COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Coeur d'Alene's IRONMAN 70.3 returned this Sunday.
More than 1,000 competitors took part in the 70.3 mile triathlon, which consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run.
"Ever since I was born, we were coming out here watching him. So as long as I can remember," Samuel Picicci said.
Picicci is cheering on his dad and older sister on Sunday. He and other family members wore bright pinks shirts.
Picicci said, "There's so many people that you see, and then you see the face you know, and everyone gets happy, and it's great to see them."
Coeur d'Alene has hosted full and half Ironman's for more than 20 years. It takes a village to put on, including the help of more than a thousand volunteers.
"There is no way that Ironman can do what they do without having great volunteers," Matt Ruchti said.
Ruchti has volunteered at the Coeur d'Alene Ironman every single year. He's a soccer coach at Lake City High School and brings his team with him to volunteer.
"I think it's important for our organization and our program to give back to our community and do things that can support people," Ruchti said.
The first runner crossed the finish line soon after the three-and-a-half-hour mark, the first of almost 2,000 athletes.
Zachary Bernier-Michaud took first in the men's division with a time of 3:36:32, while Karrie Stewart claimed the top spot for the women's division with a time of 4:21:28.
"Coeur d'Alene speaks for itself. It's absolutely stunning," race organizer Tim Brosious said.
Brosious says registration for the Ironman sells out year after year.
He said, "You have people who may be professional triathletes or were collegiate triathletes, all the way down to an everyday person like myself."
As for Samuel and the Picicci family, they only had to wait four hours to cheer on their first family member.
Sam Picicci has ran the Coeur d'Alene Ironman more than 10 times.
"I like the lifestyle. I like to stay in shape. I like to push myself, and I want to now pass that on to my kids," Sam Picicci said.
If you missed this year's Ironman it's never too late to start getting ready for the next one. Early bird sign-ups have already opened for next year's Coeur d'Alene Ironman. For that information, check out the Ironman website.