There Is Something In The Air: The Finishline

Sorry! I cannot figure out who these finishers are of either T.I.v9 or v10.

 The final thing I find which is a recurring thought around this time of year is the finish line of a Trans Iowa. 

Typically, for any given year of the fourteen Trans Iowas, I was in a state of sleep deprivation which often was part hallucinations and part sharply recalled moments. There are many things I probably don't recall anymore about the end of a Trans Iowa. But what I do recall is very heartwarming and I am glad I was able to share many great moments along the way at various finish lines. 

Oddly enough, the very first finish line of a completed Trans Iowa I ever experienced was in Decorah for the third Trans Iowa. The first one was run solo, by myself, and I was stationed as an observer about 20 miles from the finish line while Decorah Time Trial folks handled the end. Trans Iowa was truncated the following year due to everyone missing the time cut-off in Algona, Iowa. So, the third one was really my first one, if you can follow that! 

T.I.v4 had an impromptu finish line in Edgewood where winner John Gorilla found this beer in the street!

 

Impromptu finish line: T.I.v6 finished at the Malt Shop in North English, Iowa.

Many know several Trans Iowa events did not see the scheduled distance run. But this did not mean we had no finish line hangs. Impromptu finish lines set up for T.I.v4, v6, and the hang after the ending of T.I.v11 at Lonski's in Grinnell were all fantastic in their own right. 

I had some very special times at the T.I.v12 finish in Grinnell. 

Matt Gersib hugging T.I.v13 winner Dan Hughes with myself here in the orange jacket. Image taker unknown. 

There were some awesome hugs. I do remember those well. Steve Fuller's hug. The hugs at the end of T.I.v12 from various folks. Then there was that hug from T.I.v13 winner Dan Hughes. That's the one which was surprisingly long, emotional, and memorable. 

Waiting on the T.I.v14 finishers. Image by Craig Growseth

Eventually it all ended and I went back home. This was a stop on the way back from T.I.v14

Oddly enough, the end of a Trans Iowa wasn't all that different than the start, only it went in reverse. You had all the anticipation of seeing finishers. The emotional outpouring when finishers did make it to the end, and the atmosphere of the finish line with everyone hanging out. Whether this was across from a cemetery on the fringe of Decorah, Iowa, a random intersection in Williamsburg, Iowa, in a barn near Grinnell, or in one of a few parks used in Grinnell, the feeling was always the same. 

Then one by one folks would wander off to their cars, or ride their bikes away to motels, and I'd be left standing all alone. The quiet, peaceful end of a sometimes chaotic 34 hours and more of wild emotional swings, sleep deprivation, and physical efforts which marked my time in a Trans Iowa. I remember how I felt after those post 2:00pm Sunday afternoons. 

All of these things I have written about in these posts called "Something In The Air" and more than those are what floods my memories at this point. I thought I'd share how I feel after all these years of being away from Trans Iowa, or putting on events in any capacity. Like I said before, I miss it, but there are a lot of things I have left out of these posts which I do not miss one bit. 

Am I glad it is all over? Yes. But I also am very glad I did that for all those years as well. 

I hope you all enjoyed the look back at what I find memorable this time of the year. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!