Taking flight over Audubon

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. The two have completed 70 counties. This is No. 69. Next: Adair

By Daren Schumaker, community contributor

The early bird catches the worm. Night owl. Happy as a duck in water.

Regardless of their many differences, all birds are similar in a few ways - they all have feathers, raise their young from eggs and are committed. John James Audubon forgot more about birds during his lifetime than most of us will ever learn, identifying 25 new bird species and authoring Birds of America - a work that consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species.

Many things have changed in the 164 years since Audubon's death, but birds continue to have feathers, raise their young from eggs, and display commitment. When it comes to commitment, it is best to listen to the sweet song of a bird, as they have an important story to tell.

On Nov. 29, we flew west out of Walford at 7 a.m. and followed Interstate 80 to west central Iowa and, you guessed it, Audubon County. Unlike the blizzard-like conditions we experienced two weeks prior, the weather was a balmy 50 degrees as we stretched our wings and started to fly eastward. Our flight started one mile west of Kimballton and followed Highway 44 for 11 miles until we reached Hamlin. Our route was not straight like the crow flies. We followed a path that curved both left and right as we generally ran northeast, allowing the wind to gently push us up a hill that was more than seven miles long. Although we did not have a birds eye view, we were able to witness beautiful valleys and mountainous hills that are not often found in many parts of Iowa.

Next, we turned north onto paved 'T-Bone Trail” and ran to Highway 71 for a very, very flat three miles before arriving at Albert the Bull, a giant statue of a bull named, you guessed it, Albert. We paid our respects to Albert, ran downtown, visited the Audubon County Courthouse, and circled the town square where we found ourselves face to face with a statue of John James Audubon. As we darted around town we noted many mosaics in the sidewalk, mosaics that depict replicas of the prints from Audubon's Birds of America. With birds on the mind we ran to the north edge of Audubon, nearing completion of our 17th mile, and prepared to run eastward along 190th Street to the eastern edge of Audubon County.

Thinking about birds, we came to the realization we had run by many roads with bird names - Bluebird, Crane, Dove, Falcon, Goldfinch, Heron, Ibis, Jay, Lark, Nighthawk, Pheasant (where we coincidentally saw several pheasants), Robin and Swift. Despite the time of year, we noticed the birds singing and flying as if it was spring. Committed to our cause, we ran several long hills followed by gradual descents, each hill taking more and more wind from under our wings, until we took our last step in Audubon County - 3:38:25 after and 26.2 miles from where we had started, completing our 69th adventure.

The commitment of birds is something to be envied. Birds spend all winter just getting by, singing each morning to celebrate their survival of the previous night. When spring finally comes, the real work starts and they sit tirelessly on eggs until they hatch, and once they do, they spend just as much time feeding the hungry mouths that call them mother and father.

Eventually the chicks will grow and become adults. Some will soar high in the sky like an eagle, some will furiously beat their wings and dart like a hummingbird, and some will spend their entire life flightless like penguins and emu.

Moral of the story? Not all of us will soar as high as an eagle. Not all of us will have the endurance to fly thousands of miles like a goose. Many of us will only be able to fly short distances like a turkey. Others will not be able to fly at all. The fact of the matter is, regardless of their ability to fly, each of the aforementioned still is a bird.

When it comes to health and fitness each of us will not be a super-star, but we can all be committed to becoming more healthy and fit. Your efforts may not get you too far off the ground, but no bird soars too high if he soars on his own wings. Be committed to your work and you will see results, on the inside and out. Your egg may not hatch today, or tomorrow, or next week. If your egg does hatch, flight might not happen for years, if at all.

Regardless of the outcome, stay committed to your cause like a bird. You can be any bird that you want. Learn to fly and the sky is literally the limit.

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