Mile posts: Items on Karissa Schweizer, Alexina Teubel, Festus Lagat, Lesley Smith, Matt Hanson

Several big hitters top this smaller-than-usual WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Topping the list is former Dowling Catholic star, Urbandale native and University of Missouri six-time NCAA champion Karissa Schweizer. Competing in the Sound Running Sunset Tour in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Schweizer captured the victory in the top section of the women's 1,500 meters after running 4 minutes, 4.35 seconds. The Nike Bowerman Track Club athlete based in Oregon topped Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts Track Club by 1.18 seconds. New Balance's Dani Jones was third in 4:05.81. Schweizer was coming off a strong fifth-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., earlier this month.

Finishing in fifth place was Northern Iowa head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Alexina (Wilson) Teubel. Running unattached, the former Mount Vernon/Lisbon and Panthers star who is a Runablaze Iowa athlete covered the distance in 4:07.48.

In the men's 1,500, former Iowa State All-American Festus Lagat finished third at Occidental College's Jack Kemp Stadium in 3:35.15. The District TC member based in Baltimore and Kenyan was just .65 of a second behind winner Eric Holt of the Empire Elite TC. In between was Henry Wynne (3:34.55) of the Brooks Beasts Track Club. Lagat was ahead of some top Americans such as Drew Hunter, Craig Engels and 2016 Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz.

Also, former Iowa All-American Diane Nukuri of Asics finished 10th in the women's 5,000 in 16:05.24. Nukuri resides in the Flagstaff, Ariz., area. The winner was Adidas' Whittni Morgan in 15:02.07.

Turning to triathlon, where three prominent Iowans were in action on a busy weekend for the Ironman circuit. Former Iowa City native Lesley Smith posted one of her best finishes as a pro, taking runner-up honors at Ironman 70.3 Oregon in Salem on Sunday. The resident of Boulder, Colo., covered the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 4:07:27. Smith owned the second-best run of 1:21:50, the fourth-best bike of 2:21:36 and the ninth-best swim of 18:56. The winner was fellow American Danielle Lewis in 3:59:41.

Runablaze's Tyson Wieland returned to Ironman action after a string of wins in Iowa by rallying for 27th in the men's professional race. The former Johnston High and Iowa Central Community College athlete finished in 3:58:41. Wieland owned the seventh-best swim of 16:48 and the 28th-best time among the men in the run of 1:16:55. His bike was 2:20:48.

"Heading onto the run, I didn't really have a lot of close competition due to the rough bike," Wieland wrote on Instagram. "However, I set an early goal of at least catching 5. I realized pretty quickly that I could do way more than 5 runners. So I just kept the same effort, accelerated past every athlete to send a message that I wasn't sticking around. I felt strong the whole run and even had a kick at the end to catch one more over the bridge. It was a great way to bring the race back from a disappointment."

At Ironman Lake Placid in New York on Sunday, former Storm Lake resident Matt Hanson claimed his 10th podium in a full Ironman event by placing third overall in 8:09:51. This event was the first time the former Buena Vista University wrestler and professor had placed third in a full Ironman. Hanson covered the 26.2-mile run in a race-best 2:41:15. Hanson, now based in Castle Rock, Colo., owned the eighth-best swim (53:42) among the pro men and the fifth-best bike of 4:30:22. Joe Skipper of Great Britain was the winner in 8:03:46. American Ben Hoffman held on for second in 8:06:06.

"Another best run split of the day on my way to a podium finish," Hanson wrote on Instagram. "Happy with where things are at with the world championship season right around the corner."

At Saturday's Crossroad Triathlon in DeWitt, Matt Jackson was the overall winner of the sprint event in 1:00:13. Olivia Dietzel was the female champion in 1:08:44.

Moving to the roads, where Runablaze's Blake Whalen, 28, was the overall winner of the 42nd Clive Running Festival 5K Saturday. The former Dubuque Senior and Iowa Central athlete from Des Moines ran 15:57 to win by 36 seconds. No word on if the course was accurate. Current Illinois State athlete and former Valley prep Lauren Schulze was the women's champion in 18:43. The race attracted 551 finishers.

At the Solon Beef Days 5K on Saturday, Central College junior-to-be Ben DeValk was the overall winner in 15:50. DeValk, 20, is a former Solon prep. He was 12 seconds ahead of Solon senior-to-be Brick Kabela, 17. Running Wild Elite's Nathan Hopp, 40, of Cedar Rapids was the men's masters champion in 16:41.

Runablaze's Josh Evans was the overall winner of the Spokeless Mile at Water Works Park on Thursday. The Ankeny resident and former Linn-Mar great ran 4:30.887 to top Norwalk's Anthony Anania, 16, by almost two seconds. Jack Brown, 18, of Norwalk was third in 4:36.817, with former East Marshall and Northwestern College athlete Caleb Benzing of West Des Moines fourth in 4:38.740. The women's winner was Mary Wood, 26, in 5:33.883.

Missouri Western senior-to-be Ethan Mesenbrink, 22, of Ames was the overall winner of the Amazing Grace Lemonade 5K in Ames on Saturday. The former Gilbert High prep ran 15:34 to top Ames High senior-to-be Ahmed Aldamak by 11 seconds. Jodi Smith, 45, of Ames was the women's winner in 18:21.

Finishing with the trails, where Scott Gall won the overall title and masters title at the Fast Track Trail Race in Cedar Falls. Gall, 49, of Cedar Falls covered the seven-mile course in 45:38 to win by 10 seconds. Former Northern Iowa soccer player Sophia Doty, 23, was the women's winner in 51:57.

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 Karissa Schweizer, Alexina Teubel, Festus Lagat, Lesley Smith, Matt Hanson