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Cedar Rapids native Ian Hoover-Grinde wins world triathlon title

Sep. 18, 2016 1:15 pm
COZUMEL, Mexico — Ian Hoover-Grinde has completed an impressive triathlon sweep.
A 2016 graduate of Cedar Rapids Washington and a freshman at Iowa State University, Hoover-Grinde captured top honors in the 18-19 male division at the ITU Grand Championship age-group Olympic race Sunday morning.
Hoover-Grinde was timed in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 43 seconds in a race that featured a 1,250-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10K run.
'That was the goal I had before the season,' Hoover-Grinde said. 'I wanted to be a national champion and a world champion.
'I knew it was going to be a really tough race. I knew it was going to hurt a lot.'
Hoover-Grinde, 18, took the lead during the bike portion of the race and won by about a minute.
'For once, I was glad to get out of the water,' he said. 'The swim was brutal. The first 300-400 meters, people were pulling on my shoulders. I was swallowing salt water and swimming against the current.'
Since winning the USAT age-group national title in Omaha last month, Hoover-Grinde averaged more than 25,000 meters of swimming, 180 miles on the bike and 50 miles of running per week.
He plans to compete in a race this winter in Sarasota, Fla., but before then is a little rest, relaxation and studying.
'I'm just going to wake up and do what I want to do for a while,' he said.
Hannah Fusselman, a junior at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, was 10th in the girls 16-19 sprint-distance race on Thursday.
Ian Hoover-Grinde of Cedar Rapids approaches the finish line during the Pigman Sprint Triathlon at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area in Palo on Sunday, June 5, 2016. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)