COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Chris Leiferman could have sat Sunday’s Ironman Coeur d’Alene out.
Then again, it’s a story that his daughter, Levi, might appreciate when she gets older.
Leiferman, from Boulder, Colo., won his fifth Ironman title, and first in Coeur d’Alene in a course record: eight hours, six minutes and 42 seconds, breaking the record set by Sam Long by a little over a minute (eight hours, seven minutes and 40 seconds).
It was also his first Ironman since his daughter, Levi, was born last Wednesday.
“It was my wife’s idea to come here,” Leiferman said. “The qualification for Nice (France, where the World Championship will be held Sept. 10) is coming up. And Lake Placid is the last event, so with mechanical things and bad races, she said to ‘go, and get it out of the way. And if you have a bad race, you can make up for it at Placid.’ This was her idea, and I kept reminding her it was her idea.”
Leiferman finished the 2.4-mile swim in 53 minutes, 27 seconds; the 112-mile bike ride in five hours, 15 minutes and 48 seconds; then concluded the 26.2-mile run in two hours, 49 minutes and three seconds.
For a full list of all the winners, visit our news partners, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
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