Mile posts: Tim Dwight keeps on running

Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame member Casey Owens with Iowa Athletics Hall of Famer Tim Dwight,

Tim Dwight admits he had no idea what he would do with his life when his 10-year NFL career came to an end after the 2007 season.

He found, among other things, triathlons and running.

“I’ve had a great opportunity to do a lot of things in my life,” the former University of Iowa football and track All-American told a crowd Friday at the annual Capital Striders dinner and meeting at The Machine Shed restaurant. “I’ve played 18 years of football. I’ve been really lucky.”

Today, Dwight lives in Iowa City and devotes much of his time to his foundation, which raises money to help needy kids with scholarships and provide assistance to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital of Iowa.

He is involved with a company that sells solar energy sources to companies and home owners. He went into great detail Friday about the impact solar energy will have in the future for the U.S. and the world.

He also holds the Tim Dwight Football Camp each year in Iowa City.

He is passionate about all of these things. Throw running and endurance sports in there as well.

He and the Capital Striders members revealed Friday that they will be collaborate for a new race, the Dwight Dash, in the Des Moines area later this spring to benefit his foundation. The race will likely be 5 kilometers in length. He said the date is tentatively scheduled for May 19.

Dwight caught the triathlon bug not long after retiring after one season with the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He entered the Iowa Games Triathlon in 2008, placing 121st out of 298 finishers.

Since then, he has competed in more than 10 triathlons and his first marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon. Then came a huge endeavor: his first Ironman Triathlon, Ironman Coeur d’Alene in Idaho last June.

Dwight said he was so cold from swimming the first half of the 2.4-mile swim that he had to stop and rest. He needed 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the swim.

“I breast-stroked coming back,” he said.

The 36-year-old covered the 112-mile bike in 7 hours and 28 minutes and the marathon in 5 hours and 15 minutes. He finished the exhausting race 284th overall, in 15:19:24.

“I’ve built my life on hard work; it’s impressive what you do,” he told the runners. “It’s a different mindset. It’s been fun to implement myself into the runners’ world.”

He plans to run in the Drake Relays 8k race in April and likely his own race. It sounds as if he’s going to stay in running and triathlons for a while.

NOW, ABOUT THAT IOWA GAMES: Dwight laughed when he was asked about his two-week odyssey of competing in 25 events for the 25th anniversary of the Iowa Games last July.

“The last event (on July 16) was track and field and I had five (six) events — shot, discus, long jump, 100, 200, 4×100. I did the long jump — I haven’t long-jumped in like 18 years — and two minutes later I ran the 100.”

He said the littany of events was a challenge, especially for an aching hip from his football days.

“I probably put 3-4 years on that hip,” he said. “This hip is like 90 years old.

“This year’s Iowa Games have been the most challenging events I’ve ever participated in,” Dwight said on the Iowa Games website. “From the triathlon, 3-on-3 basketball, horseshoes, air marksmanship, track and field to swimming, the Games have tested my endurance, skill and focus not only as an athlete, but as a sportsman as well. The 2011 Summer Iowa Games will be an event I’ll never forget.”

He finished first in his age group in two events: the long jump and, you guessed it, horseshoes.

CLUB NEWS AND AWARDS: Fitness Sports owner Steve Bobenhouse said the recent Living History Farms race “was our most successful one.” The race raised almost $185,000, with all of the proceeds going back to a number of charities and groups. Host Living History Farms will be a big benefactor. A total of $8,000 went to the Capital Striders.

Board president Mike McGinn handed out some awards. The volunteer of the year award went to Brad Dains, who is was voted in a new board member. Dains was instrumental in organizing water stops for the fall and winter training runs. The sponsor of the year was Fitness Sports.

McGinn said both the Loop the Lake and the Capital Pursuit entry fees stayed the same and the Capital Pursuit made more of a profit. Capital Pursuit also had the eighth-most finishers in the 10-mile race in the 29-year history of the event. The Striders will be sponsoring a third race with the Dwight Dash this spring.

Among the groups the Striders support include three local track clubs and Iowa Kidstrong and its See-Us Run Des Moines program. The Striders also gave away $1,000 college scholarships to three high school seniors in 2011. The winners were Tanelle Berard of Dowling Catholic High School, Drew Prescott of Urbandale High School and Kelsey McDougal of Roosevelt High School.

To read more about running and triathlons, follow me on Twitter (@LanceBergeson)

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