Ironman Or Hoopfest?

In the future, athletes and spectators won’t have to make a choice between Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Hoopfest, which have been staged on the same weekend in the Inland Northwest for years. Next year, Ironman Coeur d’Alene is moving to August. However, a conversation on the Patchin, Lukens & Oso radio show during my short evening commute prompted this thought: Would I rather watch Ironman Coeur d’Alene or Hoopfest. One of the KXLY trio said he wouldn’t drive 40 miles to watch Ironman CdA because it isn’t a spectator sport. Patchin responded that the swim start of Ironman and the finish are worth the spectacle. During their discussion, I thought of the time that I enjoyed the hamburger barbecue at Coeur d’Alene Bible Church while watching volunteers hand out water to passing Ironman bicyclist. I enjoyed the fun community vibe. Ditto for the time that I rode my bike to the north end of the Coeur d’Alene Resort golf course to watch and cheer the marathon runners, with hundreds of others. I’ve also viewed the race from the finish line. My point? Ironman isn’t an easy race to watch because it’s so long and there are view overall vantage points. However, I’d prefer those snippets to watching amateurs play hoops in downtown Spokane. How about you?

Question: Would you rather watch Ironman Coeur d’Alene or Hoopfest?