Kassie Parker’s run of 2026 wins and appearances atop the WEEKEND UPDATE appear unabated.
The third-year professional runner captured the title of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, on Saturday, June 20. The seven-time Loras College NCAA champion knocked six seconds off her personal best for the 13.1-mile distance after running 1 hour, 10 minutes, 16 seconds.
The Waverly resident, 26, established the ninth-best time in Bjorklund race history, which was part of the 50th Grandma’s Marathon that day, while winning by 1:19 over Madey Dickson, 30, of Herriman, Utah.
Parker, in leading off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes, continued a stellar 2026 racing season. The Crown Running athlete who prepped at Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) was coming off a victory at the USATF 4 Mile title in Peoria, Illinois, two weeks earlier. It was her first USATF title. Parker also pocketed a win in the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, Washington, on May 3 while becoming the first American woman to win at the event since Colleen De Reuck in 2002. Parker ranks second in the USATF Running Circuit standings.
Several other ties to Iowa also had standout races in the featured marathon from Two Harbors to Duluth. Sammy Rotich, second in this race ago in 2:12:44, settled for fourth place overall this time in 2:13:04. Rotich, 39, is a past Dam to Dam and IMT Des Moines Marathon winner who resided in the Des Moines metro area in the past.
Former Spirit Lake and Northwestern College star Will Norris, fourth at this race in 2025, ended up fifth this time in 2:13:08. Norris, 31, captured the 2025 Twin Cities Marathon title and now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Sioux City North grad Merga Gemeda, 26, of the Minnesota Distance Elite squad made a strong marathon debut. The Minnetonka, Minnesota, resident clocked 2:15:12 for 12th overall. Former Cornell College athlete Aaron Davidson, 26, of Flagstaff, Arizona, came across the finish line in 17th place in a new best of 2:16:02. His previous legal best for the distance came in Duluth in 2023, when he ran 2:16:13. Former Johnston resident Stan Linton, now based in Tampa, Florida, also posted a new best. Linton, 32, was 23rd in 2:18:06, beating his 2:18:19 effort from Duluth in 2023. Former Morningside University All-American Garret Ehlers, 34, of Sioux City took 46th place in 2:24:46. Ehlers is an assistant coach with the Mustangs.
Former Johnston and Luther College runner Malachi Thompson, 24, of the Fitness Sports Distance Project ran a debut marathon of 2:27:04 for 53rd overall. He lives in Johnston. Runablaze Iowa athlete Max Hand, 24, of West Des Moines was 21 seconds behind Thompson in 55th place.
Runablaze teammate Adam Bohach took more time off of his Iowa all-time masters (40 and over) record for the marathon while taking 59th. The South Winneshiek and Luther College grad ran 2:28:01 to trim 10 seconds off his record set at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in 2025. Bohach, 41, resides in rural Cresco.
Running Wild Elite’s Cade Baker, 25, of Tiffin set a new best for the marathon of 2:29:34 while coming in 66th. Tom Altier, 26, who competed for Johnston and Luther College, ran 2:30:07 for 67th. He resides in Minneapolis. Former Simpson College NCAA 10,000 champion Spencer Moon, 25, of the FSDP squad took 72nd in a new best of 2:30:32. Moon is a former South Central Calhoun prep. Former Mount Mercy runner Jacob Blackmon, now with the FSDP team, came in 115th in 2:38:02. Blackmon, 28, lives in Cedar Rapids. The winner was Amanuel Mesel, 35, in 2:11:21.
The top Iowan in the women’s marathon field was former Pella High and Central College 3,000 steeplechase NCAA runner-up Caroline McMartin. The Driftless Distance Project runner, 24, now in Iowa City ran 2:45:08 in her debut marathon. Sami Corman, 25, of Iowa City was 31st in 2:46:52. Corman competed for Georgetown. Melanie Hamilt, 31, of Iowa City set a big personal best in the marathon of 2:47:11 while finishing 33rd. The Runablaze Iowa athlete ran for Georgia State.
