Mile posts: Items on Karissa Schweizer, Hillary Bor, Shelby Houlihan, Tyler Jermann, Joe Freiburger, Tyson Wieland Josh Yeager

Lopping more than 30 seconds off your personal-best time is nothing to be disappointed about. And neither is finishing ninth in the world.

That's what Iowan Karissa Schweizer did during the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday. The former Dowling Catholic prep star and current Bowerman Track Club athlete chopped 31.51 seconds off her previous best for the 10,000 meters in placing ninth in 30:18.05 on her now home track at Hayward Field. Schweizer leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Schweizer, who won the USATF national championship in 30:49.56 to qualify for this event, ultimately couldn't match the closing burst of evental winner Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, Kenya's Hellen Obiri and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan, all African runners, in the final 600 meters. Gidey ran a world-leading 30:09.94 to hold off Obiri by .08 of a second. Kipkemboi was the bronze medalist in 30:10.07.

"I am proud of myself for this one," Schweizer wrote on Instagram. "I stuck my nose in it and hung on like crazy. It was a tough one out there today, but I had fun and came through with a huge step in the right direction."

Most importantly for Schweizer, the Urbandale native becomes the third-fastest American in history. Schweizer trails only Molly Huddle's 30:13.17 and her BTC teammate Elise Cranny's 30:14.66 on the all-time U.S. list. Schweizer supplanted her current coach, Shalane Flanagan, off the American list. Schweizer was 12th in the Tokyo Olympics 10,000 in 31:19.96 before having surgery on her Achilles in October.

"I feel like I kind of missed the move in the last two laps," Schweizer told the Eugene Register-Guard. "I just felt like with two to go there was going to be a big push in that group. I kind of got lost behind someone else that fell off and before I knew it I missed the move. "I felt like I had the speed. I feel like I was definitely in the best shape of my life, so I was just really happy to go out there and if the best shape of my life means ninth, then that's what it is today. I hope that every year I can keep improving on that."

Schweizer runs in the first round of the 5,000 meters on Wednesday night.

Late Monday night in the men's 3,000 steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships, former Iowa State All-American Hillary Bor finished eighth in 8:29.77. Bor and a cast of about 12 other runners were in large pack with about 400 meters to go after a pedestrian pace. When the pace finally cranked up, Bor couldn't keep up and finished nearly five seconds behind reigning Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali's 8:25.13. Bor was the second American, behind only sixth-place Evan Jager's 8:29.08. The winning time was the slowest ever at worlds. The previous worst was 8:15.16 from 2001.

Bor, who finished fourth, second and third in the 3,000 steeplechase at NCAA nationals for Iowa State from 2008-2010, auto-qualified for the final by placing third in the Heat 2 of the first round on Friday. Bor, a HOKA athlete based in Colorado Springs, Colo., ran 8:20.18 in that race. Bor trailed only Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma (8:19.64) and Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto (8:20.12), who was third in the final Monday.

Not making it to the final of the women's 3,000 steeplechase this Wednesday was former Iowa Central Community College great Adva Cohen. Cohen, running as Israel's champion in the event, placed 12th in Heat 3 on Saturday afternoon in 9:44.74. Cohen lost contact with the leading group about halfway in and finished almost 30 seconds behind Kenya's Celliphine Chepteek Chespol's 9:16.78.

Turning now to the roads and a star-studded field in the University of Okoboji Half Marathon race on Saturday in Okoboji. Sioux City native and 11-time USA champion in track and field and cross country Shelby Houlihan captured the women's title and placed third overall in 1:16:18. Houlihan is serving a four-year ban for testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone from a Dec. 15, 2020 urine test. Houlihan is a Bowerman Track Club athlete and teammate of Schweizer's who holds the American record in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters.

Placing second was former Dordt College and Unity Christian prep Jen Van Otterloo in 1:25:20. Van Otterloo is a Runablaze Iowa athlete who resides in Sioux Center. Gabby Skopec, who completed her junior season at Iowa, was third in 1:27:45. Skopec is a former Iowa City West athlete. In fourth was Jennifer Vande Vegte of Sioux Center in 1:32:08.

The men's winner came down to a duel between former Iowa State runner Tyler Jermann of the Minnesota Distance Elite team and recent Wartburg College graduate Joe Freiburger. Jermann held off Freiburger for the win, with both having 1:11:14 times. Freiburger is an eight-time American Rivers Conference champion and a former Western Dubuque prep who is moving to Oregon to join the BTC Elite next month. Former Dowling Catholic runner and current Runablaze athlete Jason Thomas was third in 1:20:27.

The men's triathlon had an equally exciting finish, with Runablaze's Tyson Wieland holding off course record holder Taylor Huseman by two seconds. Wieland owned the lead for most of the bike leg until Huseman went past him on the way to the fastest split over the 18-mile bike. Wieland recaptured the lead in the transition point and took $300 for the win and a new course record of 1:16:10. The previous course record was 1:21:50.

