The first ever Iowa State Patrol Half Marathon is set for this spring to benefit Special Olympics Iowa. Patrol Captain Ken Clary, one of the event’s organizers, says the run is planned for Sunday, April 13th, at Banner Lakes State Park, about halfway between Des Moines and Indianola.
He says it’ll be three runs in one for hundreds of runners. “We’ve capped our inaugural event at 600, with 300 of which can be half-marathoners and the other 300 5 and 10-K,” Clary says. “We’re staggering our start to make it more doable. We’ll start the half-marathon at 8 o’clock in the morning and then at 8:30, we’ll kick off the 5 and 10-K.”
Clary says the event will be a forerunner for the annual Special Olympics Iowa Torch Run this spring as law enforcement officers will participate. “This event is one of the key fundraising events for LETR which is the Law Enforcement Torch Run,” Clary says. “One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to benefit games across the state. Besides the state games in May, we turn right around and have 80 other venues across the state for the athletes.”
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Warren County Conservation Board are co-sponsoring the event with the Iowa State Patrol. Learn more and register online at: www.soiowa.org/marathon
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City