Former Sioux Center and Dordt University athlete Jen Van Otterloo, another Runablaze competitor, set the No. 2 time for Iowa masters women. Van Otterloo, 40, of Sioux Center ran 2:47:37 for 35th. Teammate Pasca Cheruiyot, the 2014 Grandma’s Marathon winner, was 42nd this time in 2:49:58. Cheruiyot, 39, lives in Ankeny. Crown Running’s Casey McDermott, 37, was 44th in 2:50:23. McDermott attended Newton and Drake University. Drake University 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 record holder Emma Huston, 31, came in 67th in 2:56:09. The ex-Des Moines Roosevelt athlete now lives in Portland, Oregon. Runblaze’s Camryn Pacholski, 26, of Dubuque established a big best for the marathon of 3:00:34 while ending up 86th. Pacholski ran for Bellevue and Loras College. The winner was 2024 marathon Olympian Dakotah Popehn, who became a three-time champion after crossing the finish line in 2:28:51.
Ex-Davenport Central and Loras standout Mason Tope, 30, of the Crown squad was the top Iowa native in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon men’s results. The Flagstaff, Arizona, resident ran 1:05:41 for 12th overall. Former RWE athlete Mike Gille, 26, now in Roscoe, Illinois, was 19th in 1:06:55. Former Wartburg College and Liberty High runner Jack Kinzer, now with the Driftless group, was 20th in 1:07:10. Kinzer, 23, lives in Waverly. Next to finish was former MDE squad member Kevin Lewis, now living in Spirit Lake. The ex-Ottumwa and Iowa runner, 32, ran 1:07:18.
Former Wartburg and Cedar Falls High athlete Michael Goodenbour, now with the Driftless squad, ended up 25th in 1:07:49. Goodenbour, 23, lives in Waverly. Former Grand View University and Cardinal (Eldon) standout Trevor Albert, 27, of Marion came close to a new PR. The FSDP athlete ran 1:08:05 for 26th. Runablaze’s Tyler Lance, 30, of Algona crossed in 1:08:25 for 31st. Wartburg senior-to-be Caden Kueker, who prepped at Waverly-Shell Rock, ran 1:10:25 for 38th. Pleasant Valley grad Parker Huhn of the Driftless team ran 1:10:29 for 39th. Huhn, 25, lives in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The winner was Acer Iverson, 24, of Roseville, Minnesota, in 1:01:15.
Shifting back to the women’s half marathon competition, where ex-Marion and Iowa competitor Madeline Block, 26, was 17th overall. The Marion resident ran 1:19:03. Flannery Cerbin-Bohach, 39, of rural Cresco and a Runablaze athlete was 25th in 1:21:25. Cerbin-Bohach attended Luther College.
The Night Run Des Moines, created by the Riproar group that puts on Dam to DSM, made its debut on Saturday, June 20. Runablaze athlete Phil Young, who owns the Fleet Feet stores in Des Moines and Davenport, took the victory in the 10K that offered different course challenges in 32:14.06. Young, 40, resides in Davenport. Zachary Niederklopfer, 22, of Ankeny was runner-up in 34:33.22. Niederklopfer competed for Des Moines East, Hawkeye Community College and Des Moines Area Community College. Ray Quiroz, a former Columbus Junction, Indian Hills Community College and Grand View runner, was third in 35:29.70. Quiroz, 32, lives in Des Moines.
The women’s mile offered stiff competition. Ex-New London and Wartburg standout Lexi Brown, 23, held off former Southeast Warren runner Elise Wieland, 25, by 1.52 seconds. Brown, an FSDP athlete now in Waverly, ran 5:24.19. Wieland, a Runablaze representative living in Des Moines, ran 5:25.73. Former Loras athlete Hannah Weiss, now an assistant coach at Drake, was third in 5:30.31. Weiss, is 36. FSDP’s Addy Carlson, another former Wartburg runner based in Waverly, took fourth in 5:52.38. Aubrie (Fisher) Vander Wilt, 24 and another FSDP team member and ex-Wartburg runner based in Waverly, was fifth in 5:58.82.
Wartburg sophomore-to-be Luke Hagenberg took victory in the men’s mile in 4:28.48. He is a Des Moines Christian product. He topped former Iowa Central Community College athlete Karim Achengli Benmouais, 33, of Urbandale by 8.37 seconds. Achengli Benmouais competes for Runablaze. Teammate Tyson Wieland, a fellow Iowa Central runner who attended Johnston, took third in 4:42.23. Wieland, 30, lives in Des Moines.
