Mile posts: Items on Biya Simbassa, Devin Allbaugh, Max Murphy, Annie Frisbie, Kassie Parker, Paityn Noe, Emma Huston, Eleonora Curtabbi

Biya Simbassa found the Quad-City Times Bix 7 course to his liking Saturday.

The former Iowa Central Community College great surged past Clayton Young over the final 500 meters to capture the USATF 7 Mile Championships title and $12,500 in downtown Davenport on Saturday. Simbassa covered the hilly out-and-back course in 32 minutes, 34 seconds to top Young, a former Brigham Young standout, by 18 seconds. He leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

"Today was just my day," Simbassa told me afterward. "I ran the way I wanted to run. It's good competition. If they want to beat me, they have to beat me in a hard way."

Simbassa, 30, trailed leader Frank Lara until just past the halfway point on McClellan Boulevard. Then, the former University of Oklahoma and Sioux City North athlete surged past Lara over the hilly fourth and fifth miles. Only Young could keep him in his sight.

Young then surged past Simbassa on the downhill Brady Street hill. Simbassa trailed for only a few seconds, however, passing Young once they hit the flat stretch of Brady Street before making the final left-hand turn onto East Fourth Street.

"I've been watching this race for a long time," Simbassa, a native of Ethiopia but a naturalized U.S. citizen, told me. "It's a tough course, but it's a great course as well. It's always good to be back in Iowa."

The resident of Flagstaff, Ariz., moved from seventh to third in the USATF Running Circuit standings with 36 points. Leonard Korir, fourth place on Saturday, leads with 58 points.

The Allbaughs kept the men's and women's awards for the top Quad-Citians in the family for a second consecutive year. Devin Allbaugh passed Running Wild Elite teammate and fellow former Pleasant Valley star Max Murphy in the final meters leading to the finish to repeat as the Gregg Newell Award winner.

"It felt horrible, but they (Bix 7 races) always feel horrible," Allbaugh, 33 of Bettendorf, said. "It's like a dogfight. It's just like who is the strongest guy out there. I've run the course so much that I knew what to do."

Allbaugh said he felt resigned to seeing Murphy, twice a runner-up in the recent Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, win the Newell trophy for the first time. But when Murphy began to fall back to him, Allbaugh made his move down East Fourth Street and past the University of Iowa junior-to-be to run 34:55 for 17th overall. Allbaugh ran 20 seconds faster than a year ago and won the 30-34 age group.

Murphy, 21, was one second back in 18th. Murphy ran with the lead pros for most of the first half. The recent runner-up in the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 and 5,000 was in 13th place and at 16:46, a 4:47 pace, through the first half. Murphy knew the second half of the race would be difficult, as the humidity began to rise. He covered the last 3.5 miles in 5:11 pace.

"I got out a little hot," Murphy told me. "It was fun running with the pros for the first half or so. It's a lot of guys I know that when I'm in peak shape, I'm just as good as. I knew the second half would be tough. I tried my best to hold on strong."

Murphy said he still ran 45 seconds faster than a year ago, which was contested on a cooler day. Murphy has run the Bix 7 every year since the summer before his fifth grade year and was second to Allbaugh for a second consecutive year.

"It's a good early season fitness test," Murphy said. "Hopefully one of these times I can get a (Newell) championship. I've had a couple disapointing last years in cross country so I really want to focus on staying healthy and finally qualify for a national meet and see what I can do there."

Kelsey Allbaugh, Devin's wife, claimed the Eloise Caldwell Award as the best female finisher from the Quad-Cities for the third consecutive time, the first woman to claim the cornet trophy since Jen (Barker) Paul from 2013-15. Allbaugh, 32, ran 45:06 for 42nd overall among the women. The Allbaughs, who co-own the Running Wild store in Davenport, now have five overall cornet trophies.

The top female with ties to Iowa was former Iowa State All-American Annie Frisbie of the Minnesota Distance Elite team. The 26-year-old resident of Hopkins, Minn., finished fourth overall in the USATF 7 Mile Championships competition after running 36:56. Frisbie was in a pack of four leaders with eventual champion Kellyn Taylor, runner-up Aliphine Tuliamuk and Ednah Kurgat. After the turnaround, Taylor and Tuliamuk dropped Kurgat and Frisbie. Frisbie still picked up a $1,500 check.

"Bix 7: they were not exaggerating about the hills," Frisbie wrote on Instagram. "Now time to get some marathon training in for the fall."

Seven-time NCAA champion and former Loras College great Kassie Parker, 23, repeated her eighth-place finish from her road racing debut at the USATF Women's 6K Championship in Canton, Ohio, earlier this month. The former Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) prep and RWE athlete mixed it up with the top pros to run 38:04. Parker was four spots ahead of former Iowa All-American Diane Nukuri, 38. The Asics athlete based in Flagstaff ran 38:47.

