Potts, Jackson win Ironman CDA 70.3

Heather Jackson receives a kiss from her husband after winning the women’s portion of Ironman CDA 70.3. Click on photo arrow above to see Andy Potts crossing the finish line to win the men’s division. (Jake Parrish/Coeur d’Alene Press photo)

The first Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene triathlon fit both Andy Potts and Heather Jackson like a cool, snug wetsuit on a warm Sunday morning, thank you very much. Potts turned a two-second deficit coming out of Lake Coeur d’Alene and a 15-second deficit coming off the bike into a 55-second advantage at the halfway mark of a 13.1-mile run. The 2004 Olympic triathlete who finished fourth in the 400-meter individual medley in the 1996 Summer Olympics won with an overall time of 3 hours, 54 minutes, 45 seconds and held off Australian Josh Amberger (3:56.49) for his 26th career 70.3 title.

Both Potts and Jackson tacked on another victory in Coeur d’Alene, with Potts having won three full Ironman triathlons here (2010, ’14, ’15) and Jackson winning her first full one in Coeur d’Alene last summer. The 39-year-old Potts, from Colorado Springs, Colo., ran down the final half-mile with his arms spread wide like an airplane, before he jumped through the white banner and into the arms of his wife Lisa, son Boston and daughter Sloane/ Bruce Bourquin , Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.

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Question: Did you watch any portion of Ironman 70.3 Sunday?