The Run Around Iowa

Carson comes on the podcast to talk about his new business venture, Stridelane, which he started last track and field season when he was competing at the University of Iowa. Stridelane provides LED pacing lights for purchase or rental to college programs or organizations. He tells how a manufacturing partnership with a company in China has improved the durability of his product and describes some of the features with the lights. Carson mentions why his company is well positioned to attract American customers. The Johnston graduate chats about his running goals and training partners he's found in Flagstaff, Arizona...

Jack comes on the podcast to tell the story of how he returned to the Wartburg program as a full-time assistant coach. He looks back at the 2025 cross country season and if the Knights had a realistic shot at winning the national title after taking third overall in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Jack talks about the difficulty of sitting out the 2024 season with an injury. He looks back at his two best races as a Knights runner and why one of the races was frowned upon by the Wartburg coaches. Jack gives the outlook for the 2026 Wartburg men's and women's...

Kyle, the head cross country coach at Bondurant-Farrar, comes on the podcast to talk about where the top seniors in the Class of 2026 will be running at this fall. Kyle, a regular on the IATC Exchange Zone podcast on Sunday nights, and Lance take a deeper dive into where those athletes have signed. The list of prestigious universities include Oregon, Arkansas, Iowa State, Texas and Tulsa. The conversation shifts to the top runners, including seniors, to watch for the 2026 high school cross country season. Kyle also gives his view on the teams to beat in the four Iowa classes...

Erin comes on the podcast just days after her daughter, Evelyn, committed to run for Iowa State in the fall of 2027. Erin remembers the time when Evelyn, her middle child, had to choose between volleyball and cross country and a breakout race to remember her sophomore season. Erin talks about the motivation that drives Evelyn and why she stopped her from competing in her first half marathon. The three-time Iowa Conference champion for Wartburg tells of the great support from the Mount Vernon community. She remembers a memorable visit with Iowa State's coaches and why the Cyclones won out...

Lance opens this mish-mash podcast by featuring two interviews from the 52nd annual Bix 7 road race in Davenport on July 25. He interviewed former Iowa State NCAA champion Wesley Kiptoo of the HOKA NAZ ELITE squad based in Flagstaff, Arizona, and seven-time Loras College NCAA champion Kassie Parker of the Crown Running squads and finds out what will be their fall plans. Then, he talks about track and field coaching changes involving Iowans and former Iowa collegians before bringing NJCAA national champion coach Brent Ewing on for an interview. Ewing talks about why he felt it was the right time...

Chase comes on the podcast just days after a very memorable Midnight Madness 5K in Ames. He tells why it was special. He talks about health issues that prompted his return to Iowa. Chase set a new best for the marathon of 2:26:40 at the IMT Des Moines Marathon in October, but he mentions why that race was a bit disappointing. The former Manson Northwest Webster prep gives his next goal and why he believes a change in diet has improved his times greatly. The Northwestern College grad describes his journey into coaching and why his first coaching job was...

Adam and Flannery, both former Luther College standouts, come on the podcast to talk about their recent races as part of the Grandma's Marathon weekend in Duluth, Minnesota. Adam dropped 10 more seconds off of his Iowa masters record for the marathon and talks about his pursuit of other Iowa records. Flannery, a top Iowa distance runner for many years, is asked the same question about her goals as she approaches age 40 in December. The Runablaze Iowa team members talk about how business at their farm in rural Cresco impacts their racing calendar and how many events they hold each...

Max comes on the podcast to tell why he is back in the Quad-Cities after graduating with a masters from the University of North Carolina. Max talks about injuries he had at Chapel Hill that derailed the final two years of his college career, but also special relationships he formed with coaches and teammates. The 2019 Iowa state cross country champion for Pleasant Valley High School goes into detail about bond he has with a current Hawkeye. Max talks about his childhood growing up with two brothers and the sports he played before settling on cross country and track. Max...

Lance goes solo on this podcast and opens with the controversial 515 Run Club's feud with the city of Des Moines. Lance gives his viewpoint on the dispute. He talks about some of the freshmen in college who have impressed him during this track and field season. He also looks ahead briefly at the NCAA Division III meet where disgraced former Iowa State runner Seth Clevenger of Rowan could spoil the fun again for several top Iowans. Lance gives praise to an Iowa last chance meet that brought top talent to their city. He finishes the show to talk about...

