Olympic athlete Lisa Uhl, track and field, was among several athletes honored with a Olympic Homecoming Celebration for IowaÕs Team USA athletes at Drake University's Knapp Center, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012. Several thousand people attended the hour long event, which was sponsored by Hy-Vee, an employee owned Iowa grocery store chain. 2008 Olympic athlete Shawn Johnson, also made a special guest appearance at the event. (David Purdy/The Des Moines Register)

DES MOINES — Lisa (Koll) Uhl may be years removed from competitive distance running, but the 2005 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate still feels like she has plenty left in the tank for giving back to the sport she loves.

Uhl was a guest speaker on Wednesday night at Mike Jay’s “Track Guy Guest Speaker Series” at Big Grove Brewery. The event is free and open to the public.

ESPN broadcaster John Anderson, who served as a track and field commentator during the 2020 Olympics, joined Uhl on stage. Jay, the co-founder of Track Guy USA — a non-profit organization supporting youth track and field and cross country in Iowa and throughout the midwest — is the host for the 6 p.m. show.

The 35-year-old Uhl, a Fort Dodge Senior High and Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Famer, went from state cross country placewinner as a Dodger to four-time national champion and NCAA icon while at ISU. Her inspirational story didn’t end in Ames, as Uhl then qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

To this day, Uhl is still the Div. I collegiate record-holder in the 10,000-meter run — a 31:18.07 at the 2010 Stanford Invitational. She was one of just four NCAA athletes ever to win both the 5k and 10k in the same season, and was named the nation’s female track athlete of the year later that spring.

“I’m participating in this event is to help raise awareness for the Track Guy Foundation and connect with people in the community,” said Uhl, also an 11-time All-American and Big 12 female athlete of the year as a Cyclone. “The Iowa running community has given me so much over the years, and I just hope to be able to return some of that by sharing my experiences with others.”

Uhl, who graduated from veterinary school at ISU in 2018, is currently working and pursuing additional training as an anatomic veterinary pathology resident and PhD student at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She already has her doctorate.

“When I’m done with my residency and PhD work, I hope to stay in academia, as teaching is truly a passion of mine,” said Uhl, who is married to fellow former Cyclone distance standout Kiel Uhl. They have a son, Graham (age 3) and daughter, Eleanor (three months), who “are my everything.”

Jay contacted Uhl recently to participate in the latest installment of his series. She didn’t hesitate.

“Mike Jay still has a huge impact on the running community, particularly in the state of Iowa,” Uhl said. “Most of the people I know recognize him as the long-time announcer of the Iowa high school state track meet and the Drake Relays, but his expertise and enthusiasm for the sport extends across the country. Personally, he’s always been so supportive of me and my career, and even announced several of my career-defining moments. When I hosted a high school cross country camp in the summer he would announce our talent show and our camp race, which was incredibly cool for the kids. And now he’s extended his passions into a foundation that helps provide Iowa high school athletes with running shoes.

“I really can’t say enough nice things about Mike, so when he asked me to be a part of this series, I was thrilled to participate.”

Uhl admitted her transition away from the sport was “difficult for me initially.” Her family — and work — have provided a sense of purpose and allowed her to leave competitive running in her decorated past.

“The biggest challenge (at first) was just accepting that such a huge chapter of my life — something that I defined a large portion of myself by — was closing,” Uhl admitted. “But after struggling with a lot of injuries and both physical and mental burnout, I decided to turn my attention and hard work back in to another one of my passions, which was veterinary medicine. It helped to have something to dive into that challenged me and kept me busy.

“I am incredibly thankful and fortunate for the time and success I had in the sport, and for all it has given me. I still really love being involved in the running community, watching events, and running for fun, but I have a lot of other things that fulfill me as well. I think having balance with a variety of things that I enjoy and having several goals to work toward has always kept me most happy.”

Anderson, who lived in Mason City during a part of his childhood, is now a well-known ESPN SportsCenter anchor. He was introduced to Jay by Fort Dodge’s Dean Fogarty, who — like Anderson — is a University of Missouri alum.