Craig Alexander celebrates at the finish line of the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Alexander set a new course record of 8:19:48. (Bruce Twitchell/ Special to The Spokesman-Review)

Craig Alexander promised maximum effort in Sunday’s Ironman Coeur d’Alene, but the two-time world champion wasn’t sure what that would be. Turns out it was the best there’s ever been in the nine-year-old event. Alexander was a little faster than the previous bike record – which was shattered by Maik Twelsiek – and shaved about a minute off the marathon record. That added up to a course record of 8 hours, 19 minutes, 48 seconds, almost 4 minutes faster than the previous best for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run. “I was prepared to give 100 percent of what I had but I didn’t know what that was,” said the 2008 and 2009 champion, who missed his planned season debut two months ago in his native Australia because of a viral infection that cost him a month of training/Dave Trimmer, SR. More here.