San Diego Biathlon : Thompson, Grant Take Easy Victories

Joel Thompson of Encinitas expected to win the Coors Light San Diego Biathlon Sunday morning. He did, handily.

Despite a mixup on the bike portion that cost him 3 to 4 minutes, Thompson finished 47 seconds ahead of runner-up Tony Reyes in 1 hour 19 minutes 25 seconds.

In the women’s division, Tonya Grant of San Diego, competing for the first time in a sanctioned endurance race, did not expect to win. She did, handily. Grant’s time of 1:31:19 was more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Laura Lowe.

Thompson and Grant are superior cyclists, which made the difference on the Balboa Park course made up of a 5-kilometer run, 30-kilometer bike ride, and a final 5-kilometer run.

Thompson, 29, finished the first running leg about 25 seconds behind front-runner Tim Gruber and Reyes. During the transition to the cycling, Reyes took the lead but soon was caught and passed by Thompson. After the first of two 9-mile loops around Morley Field and Golden Hills, Thompson was far ahead of Reyes when he inadvertently missed a poorly marked turnaround point for the second loop at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way.

“I probably rode an extra mile and a half to 2 miles,” Thompson said. “But then I passed (Reyes) again at almost exactly the same spot I caught him on the first loop.

“I had a good first run (14:45 for 3.1 miles). I was just gauging myself off Tony. He’s a better runner. There’s no doubt. But I’m a better biathlete.”

Said Reyes: “My strategy was to just stay close and catch him on the second run. He’s pretty dominant on the bike.”

Thompson and Ken Souza, who did not compete because of an injury, are considered the best biathletes in the nation. Thompson, in 3 races on the 12-race nationwide biathlon series, has 2 victories and a second-place finish.

Grant, 23, began cycling a little more than a year ago for the University of San Diego. She didn’t train for the race, other than a little jogging at the beach near her alma mater, Mission Bay High School. “My knees hurt when I run,” Grant said.

Instead, Grant rides 20-40 miles every morning and works out at night on a stationary bike linked to a computer. “I was surprised to be out front,” she said. “I kept thinking someone was going to pass me. I never enter these things, but my mom’s boyfriend said he would pay the entry fee.” A little money well spent.