Lance goes solo on this podcast and opens with the controversial 515 Run Club's feud with the city of Des Moines. Lance gives his viewpoint on the dispute. He talks about some of the freshmen in college who have impressed him during this track and field season. He also looks ahead briefly at the NCAA Division III meet where disgraced former Iowa State runner Seth Clevenger of Rowan could spoil the fun again for several top Iowans. Lance gives praise to an Iowa last chance meet that brought top talent to their city. He finishes the show to talk about...

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...

This groundbreaking episode of the Run Around Iowa with Addi Dorenkamp features a video interview for the first time. Addi is the Iowa girls all-time leader for the 1,500 meters and 3,000. Addi describes the physical ailments that have kept her out of competition for the past 12 months and how she is coping with being on the sidelines. She tells how close she is to returning to racing. Addi also discloses the reasons she left Alabama and transferred to Colorado after the 2025 indoor season. She tells why she knows the Colorado program is the right one for her. She provides the...

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...

Shaelyn comes on the podcast to talk about the wild Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference indoor meet that included a 5,000 title, her third NSIC title, and much more than she bargained for. The Dubuque Hempstead grad describes what her strategy was coming into the meet and her approach to races. The Wartburg College and Minnesota-Duluth 10,000 record holder tells how an injury changed the trajectory of her college career in Waverly and how time away from running has been beneficial. Shaelyn gives her biggest win that came out of her last meet as a collegian and how long she thinks her...

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...

Lance continues the interviews from the Friday, Jan. 23 indoor meet at Iowa State, starting 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...

Lance recorded an unprecedented number of interviews - 11 - from the Friday, Jan. 23 indoor meet at Iowa State. He starts the podcast with news on Cedar Falls senior and Iowa State commit Jaden Merrick, who gave up his final season of eligibility to compete in - and win - the 3,000. Merrick tells his reasons for making the move. Former Drake standout Emilie Meyer talks about joining Minnesota Distance Elite and what's on the horizon. He talks to Air Force officer Jason Renze, a former Madrid prep who set a new mile personal record and is now based in Omaha...

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...

Angie comes on the show to talk about competing in two marathons in a span of eight days in November. In the first, the resident of rural Drakesville set a new personal best time of 2:43:53 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on Nov. 8. Angie then finished third overall at the Every Woman's Marathon in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Nov. 16. The longtime Runablaze Iowa athlete chats about choosing running over basketball after seeing success at both sports in high school. She talks about dealing with adversity while having her best finish at cross country nationals for Central College. Angie, who teaches and...

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...

Lance starts the show by putting the finishing touches on the college cross country season. He mentions three Iowa colleges who picked up team trophies during NCAA and NAIA championships over the weekend. He then gives his viewpoint on the controversy surrounding BYU coach Ed Eyestone's criticism of college cross country programs that rely on international runners to fuel their success. Two of the top men's teams, Oklahoma State and Iowa State, have defended the practice of using recruiting services in the new age of NIL. The show finishes with Andrew Snyder, director of "Track Guy Movie" that focuses...

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...

Lance gives his thoughts on the Cyclones men's program after the suspension of multiple athletes the previous weekend. He also provides comments on the challenges that lie ahead for the team in its final two races and if the loss of depth will be too much to overcome. He also remarks on the integrity of the program and coach Jeremy Sudbury.

Lance gives his thoughts on the Cyclones men's program after the suspension of multiple athletes the previous weekend. He also provides comments on the challenges that lie ahead for the team in its final two races and if the loss of depth will be too much to overcome. He also remarks on the integrity of the program and coach Jeremy Sudbury.

Will comes on the show to talk about becoming only the second native Iowan to win Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 5. He discusses the strategy that he used to pull away from Tesfu Tewelde of Eritrea while running 2 hours, 15 minutes, 39 seconds. The Northwestern College All-American and Red Raiders record holder talks about his celebration with family before returning to his new home of Charlottesville, Virginia. Will details his strong support system and the training plan of his longtime coach, who is also the father of his wife, Cleo Boyd. He talks about the challenge of breaking into gaining an...

