Wesley Kiptoo celebrated his new American citizenship by ensuring he is qualified for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
The seven-time Big 12 Conference champion for Iowa State finished as the second-best American at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 12. The HOKA NAZ Elite athlete now based in Flagstaff, AZ, finished 14th overall in 2:09:02, a time just off his personal best of 2:08:54 set at the Boston Marathon in April.
Kiptoo leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
Kiptoo went out aggressively on a morning when fellow American Conner Mantz set the new American record of 2:04:43. Kiptoo, the 2021 NCAA indoor 5,000 champion for the Cyclones, covered the first 13.1 miles in 1:02:20 to settle in with a chase pack. Kiptoo closed well enough to hold off fellow former Cyclone Ryan Ford, who took 15th and was the third-best American in 2:09:37.
Kiptoo became an American citizen on Sept. 2 and subsequently applied for a change of allegiance from his native Kenya to the U.S. He was granted that change before the Chicago race. Kiptoo made his marathon debut at Chicago in 2023, running 2:10:28.
Ford also had big news to share before his race Sunday. The former UT-Martin runner who finished his career with the Cyclones in the spring of 2022 signed with the On Athletics Club’s global team before the marathon. Ford will change his residence from North Carolina to Boulder, CO, where he will be coached by former 2:25 marathoner Laura Thweatt. Ford had been with the ZAP Endurance team in North Carolina.
Ford ran a bit more evenly Sunday. He went out in 1:04:06 over the first half. Ford finished 10th at the Boston Marathon in 2:08:00 in April, eclipsing his former teammate Kiptoo.
Will return to road racing soon, but switching to college cross country and the Dordt University Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 11 in Sioux Center. South Dakota State redshirt junior Will Lohr captured runner-up honors for the 8K men’s Gold race in 24:20.1, an average of 4:53.7 per mile. Lohr is a Sioux City North grad. Lohr finished 13.6 seconds behind sophomore teammate Dale Johnson and the Jacks ended up second in the team race with 40 points. Johnson set a new course record of 24:06.5, which broke former Dordt standout Joe Anderson’s mark of 24:19.
Finishing right behind Lohr in third place was Augustana University redshirt freshman Bryant Keller. The Glenwood grad ran a new best of 24:23.33 while leading the Vikings to the team crown with 30 points. Keller was named Northern Sun Conference athlete of the week.
Running sixth for fourth-place Dordt (120 points) was sophomore Trace Obbink, who prepped at LeMars Community High. Obbink ended up 42nd overall in 25:51.9, a new best by 16 seconds. Senior teammate Levi Landman was the next finisher for the Defenders in 44th in 25:55.3. Landman ran for Unity Christian and is from Sioux Center.
Minnesota State true freshman Jon Owen, who prepped Valley High, took 50th place in 26:05.9. Owen was the No. 8 runner for the Mavericks. Dakota State junior Lane Henrichs, who attended Central Lyon, ended up 57th in 26:09.9. Wayne State (Neb.) senior Brody Lucas was two spots behind Henrichs after running 26:11.2. Lucas started at Indian Hills Community College after graduating from Norwalk. Morningside College junior Eein McKinley finished 63rd in 26:13.7. McKinley ran for West Monona. Junior redshirt teammate Parker Halder was five spots back in 26:20.4. Halder ran for Spencer. Dordt senior Tage Hulstein came across the line 70th in 26:21.4. Hulstein attended Western Christian (Hull). Northwestern College sophomore Alik McIlravy, who went to North Polk, finished 75th in 26:27.4.
Two Iowa natives finished in the top 10 of the women’s 6K Gold race. Dordt true freshman Addison Liston improved 1:07 from her debut at 3.7 miles while placing seventh overall. Liston was the No. 2 Defenders finisher while running 21:32.4, a 5:46 average per mile. Liston is a former Unity Christian athlete from Ireton. Two spots behind her was Morningside senior Courtney Sporrer. The former Logan-Magnolia prep ran a new personal record of 21:39.5.