The top non-USATF 7-mile competitor was recent Ballard (Huxley) graduate Paityn Noe. The University of Arkansas signee who set Class 3A records in the 3,000 and 1,500 meters at the state track meet in May and also became the first girl to break 17 minutes at the state cross country meet in the fall continued her huge ascent with a 16th-place overall finish in 40:17. That is a 5:45 pace for Noe, who cruised to the win in the 16-19 age group category.

Noe was two spots ahead of Drake University 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 record holder Emma Huston, 29, of Des Moines. The former Des Moines Roosevelt star and 2022 IMT Des Moines Half Marathon champion ran 40:36 for 18th overall. Pasca Myers, the 2014 Grandma's Marathon champion, led the Runablaze Iowa team with a 22nd-place finish in 40:48. Myers, 37, now resides in Ames. Next across the line was former Iowa and Linn-Mar athlete Madeline Block, 23, of Marion. The Iowa graduate student clocked a 41:58 time. Two-time Mount Mercy NAIA runner-up Andrea Ertz paced the RWE team with a 25th-place effort in 42:18. Ertz, 24, is a former Marion High star. Former Luther College standout Tricia Serres, 29, of Asbury near Dubuque ran 42:37 for 27th place. Serres is a Runablaze athlete.

Jessica Hruska, 43, broke her own state masters record by running 42:56 for 29th place. The overall masters winner and Crown Running leader from Dubuque reset her 2022 record from Bix by 12 seconds. Hruska is a former Wartburg College and Dubuque Hempstead standout. Iowa senior-to-be Abby Ryon, 22, of Iowa City clocked 43:22 for 31st place. Ryon, a former Mount Pleasant prep, was third in the 20-24 age division. RWE's Jacey Schickel, a former Olivet Nazarene University athlete, posted a time of 43:35 for 32nd overall. Schickel, 23, lists Lemont, Ill., as her residence. Former Mount Pleasant prep and Coe College standout Elaina Biechler, 37, of Dubuque ran 43:50 for 34th among the women. Biechler is a Runablaze athlete and Loras professor who assists with the Duhawks track team.

Former Tipton High and Nebraska great Ashley (Miller) Carreon, 34, of Moore, Okla., was next across the line in 35th in 43:58. Taking 37th place was former Mount Mercy and Linn-Mar runner Deanna Newhouse, 25, of Cedar Rapids in 44:34. Newhouse is an RWE athlete. Dubuque Hempstead senior-to-be Keelee Leitzen, 17, was second in the 16-19 age group after running 44:50 and placing 40th overall. Runablaze's Amanda Edwards, 35, of Dubuque ran 45:02 for 41st place. Edwards is a former Dubuque Hempstead and Wartburg athlete. Former Maquoketa and Bethel College athlete Trisha Nelson, 32, of Maquoketa ran 45:07 for 43rd place. RWE's Marie Feehan, 39, of Bettendorf ran 45:18 for 44th place. Iowa sophomore-to-be and former Iowa City High prep Rowan Boulter, 19, of Iowa City crossed in 45:40 for 47th place. Boulter is a RWE athlete. Current City High junior Ani Wedemeyer, 16, also cracked the top 50 for women after running 45:50 for 50th and fifth in her age group.

Moving back to the men's competition, where Iowa senior-to-be Jack Pendergast took 23rd overall and third in the 20-24 age group after running 35:23, a 5:03 pace per mile. Pendergast is a former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep. Former Runablaze Iowa athlete Ryan Root, 31, now based in Boulder, Colo., ran 35:47 for 26th place. Root, 31, was one spot ahead of recent Fifth Season 8K repeat champion Matt Lorenz. The former University of Iowa student and current Cedar Rapids Prairie assistant track coach crossed in 35:52 for 27th place. Lorenz, 24, resides in Swisher.

Former Iowa Central and Dubuque Senior athlete Blake Whalen led the Runablaze Iowa team with a 29th-place finish in 36:05. Whalen, 27, is from Des Moines. Luke Guttormson, 23, of Dubuque picked up 31st place in 36:06. Guttormson recently completed his eligibility at Loras College this spring. Running Wild Elite's Trevor Albert, a former Grand View University standout who served as an assistant with the Vikings last academic year, picked up 34th in 36:13 to help his RWE to a runner-up finish in the team race. Albert, 24, is a former Cardinal (Eldon) athlete who lists Iowa City as his residence. Iowa junior-to-be Ian Geisler, 21, of Iowa City was 35th in 36:22. RWE's Lucas Keifer, the Southeastern Community College head track coach, ended up 36th in 36:25. Keifer, 28, resides in Burlington.

