Leave a running legacy

Editor's note: Daren Schumaker of Cedar Rapids and Dennis Lee of Walford are attempting to run across Iowa's 99 counties to raise money for the American Heart Association. They've completed 76 counties. This is No. 75. Next: Hamilton

By Daren Schumaker, community contributor

It takes a village. It takes a village to raise a child.

What does that really mean? Don't parents raise children?

The fact of the matter is, no matter how hard parents try, children will be influenced by the world around them - the community in which they are reared. In other words, communities play a role in the development of the children who reside there, sometimes a larger role than you might imagine.

Running is a community, and as a community, it can influence the children who jog and sprint through the parks, alleys and streets.

On March 28, we left the southern Cedar Rapids at 9:30 a.m. and rolled south to Henry County and Old Highway 34. We found ourselves literally standing in the same spot where we had ended Jefferson County, a desolate intersection east of Lockridge. The morning sun had shifted to directly overhead as we set off into the 40 degree air and a 10 mile per hour wind out of the south-southeast.

We quickly burned up the first eight miles of our run, rolling up and down gentle hills and crossing under Highway 34 before entering the outskirts of Mount Pleasant.

Our tour of Mount Pleasant was quite extensive, starting with a jaunt down West Courtland Street and some 'zigging and zagging” before passing through downtown and finding ourselves dancing through the town square and past surrounding businesses.

Next, we visited the Henry County Courthouse and cruised past the Henry County Sheriff's Office before entering the Henry County Fairgrounds. Soon, we heard a few blasts from a train whistle and realized that were circling the grounds of the Old Thresher's Reunion. On our way back to the north side of town, we looped a cemetery that held many generations of Mount Pleasant's finest.

Our last stop in Mount Pleasant included a visit to the Mental Health Institute and Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. The staff at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility were kind enough to stop us and tell us that our route, which took us just a few feet from inmates who were behind a tall razor-wire topped fence, was not open to the public. Oops. Finally, we chugged past the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the northeast corner of town, completing our 17th mile as we turned east onto 220th Street.

Our journey continued to have its ups and downs, literally and figuratively. Hills. Tired legs. More hills. Our trek remained relatively uneventful until our 24th mile when we ran north for one mile on Racine Avenue before hooking a right onto 210th Street.

With the end in sight, we pushed onward to complete our 75th county - running 26.38 miles in 3:48:53.

Just as a village, such as Mount Pleasant, influences the children who reside and are reared there, a running community influences the children who come into contact with the sport. Children of runners often run, but children of non-runners often run, too. Regardless, as we all know, most children don't really listen to their parents. This is where the running community proves its worth. The next time you see a couple of youngster pounding away on the treadmills next to you, stop and talk them up. See what they're training for, ask what school they go to. Talk about what events they want to run. See their eyes light up. Encourage them.

Each of us who laces up our shoes to run on a regular basis has had a person or two who encourage us along the way, someone who challenged us to push ourselves farther than we thought possible. Someone who took an interest in us as a runner, someone who had no obligation to do so. If you want to leave a legacy as a runner, you can do so easily by helping to raise the children who show an interest in the running community.

The next time you're at an event, or out for a jog, cheer on the youth of the running community, for they are our future. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes 'experienced” runners to raise 'new” runners. Give a shout of encouragement. It might not seem like much, but your words may echo in the mind of a young runner for years to come.

Inspiration through perspiration. Become active or make a donation to Team 99 Counties or the American Heart Association to help fight heart disease today.

l To make a donation or buy a T-shirt, email Dennis Lee at telcoden@yahoo.com