South Dakota State true freshman Nora Peterson was the No. 3 runner for third-place South Dakota State. The Alta-Aurelia grad ran 21:48.4 for 14th. Waukee High product Isabella Webb took 16th for Dordt. Webb knocked 26 seconds off her previous best by clocking a 21:49.1 time. South Dakota State true freshman Annika Larson took 32nd in 22:20.5. Larson ran for Ballard (Huxley). Junior Madison Marco was the leader for Southwest Minnesota State in 47th place. Marco ran 22:47.8. Northwestern junior Emily De Groot, who prepped at MOC-FV (Orange City), was 51st in 22:52.6. Morningside junior Gabby Ryan, a former Sergeant Bluff-Luton athlete, set a new best of 22:59.4 for 57th. Junior teammate London Rogge also set a new best of 23:10.9 for 66th. Northwestern College junior Kayden Spencer, who attended Ogden, took 69th in 23:13.6. Morningside’s Madison Sporrer, sister of Courtney, ran a new best of 23:27.5 for 86th place. Bellevue’s Grace Steinmetz took the win in 20:40.4. Dordt finished with 59 points, 31 behind champion Minnesota State.
In the men’s 8K Black competition, former Unity Christian and Dordt standout Jacob Vander Plaats of the Fitness Sports Distance Project squad took the victory. Vander Plaats ran 25:22.5. Placing 14th was Dordt sophomore Brett Gifford, a former Dowling Catholic athlete, in 26:15.6. Dordt senior Sam May, who prepped at MOC-FV, ended up 16th in 26:22.0. Freshman teammate Ethan Wynia, who ran for Unity Christian, grabbed 17th in 26:22.2. Another Defenders freshman, Western Christian grad Caleb Van Beek, was next in 26:22.8. The Unity Christian run continued with Dordt junior Jonathan Breems in 19th in 26:27.9.
In the women’s 6K Black competition, South Dakota State freshman Madalyn Childs placed third overall. The Grand View Christian grad ran 22:19.2. Dordt freshman Elyse Zwart, a former Boyden-Hull athlete, was seventh in 22:41.1. The winner, Amanda Overgaauw of Minnesota State, ran 21:59.7.
A former Wartburg College All-American continued her strong season at the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville, IL, on Oct. 11. Minnesota-Duluth grad student and senior Shaelyn Hostager, who prepped at Dubuque Hempstead, finished 16th overall in the 6K race in 21:58.2. The winner was Fort Lewis’ Hannah Hartwell in 20:45.1. Hostager was the lead runner on the 11th-place Duluth team.
In the men’s 8K, Black Hills State freshman Emmett Swartzentruber was the No. 5 runner for his team. The Mid-Prairie (Wellman) product ran 25:58.1 for 167th place.
Montana junior Truman Thompson was the No. 8 runner for the runner-up Grizzlies at the LC State Invite in Lewiston, ID, on Oct. 11. The former Iowa City High prep ran the 8K in 25:24.0 for 39th place. Montana scored 50 points, 11 behind Gonzaga.
Montana sophomore Libby Hartz was the No. 6 runner for the third-place Montana women. Hartz, who prepped at Southeast Polk, ran 18:16.0 for 5K to take 29th place.
Truman State took the women’s team victory at the Brian T. Simpson meet at Gans Creek in Columbia, MO, on Oct. 11. Finishing fourth overall among scorers was Bulldogs sophomore and former Gilbert athlete Clare Stahr. Stahr ran 19:13.0 for 5K. The top seven runners over the finish line were Missouri Running Club members.
In the men’s 8K competition, Clarke University junior Drew Pate finished 10th overall in 26:50.5 to pace the Pride. Pate is an Anamosa grad. Clarke was eighth in the team race.
The FHSU Tiger Open in Hays, KS, on Oct. 11 offered a great competition at the top between Colorado School of Mines and Iowa Western Community College. Iowa Western had the top two 8K finishers in Geofrey Ronoh (23:32.7) and Barnabas Ndiwa (23:32.8), but Mines won the team race, 59-71. Placing 78th for Iowa Western was sophomore and former Council Bluffs Lewis Central prep Kade Diercks. Diercks ran 26:56.1.
Wrapping up with the roads and the Hot Cider Hustle race in Cedar Rapids on Oct. 11. Former Clarke runner Mitchell Bilitz picked up the victory in the 10K with a 34:46 time. Bilitz, 30, won by nearly three minutes over Casey Mente, 45. Alyssa Farrell, 26, of Bettendorf was the women’s winner in 39:06.
In the half marathon, FSDP’s Chris De Groot, who ran for Dordt and now resides in Coralville, picked up second in 1:17:57. De Groot is 26. Runablaze’s Melanie Hamilt, 30, of Iowa City was the women’s winner in 1:21:42. FSDP’s Jordan De Groot, also 26, ran 1:22:04 for second among the women. John Faure, 34, was the overall winner in 1:15:11.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Wesley Kiptoo, Ryan Ford, Will Lohr, Addison Liston, Jacob Vander Plaats, Shaelyn Hostager
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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