Brady Hogan, a former Iowa Central and North Winneshiek High School athlete, took 37th in 36:28. Hogan, 20, lists Waukon as his residence. RWE's Steve Froeschle was the fourth-best runner on the team in 38th among the men in 36:38. He is a former Davenport Assumption and St. Ambrose student. Runablaze's Kallin Carolus Khan placed 41st among the men in 36:40. Khan, 26, resides in Iowa City. Caleb Shumaker, a Northern Iowa junior-to-be, took 42nd among all men in 36:45. Shumaker, 20, is a former Tipton High athlete. Loras College's Julian Watson, 20, was 43rd in 36:46. Brayden Burnett, an Iowa sophomore-to-be, crossed in 44th among the men in 36:52. Burnett, 20, is a former Cedar Falls High athlete. Former Davenport Assumption prep Dan Froeschle, 33, of RWE was third in the 30-34 age group and 47th among the men in 37:04. Froeschle resides in Davenport.

Recent Pella graduate and 2023 Drake Relays 3,200-meter champion Chase Lauman, 18, of Pella won the 16-18 age group and was 48th among males in 37:05. Lauman will be a freshman at Northern Iowa this fall. Loras junior and former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep Carlo Dannenfelser, 21, grabbed 49th among the men in 37:07. Kyle Pape, 26, of Ankeny led the Crown Running team with a 50th-place effort in 37:09. Pape is a former Dubuque Senior and Central College standout. Former Iowa State student William Graham, 28, of Lenexa, Kan., took 51st in 37:09. RWE's Dalton Rice, 24, of Davenport grabbed 52nd in 37:13. He is a former Clinton High and Clinton Community College athlete. Wartburg College junior-to-be Jacob Green, 21, was 55th in 37:22. He is a former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep. Former Dowling Catholic prep Jason Thomas, 28, of the Runablaze team and a West Des Moines resident ended up 56th in 37:27.

RWE's Ean Caskey, 41, was the top masters athlete by five seconds. The former Cornell College standout and current Lisbon resident's time of 38:56 moves him into fifth in Iowa road racing history for masters athletes.

Moving to the track, where former Iowa Central great Eleonora Curtabbi captured the women's 3,000 steeplechase title at the Italian Athletics Championships in Molfetta, Apulia. Competing Sunday, the two-time reigning NCAA Division II steeplechase champion for West Texas A&M won her first Italian national title in 9:55.28 to claim victory by nearly 11 seconds.

Runablaze's Tyson Wieland, 29, showed he was the class of the field at the inaugural Mind Over Matter Triathlon on Sunday in Hazel Green, Wis., not far from Dubuque. The former Johnston High and Iowa Central completed the sprint triathlon in 1:01:51.2 to win the overall title by nearly seven minutes over Bill Martin of Madison, Wis. The Des Moines resident owns a string of triathlon victories in Iowa this season that includes Okoboji, Davenport, Palo, Clear Lake and Waverly. He was coming off a 27th-place effort at Ironman 70.3 Oregon a week ago.

Nickolas Kraus was the overall winner of the Twin Lakes Triathlon in Manson on Saturday. The Iowa State graduate covered the sprint distance in 1:00:25 to win by nearly four minutes. Kristine Harris of Fort Dodge was the female winner and fourth overall in 1:08:06.

Moving to cross country and trails, where Iowa State junior-to-be Quinton Orr, 20, was the overall winner of the hilly Elvelopet 15K race in Decorah. Orr, a former Humboldt prep, ran 55:11 for a 5:55 pace per mile. He won by 2:30. Matt Rubins, a former Luther athlete from Bettendorf, was third in 58:55. Rubins, 32, now resides in West Des Moines. Luther junior-to-be and former Iowa City West athlete Ike Taylor, 20, of Decorah was the 5K winner by six seconds after clocking 16:54.

Finishing with the roads. A gaggle of current Wartburg athletes made the short trip to Cedar Falls for the Duck Dash on Saturday. Knights senior-to-be Lexi Brown was the women's winner and third overall by outkicking teammate Shaelyn Hostager. Both had the same 17:55 time. Brown is a former New London prep. Hostager is a junior-to-be and former Dubuque Hempstead prep. Wartburg junior-to-be Ellie Meyer, 20, was fifth overall in 18:00. Meyer is a former Iowa Falls-Alden prep. Wartburg senior and former Saint Ansgar runner Addy Carlson was sixth in 19:05. Wartburg junior-to-be Michael Goodenbour claimed the overall title by 20 seconds after running in 15:39. Goodenbour, 20, is a former Cedar Falls prep.

RWE's Nathan Hopp was the overall winner of the Pickle Days 5K in Walker on Saturday. Hopp, 40, ran 16:31.73 to win by more than four minutes.

MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Biya Simbassa, Devin Allbaugh, Max Murphy, Annie Frisbie, Kassie Parker, Paityn Noe, Emma Huston, Eleonora Curtabbi