The Run Around Iowa

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 two big changes in his life and a new running challenge for him in the fall.

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 two big changes in his life and a new running challenge for him in the fall.

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.

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 story of how she started in the sport and her most memorable moment in running. Addi talks about the influences that helped to make her a three-time state champion in cross country and track and field between the fall of 2021 through the spring of 2024. Addi is asked about NIL and its effect on her and some of her fellow Buffaloes runners. She is also quizzed about Iowa and Valley track and field history.

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.

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 Wartburg record might stand. She talks about the thinking that went into choosing Minnesota-Duluth. Shaelyn also tries to take a guess at what Duluth is famous for. Shaelyn and Lance also play a fun game. Listen to see who won!

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.

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. Lance corrals Drake assistant track coach Hannah Weiss, who provides her views on the program and if she wants to lead a program again. Nikki Borner of Indianola finished second overall in the 3,000 in 9:59 and Lance finds out what is ahead for the 40-year-old mother of four who topped almost all of the collegians. The podcast ends with former Simpson College and Ames High runner Ean Warrick telling how he is juggling a new job with competing at a high level.

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.

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 coaches at Davis County in Bloomfield, talks about the tall task of juggling motherhood, teaching and coaching the school's cross country and youth running teams, all while trying to fit in her own running routine. Angie talks about the biggest challenge she has working with kids. She tells how a new coach has opened her eyes to new training plans and workouts that were scary at first. Angie also describes why she couldn't enjoy her first marathon win, at the IMT Des Moines race in October of 2024. She also recounts her conversation meeting with running legends Kathrine Switzer, Deena Kastor and Des Linden after the marathon in Arizona. Angie also talks about the joy of lacing up the shoes for a fun run with her sons in Bloomfield earlier this month.