I have been in sports all my life, from football and golf in school and indoor/outdoor volleyball for the past 25 years. I’ve never really been a long-distance runner, so to finish my second marathon well in the top half of the nearly 7,000 runners is an accomplishment I will not forget. And to run alongside my daughter made it even more special.

I had heard a lot about the Dam-to-Dam run in Des Moines. I had heard that it was actually one of the runs that people participate in that’s the most fun, so I decided to try it this year which was the 36th year of the run.

The day starts out by boarding a bus at 5:00 a.m. for the ride to Saylorville dam. On arrival, it was dark, cloudy, drizzle and wind with temps in the 50s. Not ideal, but at least it wasn’t sunny and humid. We tried to find a spot out of the wind and rain under a tree, waiting an hour and a half for the race to start. At 6:45 the sea of people started to slowly move to the mile-long bridge above the dam lining up by an average minute per mile.

We were finally ready to start, the mass of people moved forward and we finally crossed the line, on our 13.1-mile journey with thousands of other people. It was still raining, windy and chilly, but as we methodically ran the first few miles it became warmer and the rain slowed down a bit.

Spectators were spotted along the route, cheering us on, blowing horns and bells. It’s great to have that support along the way from beginning to end. If you have never been to Iowa, the countryside is absolutely gorgeous, especially early in the morning. Even with all of the people, it was quiet and peaceful. You had to watch and focus as runners would slow down, speed up, cross in front or stop. But that’s the fun of the run. There are bands and entertainment along the way and of coarse port-a-potties if you need them. We were fortunate and didn’t stop! Only slowed down for the water stations to make sure we were hydrated. She is able to maintain a constant speed and kept me from going to fast too quickly and more importantly not letting me walk. I was afraid if I walked a bit that I wouldn’t be able to get going again.

What I have found in the two runs I’ve done so far is that there are all types of people, young, old, female, male, tall, short, and everything in between. But the one thing in common is that we have a goal to make it to the finish line and support and encourage the people you’re with.

My daughter, her friend, and I ran the entire race together. We may not be the fastest runners, but we finished our goal, crossed the line, and we’re pretty proud of our accomplishment.

We are already thinking about the next race, but for now, we’ll enjoy the feeling of running 13.1 miles of gorgeous Iowa countryside and through the neighborhoods and downtown of the wonderful city of Des Moines, Iowa.