Sitting patiently in the pack waiting for moves to be made, Tyynismaa relaxes his face in order to conserve any and all energy in the four lap race experience.

BETTENDORF — Finishing with four state medals at his final State Track and Field Meet just wasn’t enough for recent STC class of 2024 graduate Tommy Tyynismaa. After the taxing three day meet concluded and a few days off, Tyynismaa’s focus then shifted to postseason racing. Many of Iowa’s elite track athletes will travel to various races with most being out of state.

Beginning his campaign in his secondary event the Tyynismaa traveled to the Pleasant Valley Track in Bettendorf to compete in the third annual Belmont Mile.

With a night of fast races open to all ages and ability levels, athletes of all caliber were present and sorted into heats matching seed times. The High School Boys Division was packed full of the state’s brightest milers from all over. Notable names included Quentin Nauman of Western Dubuque, Canaan Dunham of Pella, Carl Rekow of Pleasant Valley, and Issac Sorensen of Clear Creek-Amana.

When the gun went off, several athletes jockeyed for position and settled into a tight pack with Tyynismaa on the outside of lane one. Lap one was run with a fairly honest pace, slimming down the group of elite high school runners, Tyynismaa remained nestled around fourth place. Laps two and three came and went and Tommy found himself in sixth place coming into the gun lap, several big moves were being made and Tyynismaa began to mount his response.

Coming down the homestretch with around 30 meters to go, Dunham of Pella incheD ahead of Tyynismaa before a few powerful strides made the difference, out-leaning Dunham and finishing in fourth place with a time 4:19.52. This time is a personal record in the full mile distance, differing from the 1600 meters run at every IHSAA sanctioned track meet.

Mounting a kick, Tommy Tyynismaa mustered up the strength to pass Pella Sophomore Canaan Dunham in the final meters of the race.

Tyynismaa will be continuing his postseason out of state at the New Balance Outdoor Track and Field Nationals, held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Penn.. On Sunday, June 16, Tyynismaa will run one final 800 as a high school athlete, before ending his high school running career and entering the collegiate world at Iowa State University.

Cutting in from the brake line Tyynismaa looks over his shoulder to avoid any unnecessary contact with his competitors, ensuring a clean start to the race.

Tommy Tyynismaa, seen catching his breath moments after the race concluded, awaits his finishing result being populated on a digital time board.