A Man Has Run a Mile in Almost Every Town on the Iowa Road Map
In 2015, Tyler Sullivan set a goal. He wanted to run a mile in each city on the Iowa road map. Talk about a lofty goal.
That's 99 counties in total. As of today, he's made it to 92.
Sullivan doesn't just make the trek, run a mile, and then proceed on the long jaunt back home. He makes an event out of it. He prioritizes stops at museums, dinners, and specific landmarks; sometimes he elects to join in on a local road race.
When he returns, he sits down to write a poem about each county he visits. Sullivan is a poet, and has self-published two books. He's been writing poetry for 13 years.
As a writer myself, I have to do a double salute to Sullivan. Running and writing are two things that live and die by one's commitment and self-discipline.
"It just feels like life continues to move on really fast and you just have to enjoy life," Sullivan said in an interview with KCRG News. "That’s why I’m enjoying Iowa. I love seeing people, talking to people and I just try to inspire people to see more of it,"
That's a Ferris Bueller way of looking at life, most definitely. I love it.
Sullivan has also gone the extra mile (literally and figuratively) by creating a Facebook page documenting his travels. It's fittingly called "Iowa's Scenic Views By Foot." In every town he visits, he takes an assortment of photos and writes a brief blurb. He also posts some videos of his travels on his page.
You get the idea that for Sullivan, it's not necessarily about a fitness journey. Nor is it really about trying to write the next bestseller. It's an exercise in personal enrichment. It's his way of slowing life down to a more relaxing speed while experiencing various nooks and crannies of the Hawkeye state.
One day, however, his book about Iowa's many different counties will be released. And it will be a book worth reading.