Dad’s an Ironman

Dad’s an Ironman

The elite athletes were fading memories as 4-year-old Mitchell Ward of Spokane and his big sister, Madison, 5, stood in the middle of Sherman Avenue in downtown Coeur d’Alene, offering high fives to Ironman participants nearing the end of the marathon, the final leg of their ordeal.

The two little children, only waist-high to most of the runners, stood with military stiffness by the yellow-painted centerline, their right arms horizontal even if the next runner was still a full block away. Some runners broke their rhythm to offer a hand-slap in return, others shuffled past as the finish line, suddenly becoming real two blocks ahead, consumed their attention.

Some runners even smiled at the cute kids in colorful shorts and sandals. Mitchell and Madison never changed their expressions, which were as solemn as only children can be when they are doing something important in a grown-up world.

They were waiting for Dad.

Long minutes passed. Nearly an hour. It was about 5:30 p.m. when a bobbing dot of red two blocks away caused a stir along the sidewalk at Third and Sherman. Jennifer Ward, Mitchell and Madison’s mom, passed the word: He’s coming! Other members of the family – aunts, grandparents – clustered into the street and began to bounce with anticipation.

The red dot became Scott Ward, plugging along doggedly in red Spandex. Head down. Fists up. Aching his way through the final moments of the triathlon. Suddenly there were shouts of joy, a knot of happy people in the middle of the street calling his name and two little kids holding wooden sticks attached to cardboard signs that said “Good job Dad.” Is it some mirage?

He reached out, touched one of the sticks, kept going. As he started into the next block it hit him and, still one full block away from the finish line, Scott Ward raised both his arms skyward in happiness. This was no mirage. The rest of his family was hurrying to gather their things and rush to meet him when the finish-line announcer’s voice floated up the street: “Scott Ward. You are an Ironman!”

Firefighters to the rescue

Why do firefighters wear red suspenders? So other firefighters can recognize them at the airport. At least it would have helped Coeur d’Alene Fire’s Deputy Chief Jim Washkocq find Ben Schloegelcq at Spokane International Airport the other night.

“I was looking for some tall big guy when Ben goes walking past in a beanie. I thought, is that Ben?” Washko said. Ironmen come in all sizes.

The 26-year-old Schloegel, a firefighter from the Kansas City suburb of Leawoodcq, is small and wiry, but he recently turned pro and on Sunday finished ninth in Ironman in nine hours, 28 minutes.

On a first-year pro’s budget, “I’d be staying in homeless shelters,” Schloegel joked as he nursed leg cramps and munched a slice of cheese pizza after finishing the race. Schloegel had called the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, explained his predicament, and was put up in a lovely cot at Fire Station 3.

“Firefighters are a brotherhood,” Washko said.

“I can tell you the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department has absolutely stellar guys. They definitely deserve their props. They may be slow, but they are really good guys,” Schloegel said interrupting his praise to grab his leg and ululate “Ooooo! Craa-aamp!”

He goes back to work Wednesday and says he has a bigger worry than sore legs.

“They gave me a little bunk at Station Three. The (alarm) tones go off right in my room but I’ve slept through every tone so far,” he said. “I’ve got to get back in training. I can’t sleep through tones — or I’ll be back out here permanently,” he said.

Sights and sounds

The following tidbits were heard or seen Sunday along the Ironman course:

“ Besides the early morning thunder, lightening and rain, Ironman got off to a rough start for some volunteers. A call came over the scanner at about 6:27 a.m. that the portable outhouses in the transition area at City Park didn’t have toilet paper. “I’ll get someone on it,” the respondent said.

“ “I’m sorry. What was that,” said a cyclist who was disappointed the crowd wasn’t loud enough at the corner of Lakeside Avenue and Northwest Boulevard at about 11:50 a.m.