The Run Around Iowa

Lance interviewed several athletes at the Drake Relays as part of his coverage for the Des Moines Register. Featured in this episode are Loras College redshirt freshman Keelee Leitzen and Northern Iowa redshirt senior Millie Hill. Six-time Iowa Central Community College NJCAA champion Adva Cohen of the UA Mission Run Dark Sky Distance team and Drake University NCAA runner-up Isaac Basten of the BAA team in Boston talk about their return to the Blue Oval. Oklahoma State freshman and former Nashua-Plainfield star Kadence Huck, Iowa State junior Devan Kipyego and St. Ambrose junior and former Johnston prep Dylan Grandon chat about relay victories. And Cedar Falls senior and Iowa State signee Jaden Merrick speaks about jumping up to the 10,000, where he took a white Relays flag for the win.

Courtney comes on the podcast less than three weeks after earning NAIA All-American honors for the 4x800 indoors. She talks about how special it was to achieve the honor with her sister, freshman Madison. Courtney, who is going into the nursing profession, tells how the family pipeline to Morningside started. Courtney tells why she wasn't sure she wanted to run in college after winning two state cross country teams titles at Logan-Magnolia. She describes the special relationship she has with assistant coach Garret Ehlers and how he has pushed her outside of her comfort zone. Courtney looks back at her most memorable race. She is asked about the NAIA rule of holding prelims with relay events and some distance events. Courtney looks back at challenges competing for a high school without an all-weather track and how she and Madison cope with celiac disease. She describes what steps she takes to eat the right foods when she's traveling with the Morningside teams. Courtney takes a quiz on the Morningside track and field and tells what she wants her legacy to be when she leaves the program in May.

Lance continues the interviews from the Friday, Jan. 23 indoor meet at Iowa State. But first, he updates listeners on some news, including where a former Iowa State runner has landed. Then, the interviews start with Wartburg College senior and former Washington High prep Lance Sobaski, who chats about the Knights' team culture and where he envisions himself after graduation. Central College senior Payton Steffen is next. The former Marion runner discusses her role on the Dutch team and the goals they have for indoor nationals. Mount Mercy junior Abby Knepper, a former Dyersville of Beckman athlete, talks about goals for the rest of this season and why she's locked in on remaining at the college. Iowa Western sophomore Landon Hartley, who attended Urbandale in high school, discusses remaining tasks he wants to achieve during the final year he has left at the Council Bluffs school. And DMACC sophomore Zack Stoermer, who ran for Des Moines Lincoln, tells about the rise of the Bears' program and how cross country nationals in November could have been even better.

Craig comes on the podcast to talk about his journey that took him from Northern Iowa his freshman season to Tennessee his sophomore season to Dordt University in his junior and senior seasons and now Arkansas State as a graduate student. He describes how the path he has taken has made him stronger. The Atlantic High grad tells about foot issues that sidelined him his final season at Dordt and now at Arkansas State and how he has kept positive through it all. Craig talks about his new paperback book, "In the Throne Room," that provides unconventional poems regarding Christian life and how the idea for a book came to fruition. He looks back at the Dordt program's success and how that program continues to thrive. Craig looks back at a prep career that included participation in four spots before he locked in on distance running. He tells how a fortunate scheduling situation at the Drake Relays allowed him to slip into the boys' 800 field and allowed him the chance to claim second place. He talks about having his mother as a coach his senior season and how they continue to talk about coaching. Craig, who was raised on a farm, mentions a gift that farmers have, but why he feels certain he won't be returning to live in Iowa again.

Parker joins the program to talk about the origins of the professional running team that he and Riley Coulter co-founded about a year ago. The Driftless Distance Project team, primarily based in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin, includes former Central College All-American Caroline McMartin. Parker, who earned all-WIAC and all-region honors competing for Wisconsin-La Crosse, talks about the dominant Eagles program and what has helped them stand out nationally. Parker details his busy schedule, which includes pursuing a masters degree and serving as an assistant coach for Wisconsin-Stout. He talks about his running goals and why the Quad-City Times Bix 7 has played a big part in his running life. Parker also tells the story of how he knows Olympic marathon medalist Deena Kastor.

