NAZ Elite’s Wesley Kiptoo continued his impressive road racing season Saturday in Iowa, winning the hilly Bix 7 in 32:27, 16 seconds ahead of Morocco’s Mohamad El Aarbaby.
Kiptoo, who represents Kenya, now has won the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and the BAA 10K. NAZ Elite director Ben Rosario recently posted that Kiptoo now will prepare for a fall marathon. In his debut, he ran 2:10:28 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, finishing 12th.
Flagstaff’s Biya Simbassa, part of Ryan Hall’s group, finished fifth at Bix in 32:47, while McKirdy Trained’s Tsegay Tuemay (32:59) and Tesfu Tewelde (33:47) placed seventh and ninth, respectively. NAU sophomore Ford Washburn, running unattached, placed 20th in 35:15.
In Cleveland, at the Guardian Mile, Dark Sky Distance’s Jack Anstey was edged by Johnny Gregorek, who won in 3:59″96 to Anstey’s 4:00.05. For the women, NAZ Elite’s Abby Nichols finished third in 4:36.29.
Meanwhile, at the Ryan Shay Mile, NAU’s Cael Grotenhuis, gearing up for next month’s cross country season, placed third in the Ryan Shay Mile on the roads in Michigan. Grotenhuis bested the course record by running 3:54, but he was beaten by Nick Foster and Wyatt Haughton, who both broke 3:53.
On Sunday, at the Santa Cruz Wharf to Wharf 6 Mile, NAZ Elite’s Matt Baxter posted his best result of the summer, finishing third in 27:07 in a race won by Aidan Reed in 27:01. For the women in Santa Cruz, NAZ Elite’s Alice Wright, returning from injury at the London Marathon, placed sixth in 31:21, and teammate Paige Wood continued her postpartum comeback by finishing eighth in 32:04.
Turning to trail racing, Flagstaff’s Christopher St. Jean cracked the podium by finishing third at the Tushars marathon in the rugged Utah mountains. He ran 4:43:18. The 70K was won by former NAU runner Ryan Raff in 8:42:42, nearly 45 minutes ahead of second place. Raff has moved from Flagstaff to Billings, Montana.
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