Gaiser qualifies for Ironman World Championship race

Scott Gaiser, 50, of Kalispell, the recently appointed interim principal at Columbia Falls High School, placed second in the 50-54 year-old age group in the Ironman Coeur d’Alene event on June 24 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

He finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run in 10 hours 38 minutes and 43 seconds and placed 151st out of about 2,600 entrants. By placing second among the 184 competitors in his age group, Gaiser qualified to compete in the Ironman World Championship to be held Oct. 13 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Three competitors from Kalispell also competed in the Coeur d’Alene event — Mark Fischer, 37, Daniel DeSouza, 18, the youngest male in the event, and Jose DeSouza, 50.