The women's winner was Katrina Tennapel in 1:34:42, 2:02 ahead of Lucy Borkowski.

The men's 10K winner was Iowa Central student Ayenew Devany in 32:36. Devany defeated former Wartburg College runner Caleb Appleton of West Des Moines by 30 seconds. Appleton is a Runablaze athlete. The women's winner was former pro steeplechaser and current UC Santa Barbara cross country and track coach Shayla Houlihan. Houlihan, sister of Shelby, ran 40:41 to top Algona native Ashlin Young by 53 seconds. Young runs for Minnesota State.

Iowa Central student Zinash Valen, who is from Owatonna, Minn., was the women's 5K winner in 19:43 and was second overall.

At the Hopkins Raspberry Run 1-mile race on Sunday in Minnesota, former Center Point-Urbana and Drake runner Josh Yeager finished runner-up to his Minnesota Distance Elite teammate. Yeager, a Minneapolis resident, ran 4:02 while his MDE teammate, Colin Abert, set a new course record in 4:00.

Shifting briefly back to the track and the Sound Running Sunset Tour #3 event held in Los Angeles on Friday. Former Iowa State All-American Festus Lagat finished third in the men's 1,500 in a big new personal-best 3:34.65. Lagat is a Under Armour Mission Run Baltimore Distance athlete. The winner was recent Illinois runner Jonathan Davis, running unattached, in 3:33.81.

Also in the meet, former Ballard of Huxley prep star Abby Kohut-Jackson topped four other finishers to easily take the title in the 3,000 steeplechase by more than nine seconds. The Big Ten champion with Minnesota who is headed to medical school at Saint Louis University ran 9:52.43. Kohut-Jackson owns a best of 9:41.20 for the event.

Former Iowa Central runner Frankline Tonui finished fifth in the men's 3,000 steeplechase in 8:33.92. Tonui is a Peak Running Elite athlete. The winner was Nike's Daniel Michalski in 8:22.56.

The 41st Clive Running Festival 5K road racewas held Saturday on the Clive Greenbelt Trail. The race got a big boost from its tie-in with the Des Moines Corporate Games as the event's official road race.

Taking the victory and representing Principal was current Simpson College junior Spencer Moon. Moon won the race, which was about a tenth long, in 16:06. Moon is a former South Central Calhoun prep who won the American Rivers Conference 5,000 title in May. Finishing a distant 37 seconds back was former Drake University runner and current Runablaze Iowa athlete Ben Jaskowiak, from Berkley Agribusiness, in 16:43.

The women's winner was University of Iowa runner Brooke McKee in 19:45. McKee, representing Zirous, is a former Johnston High prep.

Taking an impressive win at the Solon Beef Days on Saturday in Solon was former University of Iowa student Brooke Slayman. The native of Fort Worth, Texas, was the women's winner and fifth overall in the 5K race in 17:27. Slayman, 33, is now a resident of Solon who owns a marathon best of 2:42.48 from the California International Marathon in 2018.

Benjamin Devalk, 19, of Solon was the overall winner in 16:48.

At the Walcott Days 5K on Saturday, Running Wild's Becca Mallon of Iowa City was the female winner and fifth overall in 19:03. Mallon, 28, is a former Northern Iowa and Davenport Assumption athlete.

North Iowa (Buffalo Center) runner Lauren Hillesland and Lacey Wolfram of Forest City came in 1-2 with the same 19:13 time at the Puckerbrush 5K in Forest City. Hillesland was awarded the women's win.

GOING BACK: Former University of Iowa student Justin Metzler produced his debut Ironman 70.3 win on July 10 at Ironman Oregon in Salem. Metzler, who was a member of the TriHawks club while studying human physiology in Iowa City, rallied over the final seven running miles of the 13.1-mile half marathon to overtake American Marty Andrie and hold off New Zealand's Jack Moody by 41 seconds. Metzler was timed in 3:39:57.

"My 41st @ironmantri 70.3 race finally landed in victory. 41!!!" Metzler wrote on Instagram. "I hope this inspires you to keep going no matter how many times you are knocked down or how many people say it will never happen.

South Africa's Buckingham and Metzler started the run with a narrow advantage over a chase group of 10 that included Jack Moody. They found themselves leading when American Kennett Peterson, who led by 5 1/2 minutes after the 56-mile bike, pulled out in T2. Peters wrote on social media that he had planned not to run after suffering with knee pain for several weeks and no running in that time.

Metzler broke through after finishing a tough second in June to Cody Beals at Ironman 70.3 Eagleman. Nicknamed "Big Metz" and a resident of Boulder, Colo., Metzler also was just 24th at the 2021 Ironman World Championships, held in May in St. George, Utah.

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 onKarissa Schweizer, Hillary Bor, Shelby Houlihan, Tyler Jermann, Tyson Wieland, Josh Yeager, Spencer Moon, Brooke Slayman