DES MOINES, IOWA (April 20, 2019) — Six titles were up for grabs at the Drake Relays road-races, the Runablaze Iowa team won 4 of them. In the 5k, Ben Jaskowiak won in 15:29, Jeff Mettler came in 2nd at 15:45, and Zach Smith 5th-place at 16:50. On the women’s side, Susie Duke finished 2nd at 18:08 and Meghan Easler 3rd at 18:27. In the 10k, Jason Thomas won in 30:46, Tyson Wieland came in 2nd at 31:52, and Ian McKenzie 3rd at 32:16. On the women’s side, Ashlyn Bagge won in 37:10. In the Half-Marathon, Zach Baker won by almost 6 minutes in 1:09:14; Baker was also the 2016 winner. On the women’s side, Angela Chaney was 4th at 1:25:50, with former team-member Ashley Tollakson 2nd at 1:22:07, 9 second out of first.
Samantha Wingert ran a 2:47 at the 123rd Boston Marathon (April 15). She went through the half in 1:20:34. Her best continues to be last year's Grandma’s Marathon, where she placed at 2:41:48. She said of the race, “Boston was overall a great experience, despite being pretty [my dissatisfaction about] my place and time.” Her training leading up to Boston was great, but a large amount of treadmill-running during the winter worked against her. “The downhills are deceptively challenging, and there are virtually no flat portions of the course. I gutted through many miles of pain and discomfort. I know all the training I put in will show itself at some point. Running a perfect race every time you toe the line isn’t realistic, nor beneficial as you learn the most from races that don’t go as planned.” summarizes Wingert. “It was such a unique and special experience starting with marathon legends, previous champions, and the best runners in the world. The crowd was electrifying, and the volunteers and countless spectators were incredible. I found myself smiling the entire race. The race will always stand out in my mind as a favorite.”
Other results: Ben Lloyd was 3rd at 16:20 at the Easter Scramble 5k (April 20, Davenport); Stan Linton was 3rd at 15:05 at the 45th Palace Saloon 5k (April 13, Tallahassee, Florida); Tim Sevcik was 3rd at 17:25 at the Doc’s Dash 5k (April 13, Iowa City), and Ian McKenzie won the Cold Run for Warm Meals 2.6 mile (March 30, Des Moines) in 14:03.
Runablaze Iowa team athletes are sponsored by: GOLD ($1,000+ yearly contribution) — Bix 7 (Davenport), ‘ole Dam to Dam (Des Moines), Fitness Sports (Clive), Fleet Feet (Davenport), IMT Des Moines Marathon, GetMeRegistered (Bettendorf), and RipRoar Events (DAM to DSM).
SILVER ($500+ yearly contribution) — Runner’s Flat (Cedar Falls) and Living History Farms Race (Urbandale), Fifth Season (Cedar Rapids). BRONZE ($250+ yearly contribution) — Capital Striders (Des Moines), Sturgis Falls (Cedar Falls), Midnight Madness (Ames), Capital Pursuit (Des Moines), Iowa Running Company (Cedar Rapids), and Corridor Running Club (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City).
About Runablaze Iowa — Runablaze Iowa athletes are based throughout Iowa. Formed in 2006, the purpose of the team is to improve post-collegiate Iowa distance running.
