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  • The Des Moines Register

    Mile posts: Items on Karissa Schweizer, Kevin Lewis, Merga Gemeda, Steve Froeschle, Devin Allbaugh, Elaina Biechler, Matt Hanson

    By Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register,

    11 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0M4W7s_0vCB1a1h00

    Karissa Schweizer continued her stellar summer going by competing at the Diamond League event in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Aug. 22.

    The two-time American Olympian coming off a pair of top-10 finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympics earlier this month finished seventh of 12 athletes in the rarely run women's 3,000 meters and leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

    The former Dowling Catholic star and six-time NCAA champion at Missouri ran a season-best time of 8:34.96 as Stade Olympique de la Pontaise to finish as the second-best American, behind Elise Cranny (8:25.10). Schweizer is a Nike Bowerman Track Club athlete and native of Urbandale. The winner was Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji in a meet-record 8:21.50.

    Three former Iowa collegians, all Minnesota Distance Elite athletes, placed in the top four at the Twin Cities Twilight 5K at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn., on Friday. Breaking the tape was former Iowa All-Big Ten runner and Ottumwa prep star Kevin Lewis . Lewis, 31, ran 14:22.71 to top teammate and former Sioux City North prep Merga Gemeda . Gemeda, 25, ran 14:30.49. Taking fourth was former Iowa State runner Tyler Jermann , 32, in 14:48.02.

    Two Running Wild Elite athletes picked up victories on Saturday at the ScoCo 50 and 10 trail races at Scott County Park in Long Grove. In the featured 50-mile race, former St. Ambrose and Davenport Assumption prep Steve Froeschle , 30, of Davenport was the winner in 3:23:04. Nathan Shaffer , 27, of Iowa City picked up runner-up honors in 3:37:07. Runablaze and Fleet Feet athlete Phil Young , 38, of Davenport took third in 3:40:28. Kasey (Zielinski) Froeschle , a 28-year-old RWE athlete from Davenport and spouse of Steve, was the women's winner in 4:43:41.

    RWE men's team coordinator Devin Allbaugh , 34, of Bettendorf was the men's winner of the 50-mile race. The former Pleasant Valley prep ran 58:45 to top teammate and former Davenport Assumption prep Dan Froeschle , 34, of Davenport by 29 seconds. RWE's Elliott Klauer , 28, of Bettendorf rounded out the podium in 1:04:23, with Grant Stimart , 36, of Cedar Rapids in fourth in 1:05:21.

    The inaugural Find Your Speed 10K was hosted by SingleSpeed Brewing on Saturday in Des Moines. Mitch Davis , 33, of Johnston was the winner in 34:29.8, a 5:33 pace per mile. Davis, a former Simpson College and Algona High runner, won by over two minutes.

    Sasha Gallagher , a winner at the Iowa Games 7.5-kilometer cross country race in July, triumphed as the women's winner at the Lincoln Highway Dash 5K on Saturday in Nevada. Gallagher, 29, ran 18:38.0 to finish fourth overall and just over a minute behind the winner.

    Turning to triathlon, where Runablaze's Elaina Biechler , 38, came close to winning both the women's and overall titles at the Hero Hustle Triathlon in Manchester on Sunday. The former Coe College standout from Dubuque covered the sprint triathlon course in 1:11:38 to place fourth overall. The winning time was 1:10:09.

    The Crim Festival of Races in Flint, Mich., served as the USATF 10 Mile Masters Championships on Saturday and Michael Mallon , 58, of Davenport placed sixth overall out of 88 runners in that competition. Mallon ran 59:33, a 5:57 pace. The five men finishing before Mallon were all younger, including winner Joel Conn, 40, of Okemos, Mich., who ran 52:49.

    GOING BACK: Five-time Ironman champion Matt Hanson finished 14th at the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 18. The former Buena Vista University athlete and professor completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in 7:46:45. The resident of Castle Rock, Colo., owned the 35th-best swim among the men, a 50:07 clocking. Hanson had the 17th-best bike of 4:06:16. He completed the marathon in 2:44:16, which was 14th best. The champion was Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt in 7:27:21. Blummenfelt owned the best run of 2:32:29.

    Runablaze's Tyson Wieland , 30, of Des Moines took the win at the Storm the Lake Triathlon in Storm Lake on Aug. 17. The former Johnston prep and Iowa Central Community College athlete covered the swim in 7:59.1, the bike in 28:13.4 and the run in 17:54.7 in the sprint event to finish with a 55:55.8 time. Iowa State graduate Nickolas Kraus was runner-up in 58:53.4.

    The Black Squirrel Triathlon was held Aug. 18 at Lake Manawa Beach in Council Bluffs and Anthony McDill , 30, was the champion in 1:02:28. McDill topped John Matson , 35, by 37 seconds.

    Moving back to the roads and the 47th annual Watermelon Stampede in Muscatine on Aug. 17. RWE's Dalton Rice , 26, of Davenport claimed victory in the 10K race in 33:18, a 5:22 pace. Rice is a former Clinton High and Clinton Community College athlete. Rice won by 2:40. Matthew Schneider , 26, of Waverly was the 5K winner by holding off Andrew Rompot , 25, of Coralville by three seconds. Schneider is a former Iowa City West and Wartburg College athlete. Rompot is a former Iowa City West prep. The women's winner was Nancy Foxen , 46, of Muscatine in 19:31.

    Former Luther College athlete and Maquoketa native Drew Burmahl of Cedar Rapids claimed victory at the Eager Beaver 5K in Wilton on Aug. 17. Burmahl, who won the Solon Beef Days 5K earlier this summer in 15:50, ran 15:52 this time to top former Cornell College athlete Tigue Snider by 22 seconds.

    Wyatt Schmidt , a past winner of the John Deere 5K in Waterloo, won the event again on Aug. 17. The former Northeast (Preston) and Wartburg athlete now living in Waverly ran 16:18.4 to win by 1:41.

    At the Extreme Quarry Run in Springville on Aug. 10, Justin Hajek , 43, of Marion averaged 5:55 per mile over the 5.56-kilometer in winning the hilly race in 20:30. The women's winner was Emily Burmeister , 41, of Marion in 22:29 for a 6:29 average.

    MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

    Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa. Listen to my podcast here: https://anchor.fm/lance-bergeson8

    This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Karissa Schweizer, Kevin Lewis, Merga Gemeda, Steve Froeschle, Devin Allbaugh, Elaina Biechler, Matt Hanson

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