of Idaho in the 1980s.

“It felt pretty good,” Moravec said. “It was a good race.”

The race itself began at McEuen Park, next to the Tubbs Hill Trail and Coeur d’Alene Marina. Led by race officials on kayaks, 96 swimmers took off at 8 a.m., and front crawled through moderate lake conditions until they reached Sanders Beach about 2,300 yards away.

Leading the women’s suited event was Riley Taylor with a time of 35 minutes. The 20-year-old University of Idaho student is a 2024 graduate of Lake City High School and was part of its varsity swim team when they won the state title three years in a row.

To nab her first-place triumph, Taylor said she tried not to think of the lake conditions while she swam.

“I honestly really didn’t keep my composure,” she said. “The waves were pretty brutal out there, and you’ll get lake water for breakfast.” 

Saturday’s event almost didn’t take place, according to organizer Howard Burns. Recent wildfires in northern Boundary County blew smoke toward Coeur d’Alene on Thursday and Friday, resulting in poor air quality. By Saturday morning, however, conditions improved, and the race went on as scheduled.

There were originally 115 people registered for the event, but only 96 actually competed.

“Some of them were worried about the air quality,” Burns said.

After the race, Taylor praised Moravec’s efforts.

“I’m not even mad about that,” Taylor said of Moravec finishing first. “I’m really happy that he beat me.”

Moravec reciprocated Taylor’s praise of him.

“She’s young, she can do it,” he said. “For old guys like us, it hurts.”

    Don Maravec, 66, of Coeur d'Alene, finishes the Kroc Masters Open Water Swim competition in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.
  

    Swimmers compete in the Kroc Masters Open Swim competition at Lake Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.