Mile posts: Items on Biya Simbassa, Wesley Kiptoo, Adam Fogg, Matt Hanson, Adva Cohen, Devin Allbaugh, Tyson Wieland

It's time for a recap of two weeks of racing action in this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Former Sioux City North and Iowa Central Community College star Biya Simbassa came up just short in his bid to become the winner of the 50th Falmouth Road Race in the iconic town of Falmouth, Mass., on Sunday.

Canada's Ben Flanagan pulled away from Simbassa, who now resides in Flagstaff, Ariz., in the shadow of the famous Nobska Lighthouse to claim a repeat win and a third victory since 2018 in the men's 7-mile championship. Flanagan's time was 32 minutes, 25 seconds on a hot morning. Simbassa, the reigning USA Running Circuit champion and Under Armour Dark Sky athlete, was runner-up in 32:32.

Former Iowa State NCAA 5,000-meter indoor champion Wesley Kiptoo finished fifth in 32:51. Kiptoo is in his first season as a professional with the HOKA NAZ Elite team in Flagstaff.

A day after competing in the Falmouth Elite Mile, former Drake University All-American Adam Fogg finished 31st in 36:46. Fogg is a runner with the UA Mission Run Baltimore Distance group in Maryland. More on him in a minute. Former Iowa Central standout Stanley Kebenei also competed and was 33rd in 37:44.

In the women's pro competition, former Iowa All-American Diane Nukuri, an Asics runner living in Flagstaff, was 18th in 39:21. Winner was American marathon record holder Keira D'Amato in 36:24.

The previous day, Fogg finished fourth in the Falmouth Elite Mile in 3:57.04. The British citizen picked up $1,500. The winner was Paul Ryan in 3:55.91.

Former Storm Lake resident and Buena Vista University professor Matt Hanson competed in triathlon's richest prize, the $1.5 million Collins Cup, for the second consecutive year in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Saturday. The team format backed by the Professional Triathletes Organisation features 12 male and female athletes apiece from the United States, Europe and an International team competing. Athletes from each of the three teams compete against each other over a two-kilometer swim, an 80K bike and an 18K run, each staggered 10 minutes apart.

Hanson fared better than most of the Americans, placing second in Match 11 of 12. Hanson tied the second-place finish of four other Americans. The Castle Rock, Colo., resident and Ironman Des Moines winner in June had the unenviable task of facing Norwegian and 70.3 world champion Gustav Iden, who was coming off a victory in the $1 million PTO Canadian Open on July 23. Hanson trailed Iden by only two seconds after the swim, but Iden eventually drew away from Hanson over the final 30K of the bike. Iden then broke an hour in the 18K run to finish in 3:11:32 and officially clinch the team title for Team Europe. Hanson had no problem holding on to second, finishing in 3:19:19 as Jackson Laundry of the International Team was more than 13 minutes behind him. Hanson scored an additional 1 1/2 points for the U.S. by beating Laundry by more than six minutes.

"Really happy with the swim, biked hard the first 60 mins trying to stay in contact with @gustav_iden and payed the price the last 30 mins on the bike and was fighting off cramps the entire run," Hanson wrote on Instagram. "It was the right card to play, but just didn’t have the fitness built back to hold it. A far cry better than Edmonton last month, so on the up and up."

Moving to the track, where former Iowa Central multi-time NJCAA champion Adva Cohen was competing for Israel at the European Championships in Munich. Cohen, who completed her eligibility recently at New Mexico, placed second in heat 2 of the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:39.99 on Thursday to qualify for the final. Cohen was topped by only Germany's Lea Meyer (9:39.55) in her heat.

In the final on Saturday, Cohen placed eighth overall in 9:36.84. Albania's Luiza Gega was the runaway winner in a championship record 9:11.31.

Turning now to the roads where Running Wild Elite's Becca Mallon was the women's winner and fifth overall at the Kraut Route 5K on Saturday. Mallon, 28, of Iowa City ran 18:54. Mallon is a former Davenport Assumption and Northern Iowa runner.

Dalton Rice, 24, of Davenport was the winner of the 45th Watermelon Stampede in Muscatine on Saturday. Rice ran 33:06 to easily win by 3:47.

Emily Burmeister, a coach at Linn-Mar of Marion, finished fifth overall and was the women's winner of the Palo Fun Days 5K on Friday. Burmeister ran 19:22.

Rick Pahl, 39, of Muscatine was the overall winner of the Eager Beaver 5K in Wilton on Saturday. Pahl ran 16:29 to win by 32 seconds.

Recent Wartburg College alum Frosty Lorimer captured the win at the Denver Days 5K on Saturday. Lorimer ran 16:49 to top another former Wartburg runner, Curren Matthias, by seven seconds. Lorimer is from Springville while Matthias was running in his hometown.

PREVIOUS WEEKEND: The Running Wild Elite racing team brought a large contingent to the Mines of Spain Trail Races in Dubuque on Aug. 13. RWE took the top three spots in the men's half marathon over the hilly and grassy trails. Former Pleasant Valley prep Devin Allbaugh, 32, was the winner in a new course record of 1:21:28. Allbaugh, the recent Greg Newell award winner at the Quad-City Times Bix 7. topped his course record of 1:22:41 from a year ago. He was 1:04 ahead of former Davenport Assumption graduate Dan Froeschle, 32. His brother, Steve, a former Davenport Assumption and St. Ambrose student, was third in 1:23:23. That time is fifth best in race history. Steve is 28 years old. Ross Salinas, 41, of Iowa City was a distant fourth in 1:30:04.

RWE's Kelsey Allbaugh, the recent Eloise Caldwell award at the Bix 7, took runner-up honors in 1:43:32. That time by the 31-year-old Bettendorf resident is third best in race history. Melissa Taylor, 36, of Bettendorf was third in 1:48:02, with Jordan Fullan, 32, of Dubuque fourth in 1:54:53. RWE's Kasey Zielinski took fifth in 1:56:32.

In the seven-mile race, Mike Ferguson, 36, of Davenport was the winner in 48:46. He won by more than four minutes. His time is eighth best in race history. Brooke Ferguson, 39, of Dubuque was the women's winner and third overall in 56:46. That time is No. 2 in race history.

RWE's Tim Hyde, 27, of Davenport was the winner of the four-mile race in 30:22, which is the third best time in race history.

At the Twin Lakes Triathlon in Manson, former Johnston High and Iowa Central standout Tyson Wieland dominated the sprint distance event on Aug. 13. The Runablaze Iowa athlete's time was 54:30 and exactly seven minutes ahead of the runner-up male.

Back to the roads, where Simpson College junior Louden Foster won the Adel Sweet Corn Festival 5K in 16:01. The former West Central Valley of Stuart prep won by 12 seconds over Zach Dixon, a former Earlham athlete who now runs for the Iowa State Run Club. The women's winner was ADM of Adel senior Geneva Timmerman in 19:05.

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 Biya Simbassa, Wesley Kiptoo, Adam Fogg, Matt Hanson, Adva Cohen, Devin Allbaugh, Tyson Wieland