Paityn Noe has won a slew of races running around an oval track and on grass trails over the past three years.
Saturday was a new experience for one of the most decorated female runners in the Class of 2023.
Noe, a recent graduate of Ballard High School in Huxley, Iowa, lined up with more than 10,950 participants in her first road race and handled the muggy conditions and hills of downtown Davenport quite well.
The soon-to-be University of Arkansas freshman captured the Quad-City Times Bix 7 High School Challenge and the $1,000 prize for Ballard High School with a time of 40 minutes, 17 seconds.
Noe was 16th overall among female finishers and 4 minutes, 33 seconds clear of Dubuque Hempstead standout Keelee Leitzen for top female high school honors. Pleasant Valley junior Grace Boleyn, who won the challenge the past two years, finished in 46:17.
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"It was definitely a new environment and different setup than what I’m used to doing, so it made it a little bit stressful," Noe said. "I got up this morning excited to try something new, came out and had a lot of fun."
Chase Lauman, who graduated from Pella High School in south central Iowa, was the boys' winner of the high school challenge. He crossed in 37:05 — 26 seconds in front of PV graduate Luke Knepp.
Noe has burst on the scene in the past couple of years. She was the Iowa Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year last fall and earned the same honor in track & field this spring.
She was the first Iowa high school girl to break 17 minutes in a 5K at the state cross country meet last fall and set Class 3A state records in the 1,500 and 3,000 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines in May.Â
Then last month, Noe won the 5K at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in 16:04.69.
"I went into my senior year a little bit healthier and with a better mindset," Noe said. "That has really helped me. I’m really happy with where I am at this point."
Noe said one of her coaches told her about the Bix 7 and the opportunity to win prize money for the school.
"That was my main motivation," Noe said. "It is one last time being able to do something for my high school. To finish out my (high school) career giving back to them is something really important to me. This was an awesome opportunity and glad I could accomplish it."
Noe was just less than four minutes behind the overall women’s winner, Kellyn Taylor.
"My coach told me going into it, I could definitely compete," Noe said. "I wasn’t looking to run amazing, just go out and run hard and have fun with it."
Noe now turns her focus to her college career at Arkansas.
"I’m slowly building up my mileage right now," she said. "Arkansas has a really good team of girls. I’ll go in and see what happens. Cross country is one of my stronger things, so maybe I can make an impact when I get there."
Like Noe, this was Lauman’s first trip to the Bix 7.
Headed to run at the University of Northern Iowa this fall, Lauman captured the Iowa Class 3A state track & field title in the 3,200 two months ago in 9:22.48. He followed with an eighth-place finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the two-mile at 9:06.36.
Lauman admitted he went out a little too hard Saturday but did well in maintaining his pace.
"I’m a little sore right now, but it was worth it," Lauman said. "This is definitely the biggest road race I’ve ever done.
"This was a super-cool atmosphere, not only to run with that many people, but to have people lined up in the streets all the way throughout the race was really cool to see.
Lauman said the $1,000 prize for Pella High School was an incentive.
"I love my coach and love my teammates so much, so to give back to the school one last time before I go out was one of the big things I wanted to do," he said. "I’m glad I accomplished it."