The 5K winner was Ryan Wagner, 24, of Centerville in 18:15.84.
Peter Kosgei of Ames took the win at the Trestle Hustle 10K in Madrid on June 20. Kosgei, 40, ran 34:14 to top Jon Duke, 42, of Searsboro by 1:07. His wife, Susie Duke, ran 37:57 for third overall while winning the women’s title. Susie Duke is a former Lynnville-Sully prep.
At the Heritage Days races in Rock Rapids, Kristy Harken, 46, of Ankeny was the overall and women’s winner in the 5K on June 20. Harken ran 19:08 to win by 37 seconds.
GOING BACK
Iowa junior and Pleasant Valley product Luke Knepp finished 22nd in the semifinal round of the 3,000 steeplechase at the NCAA Division I championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 10. The Hawkeye record holder was 11th in heat 1 in 8:45.72. The winner ran 8:24.39 as 12 advanced to the final.
“Luke had a spectacular outdoor season scoring big points at the Big Ten Championships, breaking the school record multiple times and qualifying to his first NCAA championship,” Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody said in a university news release. “Luke just ran out of gas tonight and didn’t have enough to get to the finals, but I’m so proud of how well he competed this entire year.”
The Iowa State women finished with their best team finish at any NCAA Championship in program history. The Cyclones finished sixth overall with 30 points on the strength of freshman Mercyline Kirwa’s upset win in the 10,000 in 31:54.88 on June 11 and then a runner-up finish in the 5,000 in a new best of 15:13.72 on June 13. The 18 points by Kirwa ties for the most individual points by any Cyclone woman at the event.
Fellow Cyclone freshman Betty Kipkore also was fourth in the 10,000 final in 31:59.72 and fourth in the 5,000 final in 15:14.43. It was the first time the Iowa State women cracked the top 10 outdoors since 2010.Kirwa was chosen as the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Her coach, Jeremy Sudbury, earned Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year.
Ex-Davenport Assumption and Iowa standout Mallory Lindaman picked up a runner-up finish at the LA Grand Prix Women’s 800 C final on June 13 in Los Angeles. The Iowa City resident ran 2:02.60, not far off her personal record, while trailing Michaela Meyer by .77 of a second.
Two-time Olympian Karissa Schweizer took fifth in a stacked women’s 5,000 A race on June 13. The Dowling Catholic product who now competes for the Nike Swoosh TC squad ran 15:11.19. She was the third-best American. Fellow American Parker Valby won in 14:39.88.
The following day, ex-Iowa Central runner Adva Cohen of the Under Armor Dark Sky team in Flagstaff, Arizona, was ninth in the women’s steeplechase. The six-time NJCAA champion who competes for Israel ran 9:50.10. The best time was 9:11.72.
Former Iowa State All-American Festus Lagat of Kenya competed in the Dream Mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway. Lagat ran 3:49.46 in a race won in 3:48.21 by fellow Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot. Lagat was just .53 of a second off his best from Eugene, Oregon, last year.
Former Iowa State All-American Festus Lagat of Kenya competed in the Dream Mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway. Lagat ran 3:49.46 in a race won in 3:48.21 by fellow Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot. Lagat was just .53 of a second off his best from Eugene, Oregon, last year.
Wieland, the ex-Johnston and Iowa Central athlete, won the shortened Pigman Olympic Duathlon in Palo on June 14 that was originally scheduled to be a triathlon. Wieland, 31, finished the run and bike event in 1:45:17.2 to win by almost eight minutes over Taylor Cox, 32, of Iowa City. Fellow professional triathlete Sarah Spooner, 34, of Marion was third overall and the women’s champion in 2:01:31.1.
Adam Gray, 18, of Cedar Rapids won the Sprint Duathlon in 1:03:31.0.
At the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum 5K on June 13, Wartburg junior-to-be Solomon Zaugg was a winner in 17:02. The Mediapolis grad ran 17:02 to win by 27 seconds.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Kassie Parker, Sammy Rotich, Will Norris, Adam Bohach, Jen Van Otterloo, Mason Tope, Phil Young
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
