Man with a vision
In the world of professional Ironman triathlons, the ultimate dream is to be a world champion.
So count the stop this week in Coeur d’Alene for Chris Lieto as one more step along the journey to fulfilling that dream.
Lieto is the reigning U.S. champion after finishing runner-up to overall winner Kirill Litovtsenko of Estonia at the 2003 Ironman USA Championships at Lake Placid, N.Y. He followed that up by placing 13th at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii last October. He was less than 5 minutes out of placing in the top five.
In the swim-bike-run endurance sport that takes anywhere from 8 to 9 hours to complete for the male pros, 5 minutes is like finishing 5 seconds behind the winner in the 3,200 meters in track. There’s work to be done, but it’s not insurmountable.
Lieto also was ranked fifth in Inside Triathlon magazine’s final 2003 world rankings. So he can see the top of the world mountain, and he doesn’t have to stand on a ladder to do so.
A win Sunday in the second annual Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene would further position Lieto as an athlete to watch among his own countrymen in a sport that’s lacked a recognizable name for nearly a decade.
“With time and dedication people can achieve almost anything you put your mind to,” said Lieto, 32, who had his breakthrough victory at Ironman Wisconsin in 2002, the year he turned pro after four years as an amateur and age-group competitor.
“In the big picture you have to be realistic and take it one race at a time. You can’t become a world champion over night. But I can see it happening.”
Not this year perhaps. His goal when he returns to Hawaii in October is to finish in the top five after coming so close last year. If he takes that step he can envision challenging as early as 2005.
“I think one of the advantages for me is the mental aspect,” said Lieto, who lives in Danville, Calif., with his wife and 9-month-old son. “I’m good at setting realistic goals and visually seeing myself achieve those goals.”
Lieto is heavily favored to win Sunday and collect the $10,000 first-place prize out of a $25,000 purse. His stiffest competition could come from himself. He’s coming off a leg injury he aggravated three weeks ago at a race he could not finish in San Francisco.
The former collegiate water polo athlete and surfer figures to have no difficulty in the 2.4-mile swim. And the leg hasn’t been a problem as he’s prepared for the 112-mile bike. The test will likely come during the final event, the 26.2-mile marathon.
Lieto, whose strongest event is cycling, hopes to build up a big enough lead on the bike so he can throttle down his pace during the run.
“The run is always difficult no matter how fit you are mainly because it comes at the end,” said Lieto, who admits his running is the weakest of the three disciplines.
Lieto is attempting something most pros avoid – doing back-to-back Ironman races in the span of a month. He’ll be out to defend his national title at Lake Placid in late July.
“You don’t know how your body will react until you try it,” Lieto said. “Some people will tell you that you can have your best races in the second of the two (back-to-back) Ironmans. So much of this sport is about recovery for the pros because your fitness is there. So it’s an experiment. I want to see if it makes me faster.”
This will be his first Ironman of the year. His previous best race was a second-place finish at the Florida Half Ironman last month. Michael Lovato, who captured the inaugural Ironman Coeur d’Alene, was third in Florida.
Lieto, who didn’t compete at Coeur d’Alene last year, is excited that his youngest brother, Matt, 26, is using the race Sunday to make his Ironman debut in his first year as a pro.
“If things go well I can see him finishing in the top 10,” said Chris, who arrived in CdA on Tuesday to spend a few days getting acclimated to the weather and the course.
Lovato, who skipped a return to CdA for a race in Germany, placed ninth at Hawaii – 2 minutes and 22 seconds ahead of Lieto.
“I see a lot of room for improvement,” Lieto said about his career in general. “I don’t see myself anywhere close to hitting a peak yet. I see myself doing (Ironmans) for a long period of time – and winning a few more races.”
Including a world title. And the journey to that end resumes Sunday.