Hy-Vee Triathlon a family affair

DES MOINES, Iowa – Greg and Laura Bennett were eating dinner Saturday night when the subject of retirement came up.

So did talk of doing something special on Sunday – and Greg seized the moment with a victory that gave the husband-and-wife duo a family sweep in Iowa.

Greg Bennett cruised to a 30-second victory in the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines on Sunday, joining Laura as champions of the event.

Bennett, 39, earned $151,500 for the victory, part of a $1.1 million purse that’s the richest in the sport.

Laura Bennett, who won in Iowa in 2007, finished an impressive fifth on Sunday behind Sweden’s Lisa Norden, who took top honors in the women’s elite race.

“To come back here four years later and have another Bennett on the trophy … I feel like I’m almost 40 in a couple of months and to put my name on such a prestigious event before I’m done gives me goose bumps,” Greg Bennett said.

Greg Bennett was technically sound during the swim and bike portions of the event and blew away the field during the 10-kilometer run.

Australian Joshua Amberger dominated the men’s swim and hopped out of the Des Moines River 54 seconds ahead of American Andy Potts. That lead didn’t last a lap of the bike race, as Benjamin Collins sprinted into first.

Collins pushed his lead to 41 seconds midway through the bikes, and by the time the athletes transitioned to the run Collins was up by a full minute.

But Collins couldn’t fight through a fractured foot any longer, and Bennett jumped ahead to stay.

The women’s race came down to a frantic finish dominated by Norden, who beat Australian Mirinda Carfrae by eight seconds.