Crossing the State in 3 Days and 6 Meals
Feel free to question my sanity. You won't be the first since I agreed to participate in a 339-mile relay run across the state of Iowa. No one had dirt on me or threatened a family member. I've been told it's fun.
It could be said that I run for fitness. It might be more accurate to say I run so I can eat. Not every run provides food but the Relay Iowa partners with several cities and charity groups to feed the hundreds of runners that will embark on this journey June 8-10, the longest relay in the world according to their website.
As I was reading through the survival guide, wondering whether that means there is a chance I won't, I came across the list of meals we will stumble across on the west-to-east run from the banks of the Missouri River in Sioux City to the Mississippi River in Dubuque and got pretty excited.
Brisket sandwiches in Anthon, a spaghetti dinner in Ida Grove and burgers in Lake City get the feast started. We can dive into a pancake breakfast in Ellsworth Saturday morning. In Independence, there will be a baked potato bar for some much-needed carbs. The finish line in Dubuque comes with a ticket for a pulled pork meal.
Seems like a lot of work for some food, not all of which is free. The survival guide also lists the nearest hospital or urgent care in each city and advises us to carry pepper spray. I assume that's because we might encounter a critter while running overnight. But I suppose it's possible the locals attack us as we jog through town.
Our team is named Faster Than Sloths. Thankfully we are or it would be a really long time between meals.