Iowa Running: June 2-5th

Era of ………..WTF…………….joy and resistance.

To continue my 6 for 26 goal — six half marathons in 2026 — my fourth race brought me to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I signed up back in December, and the timing felt right for multiple reasons: it would give me a good excuse to be in Iowa, where Scott and I could work on wedding things in Des Moines, my dad could come watch me run and finally meet Scott's dad in Fort Dodge, and I'd have another reason to explore Cedar Rapids. Both times I'd visited before, the African American History Museum of Iowa was nearby — and I was determined to get there. Add in that the Cedar Rapids Marathon weekend was framing this as its inaugural race, and honestly? Why not.

This trip had me running all over the state. We hit Des Moines, Fort Dodge, and Cedar Rapids, and my plan was to get a run in at each stop before the half marathon.

Here's the thing — I don't know if it's a quirk or a gift, but I've developed my own running routes in both Fort Dodge and Des Moines. In Fort Dodge, where my options are more limited, I loop through Loomis Park, run past the silos mural, and make my way to the Discovery Center. Those are my spots. In Des Moines, I always make sure to cross the Iowa Women's Achievement Bridge into the East Village, then run up to the state capitol to take in that big mural mapping all 99 counties. But Des Moines, small city that it is, keeps rewarding exploration — there's always something new to find, and I love swinging by the sculpture park too. Running there is part discovery, part ritual.

With it being June, this trip carried extra weight. Pride Month and the celebration of Juneteenth were both present in the air — at least in Des Moines, where I saw real acknowledgment and celebration of both, even when the president and the governor have made clear they're not here for it.

Running has always been my way of moving through the world. This week, it moved me through Iowa.