‘Cedar Rapids tradition’ still running with Fifth Season 8K set for Tuesday

CEDAR RAPIDS — A “Cedar Rapids tradition,” the annual Fourth of July Fifth Season Races have significant meaning to co-race director Jim Dwyer.

So much so, he has actively contributed to the coordination of the event for nearly 20 years — free of charge.

“From 2004 to 2019, I served as the race day operations and lead course manager,” Dwyer said. “I would set up the course, tear down the course, measure it out and get it certified if we needed to.

“There are some years where I would also run the race (the 8K) on top of volunteering. Those days are long gone. I’m a tortoise these days,” he said with a chuckle.

Dwyer also is the co-president of Corridor Running and directs the Fifth Seasons Races alongside Brian Tharp.

Tuesday will be the 37th running of the races (the 2020 event was canceled because of COVID-19). It will be the pair’s third year at the helm.

“Part of what we as a Corridor Running Board do is community service,” Dwyer said. “It’s a volunteer board. I don't get paid to co-direct this race; Brian doesn't get paid. Everything is 100 percent volunteer time and energy.

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“I think that’s why I like this race so much. Brian and I have a lot of sweat equity involved in it.”

While Dwyer no longer laces his running shoes up July 4, participating in the Fifth Seasons Races is a ritual he’s passed on to his family.

“It’s a tradition in our house,” Dwyer said. “I have three daughters — a freshman, one in middle school and one in elementary school — they look forward to doing it every year, and so does my wife.

“It’s just such a Cedar Rapids tradition. Like my family, like a lot of families, this is the race they do every year.”

Dwyer added that the annual event couldn’t continue without a team of dedicated volunteers who also invest their “sweat equity.”

“To those who have volunteered for this race, we are eternally grateful for your service,” Dwyer said. “Without volunteers, this race wouldn't happen, and that’s for the last 38 years. Without volunteers, you can’t pull it off.”

Tuesday’s running of the premier race, the 8K, will start at the corner of Third Avenue SE and Fifth Street SE near the front of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. The race will consist of an out-and-back route from Greene Square and Third Avenue SE, to 19th Street SE, to Grand Avenue SE, with the turnaround in Bever Park and back down the same route to a downhill finish in front of the museum.

“We like the uniqueness of the 8K distance,” Dwyer said. “5Ks are very prevalent; there are a ton to choose from. And 10Ks, for road racing purposes, are the second-most popular distance.

“8K is like that quirky distance where you can still test your limits, whether you’re a 6-minute miler or a 12-minute miler. And when you’re done, you’re like, ‘Dang, I just knocked out 5 miles.’”

And waiting for participants at the finish line is another tradition — bomb pops.

“We just want the participants to have a good time,” Dwyer said. “So, you can celebrate with a red, white and blue bomb pop when you’re done.”

While Dwyer’s family has certainly enjoyed the participation side of the Fifth Seasons Races, the thing he most hopes his daughters take away from his experience as a director is the effort he puts into community service.

“I hope I set a good example by showing them, in my own personal way, what public services are about — your time, your efforts and your energies,” Dwyer said. “I just hope that sets a good example and they become adults who get involved and better their communities.”