David Thompson wins his 15th Pigman Triathlon

PALO — The word dominant doesn't do justice to David Thompson's rein at the Pigman Triathlon.

In the 25th iteration of the race, Thompson, who commutes for the race from Long Lake, Minn., took home his 15th title. He now has 15 blue piggy-bank trophies to his credit, one from each of his Pigman victories.

Thompson could move on to a race he doesn't dominate, but he said he comes back to the Pigman from the Minneapolis area because of the competition. One of his sponsors, Gear West Bike and Triathlon, is also the title sponsor of the event.

Put more simply, however, 'It's a really good race,' Thompson said.

Thompson's time of 1:02.35 was over a minute ahead of runnerup Kevin Denny of Lees Summitt, Mo. Weslie Anderson of Dubuque took third in 1:03,54. Eighteen-year-old, Cedar Rapids natives Ian Hoover-Grinde and Reece Linder rounded out the top five.

Thompson's course record stands another year, as he was just under two minutes off from his best mark of 1:00.57 set in 2013. But the veteran said he felt good considering the quick turn around.

'I maybe felt it on the bike, I wasn't able to produce the power I usually do,' he said.

Hoover-Grinde, who had goals of taking down Thompson and the course record, saw those go down with his dropped water bottle.

On the bike section of the course, athletes crossed a railroad track in a state of disrepair. The bump, at mile 3 of the approximately 15-mile bike course, loosed Hoover-Grinde's water bottle from the cage and onto the side of the road.

He went without water for the last 12 miles on the bike and said his whole stomach cramped on the 5k run. He was first out of the water and second out of the first transition, from swim to bike, before fading to fourth on the run.

He finished fourth in 2015 as well, and said the cramps cost him a shot at catching Thompson.

'It felt really bad,' Hoover Grinde said. 'My legs felt fine. My arms felt fine. My hamstrings felt fine. Everything felt fine. It was literally just cramps.

'That was it. Everything else was fine.'

Video: Training for a triathlon with Ian Hoover-Grinde

Hoover-Grinde blazed a 5:57 swim, the only swimmer under 6 minutes over the .5k swim. He lost his lead to Thompson on the transition from swimming to biking.

He said Sunday just wasn't his day.

'The swim was good. The bike was good. The run did not feel good,' he said. Hoover-Grinde and Linder are set to compete at the World Championships in September.

The race ran with almost no problems, said race director John Snitko.

'The weather report was what it was supposed to be,' he said. 'It turned out.'

The perfect morning for a race gave way to a perfect finish. At the bottom of the team results is the time for the team Parkinson's Warriors, representing the Midwest Xtreme Triathlon Club of Cedar Rapids

A swim leg by Nick Gearhart and a bike leg by Dennis Baier gave way to anchor Mike Van Horn, who was diagnosed with Parkinsons and has been unable to race. He still swims, bikes, and runs, but hasn't competed for some time. His first race was an Iron Man.

With his teammates lining the road to the finish and donning shirts to support him, Van Horn crossed the line.

'It's been four years since I've been traveling here,' Van Horn said. 'Last time I did one (in 2012), I wasn't diagnosed with Parkinsons. This one, it just feels great. I know it's not a big thing, but it's a big thing if you've got Parkinsons.

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