Will comes on the show to talk about becoming only the second native Iowan to win Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 5. He discusses the strategy that he used to pull away from Tesfu Tewelde of Eritrea while running 2 hours, 15 minutes, 39 seconds. The Northwestern College All-American and Red Raiders record holder talks about his celebration with family before returning to his new home of Charlottesville, Virginia. Will details his strong support system and the training plan of his longtime coach, who is also the father of his wife, Cleo Boyd. He talks about the challenge of breaking into gaining an...

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...

In this podcast recorded on Sept. 5, Phil describes the process of how he became involved in the running shoe and apparel business, starting with a job in Iowa City. He talks about the timeline and process involved in starting his first Fleet Feet in Davenport and challenging the established running store, Running Wild, in the Quad-Cities. Phil tells if he thinks there may be changes coming to the Des Moines store and changes he's seen in the running store business. Phil, who has a best of 15:30 for the 5K, chats about the most memorable win of his career and...

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.

Reed was interviewed as part of the Drake University Everclass session for Drake alumni and friends of the track and field program on Aug. 19. Lance listened in on the interview by Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon and captured some sound bites from the 67-minute session. Fischer talks about his last-minute decision to attend Drake and why it was one of the best decisions he's ever made. The Tinman Elite runner based in Boulder, CO, gives the history of his race team and the fortunate timing of his first sponsorship deal with Adidas. Fischer speaks...

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...

In an interview recorded on August 14, Kyle comes on to talk about where the top seniors in the Class of 2025 will be running at this fall. Kyle, a regular on the IATC Exchange Zone podcast on Sunday nights and the cross country coach at Bondurant-Farrar, and Lance take a deeper dive into where those athletes have signed. The list includes several NCAA Division I signees. The conversation shifts to how the college recruiting landscape has changed and the top seniors to watch for the 2025 high school cross country season as well. Kyle also gives his view on the teams...

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...

Jess comes on the show to chat about the rise of the Crown Running professional running team, which has blossomed since its creation by Jess and her partner, Ben Lundell, in 2021. She talks about the new members and why her racing team is different from other Iowa racing teams. Jess, the women's state masters record holder for 7 miles, tells her story and the moment when she had to decide if she would quit the sport or throw herself fully into it. Jess, who lives in Dubuque, offers some changes she has made over the years that have enabled her...

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...

Ryan comes on the show about seven weeks after finishing 10th overall at the Boston Marathon in 2:08:00. A member of the ZAP Endurance team in North Carolina, Ryan talks about that race and how it has improved his status in the running world. He also compares his 2024 New York City Marathon to the 2025 Boston Marathon and the differences in the races. Ryan details his one season in Ames with Iowa State and the amazing team culture he witnessed in that time. He discusses several of his teammates from that 2021 cross country team that finished second nationally and the impact...

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...

Lance interviewed many athletes during the recent 115th Drake Relays. Hear from Iowa State senior and former Charles City prep Kiki Connell, former Marion High and Iowa runner Maddie Block, former Dubuque Hempstead and Wartburg College star Shaelyn Hostager, Runablaze Iowa's Blake Whalen, Iowa State junior and former Humboldt prep Quinton Orr, former Glenwood and Iowa State star Janette Schraft, Iowans Derek Leicht and James Fingalsen from Iowa's winning 4x800 relay, Iowa senior and former Ottumwa prep Alli Bookin-Nosbisch, Olympians and Iowa natives Shelby Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer at a historic women's mile Saturday, former Drake star Isaac Basten...

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.

Robbie returns to the podcast to talk about his run across Iowa, from Omaha to Muscatine, from March 20-23. He set the new record of 3 days, 21 hours, 10 minutes while raising funds for a new timing system for his community, the Collins-Maxwell school district. Robbie mentions some of the many people who ran with him and assisted him on the journey, including a Collins-Maxwell student who ran about 50 miles of the journey with him. He tells of an unfortunate and heartbreaking incident that nearly derailed his run in the eastern part of Iowa. Robbie describes his strategy that allowed him...