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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

How Safe Is Ironman?

Some parts of the wreck are foggy for Ken Marker (pictured), and other parts just aren't there. For the life of him, the 71-year-old Hayden man can't recall the moments right after he crashed so badly on his $3,500 bicycle that the handlebars bent completely around. "I hit like a sack of rocks," said Marker, whose goal to complete the Ironman Coeur d'Alene triathlon June 23 was quashed after his race-ending bicycle accident on the U.S. 95 Blackwell Bridge. "I was out cold." He eventually came to and realized event volunteers were pulling him off the course. Bicyclists raced by. Cars in the adjacent traffic lane stopped. The 28-foot-wide bridge is one of the narrowest points of the race, with two bicycle lanes and two traffic lanes taking up the entire crossing/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (Coeur d'Alene Press photo: Shawn Gust)

Question: If you had the skill and ability to complete an Ironman, which of the three legs would concern you most re: safety?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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