Bryant comes on the program to talk about his recent performance at the Central Region meet in Joplin, Missouri, when he and his Vikings team qualified for the NCAA Division II nationals in Wisconsin next week. Bryant tells about how this season has exceeded his expectations. The redshirt freshman gives the story of how he became motivated to become an exercise science major with an eye toward become a chiropractor. Bryant, a five-time state medalist at Glenwood, details some struggles during his first cross country season at Sioux Falls in 2024 and how he has been nursing an injury the past month of this season. He looks back at his early running career and the success that Glenwood has had in producing college runners. Bryant also chats about his interests outside of this sport and why distance running doesn't define him.

Lance opens the podcast by talking about a monumental win by an Iowa native and other top performances by Iowans at the Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 5. Then, the focus turns to the Blazing 5K on that same day. Susie Duke set a new Iowa women's masters road racing record and the Searsboro resident explains why she's been away from running for about four years. Former Wartburg College All-American Joe Freiburger talks about returning from three surgeries and never giving up hope he would run again. Former Northern Iowa star Emma Hoins tells what's next in her life. Finally, Iowa men's masters 5K record holder Ean Caskey talks about the challenge of running fast races at age 43.

Lance interviews the two champions of the 10-mile races at Easter Lake on Sept. 14 - former Loras College seven-time NCAA champion Kassie Parker and former Iowa State steeplechase All-American Gable Sieperda. He also hears from men's runner-up Cody Baele, who is a two-time winner of the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon. Others interviewed included men's 4-mile runner-up Josh Evans and former Wartburg College conference champion Lexi Brown, who ended up thrid in the women's half marathon champion. Lance also corrals professional triathlete Jess Smith, who aims to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in one week.

Lance interviewed seven individuals at the season-opening college cross country race hosted by Iowa State on Aug. 29. Iowa State coach Jeremy Sudbury talks about the pressure of entering the season as the top-ranked men's team and why he might not field a complete team until the Big 12 Conference meet. New Drake coach Sam Read, an Iowa native and former Wartburg College runner, tells of the quick transition as the Bulldogs' new leader and his vision for the program. Former Cyclone Gable Sieperda looks back at his performance at the USA outdoor track and field nationals in Eugene, OR. Current Cyclone sophomore and former Danville-New London prep Allen Bonnesen talks about his runner-up finish in the 6K at the Cyclone Preview and buying into the program built by Sudbury. Cyclone fifth-year senior Bella Heikes, a runner-up in the women's 5K, and sophomore Olivia Verde, both former Johnston preps, offer their goals for the Cyclones' season and why this could be a special season. Northern Iowa sophomore Micah Rees talks about the competition on the young Panthers squad and a mentor who has made a big impact on his runner career.

The first-year race in southeast Iowa was a big hit with athletes and had over 200 finishers on Saturday, Aug. 2. Adam, a Muscatine police officer, gives details on the family-friendly event at Deep Lakes Park and Riverside Park. The sprint triathlon attracted more than a dozen professionals who chased a $5,000 top prize on both the men's and women's sides. Adam talks about a key local sponsorship with that helped kickstart the event and where this event could be headed in coming years under his "Go big or go home" philosophy. He also tells of some tips he learned from other triathlons, including the now-departed Quad Cities Triathlon.

Karim comes on the show to talk about his win at the Dam to DSM race in Des Moines on May 31. Karim goes into detail about coming to Fort Dodge from his native Spain and some of the transitions he had to make. The two-time NJCAA Half Marathon champion tells about some of his finest moments running in college for either the Tritons or Northwest Missouri State. The Runablaze Iowa athlete talks about returning to Iowa, his current job and when he finds time to do his workouts. Karim also clears up details about a race he and Lance competed at last year.

Julius joins Lance on the show during the drive home from the Lincoln Half Marathon, and they talk about their races on Sunday, May 4. Julius tells the story of how he came to a small NAIA college in Kentucky and decided to stay in America. The 2003 Dam to Dam champion talks about how odd jobs in college led to valuable knowledge of construction and woodworking that he uses today. Julius relives some of his tales of racing against some of the best distance runners in America, including the USA 1 Mile Road Championships in Des Moines just over a decade ago. He talks about the struggles he's had in returning to his form before the pandemic. Julius also reveals a story Lance has never heard - when he did a training run from Ames to Des Moines while running on Interstate 35.

Ben comes on the show to talk about preparations for the two races, which occur on April 19 and April 22. The former Osage High and Grand View University runner chats about the fields for the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, which feature the best women's field in its history. Ben also talks about what goes into months of preparation for these races and the promising future for both events. He also tells the story of how he met his wife, Ariana, and hobbies he likes to do when he's coordinating these races.