Ironman repeat

No wonder Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene is Viktor Zyemtsev’s favorite race.

The Ukrainian resident became the first back-to-back Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene champion Sunday in the tightest finish in the fifth annual race, as he earned $14,000 out of the $50,000 purse. Zyemtsev finished in 8 hours, 33 minutes and 32 seconds, holding off Tom Evans of Penticton, B.C., by 62 seconds.

Zyemtsev won in 2005, the last time the professional men raced at CdA in what’s considered the U.S. Championship event. That year, he crossed the line 10 minutes sooner.

He pointed to one thing and one thing only as the reason his time was slower Sunday. The new 112-mile bike course – much of which meandered through a hilly but scenic area near Hayden Lake – made the race much more challenging.

“It was more difficult for me today,” Zyemtsev said through broken English.

Zyemtsev came over from Ukraine last month to train near Los Alamos, N.M. He said training at altitude was especially beneficial in the final leg of the event Sunday, the 26.2-mile run.

As it turned out, Zyemtsev needed the first 23 miles to pull even with Evans, who reached the bike-swim transition with an eight-minute lead.

Zyemtsev cut into the lead by five minutes through the first half of the marathon. By the time he reached the final turnaround on Lake Coeur d’Alene Drive, he was within shouting distance of Evans.

It’s at that point that the longer-legged Zyemtsev decided to see how much gas he had left. By the time the leaders reached the 23-mile mark, they were running side by side.

Evans knew the race was all but over.

“I felt very in control this race,” Evans said. “I really minimized my rough patches. When he caught me, I had more in reserve because I sort of had a feeling he would (catch me). It’s just he came by at such a fast pace, I just could not stay going like that to the finish line.

“The legs just fell apart with about a mile to go. He took off. He’s got those long legs and he turns them over fast. I couldn’t match it.”

The slower time didn’t bother Zyemtsev.

“For me, most important (that I won); the time is not important,” he said.

It was like de ja vu for Evans, who had a similar lead over Zyemtsev in last year’s U.S. Championships at Lake Placid, N.Y. Zyemtsev came from behind in the final mile to knock off Evans.

“I raced as well as I could have,” Evans explained. “I don’t think I could have done anything different to go even a minute faster. I have absolutely no regrets. The only person I can control is myself, and I did everything to maximize my performance. I just got beat by a better guy.”

Evans came out of the water among the early leaders. So his strategy was to stay with them through the first lap of the bike and then put the hammer down and build a lead in the second lap.

“I did everything as planned,” Evans said. “It was just that Viktor was a bit stronger. I knew he was the guy (to beat). I said it before the race … this is the sixth year now where he (Zyemtsev) hasn’t lost an Ironman race in June or July. To knock him off that pedestal is nearly impossible.”

Michael Lovato of Boulder, Colo., the inaugural winner at CdA in 2003, finished third (8:40:39). He said a poor second lap in the swim was his undoing.

“You rarely win or lose the race on the swim, but I really felt like I lost mine on the swim,” Lovato said. “I lost a ton of time right there and was never able to come back from it.”

The competitors awoke to chilly weather and choppy water for the 2.4-mile swim. But as the day wore on, the temperature proved to be perfect for racing – contrary to the low 90-degree temperature participants have battled in recent years.

“The run was absolutely perfect,” Lovato said. “I’d say that’s ideal running conditions.”