Iron Wood Throws Classic opens with elite marks in Rathdrum

The Iron Wood Throwers Center opened the 12th annual Iron Wood Throws Classic in Rathdrum on Thursday with Shelby Moran winning the women’s hammer throw at 229 feet, 10 inches and T’Mond Johnson taking the men’s shot put at 68 feet, 9 3/4 inches. Both used the opening day as a tune-up for Saturday’s Continental Tour finals, giving Kootenai County a front-row seat to throwers who usually compete on a much larger stage.

The meet has been held since 2014, and organizers say three American records have fallen there in the women’s hammer, women’s discus and women’s shot put. The 10-acre indoor-outdoor training center in Rathdrum is built around shot put, discus, hammer and javelin, and this year’s field again reflected that specialization. Athletes with collegiate and professional ties to Arizona State, Oregon and Texas State were part of the draw, while organizers said 13 countries and 11 former Olympians were represented in the Saturday lineup.

One of the meet’s defining names also remained part of the backdrop in Rathdrum. Valarie Sion set an American record of 230 feet, 2 inches at Iron Wood in August 2020, then extended it to 241 feet, 2 1/4 inches in Ramona, Oklahoma, on April 12, 2025. Payton Otterdahl summed up the meet’s identity last year when he called it “a meet by throwers, for throwers” and described the atmosphere as a family reunion.

Saturday’s schedule showed why the event carries that reputation. Hammer, shot put, discus and javelin were set to unfold across the afternoon, with $1,500 going to each event winner, $1,000 for second, $700 for third and $550 for fourth. Organizers listed the 2026 meet as a World Athletics Bronze-level competition on the USATF/Continental Tour, with world-ranking points attached and a total purse listed at $30,000 on the meet page, while an Iron Wood camp page put the purse at $25,000.

The weekend also showed a shift in the pipeline. Nike U20 Outdoor Nationals in Eugene pulled younger throwers away from Rathdrum, and Iron Wood no longer offered the high school divisions that once helped fill the meet. Even so, Moran’s 229-10 and Johnson’s 68-9 3/4 reinforced why the venue still matters: North Idaho had a specialist’s meet where elite marks, international competition and local pride all shared the same circle.