Some 17 years ago the inaugural Pigman Sprint Triathlon crowned a young unknown named Tim DeBoom, and a well-known pro duathlete named Liz Downing as its first-time Champions. That other DeBoom guy (Tony) won it in year 3.

Thus was the stage set for The Pigman Sprint Triathlon to become one of the most competitive sprint races in its region.

This year, Pigman has upped the stakes, offering a total prize purse of $2,000 to the overall top five male and female finishers.  Elite, Age-group, Clydesdale and Athena athletes are also eligible for cash awards. 

As part of the legendary Midwest Multisport Series, Pigman also offers as prize drawings a Quintana Roo race-ready Kilo bike and a QR Ultrajohn wetsuit.

Last year's top Iowa finishers were Barry Breffle, 33, of Marion and Lisa Vetterlein, 29, of Des Moines. Can they repeat, and go on to represent Iowa in the Best of the U.S.? Stay tuned.