Jonathan Meyer.

As many readers of this newspaper may have figured out, I love running. Ever since I did my first 5k race I was hooked on running and it has consumed my life ever since. I can recall my enthusiasm for 5th and 6th grade track and field day and how eager I was to start cross country and track in 7th grade. The love of the sport has taken me a long way and has given me more than I could ever have asked for. I have met countless friends, been all over Iowa running, and now compete collegiately in the sport I love. I owe the running lifestyle and community an awful lot.

When I got to high school I was never the fastest, heck you could’ve called me one of the slower runners. Regardless of my speed, I brought my best attitude everyday and gave it my all no matter what. Looking back, running is very much not about giving it your all everyday, but the thought is what counts. This passion was noticed early on in my high school running career by Coach T and Coach Baron. After my freshman season had concluded I was named a captain, which was a complete shock and a huge honor.

As a senior in high school, I created a YouTube channel with the help of a close friend and began sharing the experiences of my team through the lens of my iPhone. This silly little video series made me quite famous in the Iowa running community. When I would show up at cross country and track meet other athletes and parents would recognize me. With my bit of fame I kept meeting new people, eventually I met a talented runner named Lance Sobaski who was from Washington, Iowa. I heard he was going to Wartburg College and didn’t really think much of it.

While at the state track meet as a senior, our distance crew was recognized all over the place. That weekend was extra special, getting to compete in my first and only state track meet and earning a medal thanks to the tremendous effort of the one and only Tommy Tyynismaa on the anchor.

All the fun of that weekend eventually led me to graduation where the channel I had worked very hard with (and bugged quite a lot of people with) got a shoutout in the faculty speech by the one and only Emily Chyma. This capped off my high school career and made me so proud of where running had taken me.

Fast forward nine months and with no concrete future plans a guy named Lance Sobaski reached out and asked if I wanted to come run at Wartburg. Instantly I knew my decision, YES.

That takes me to today, I’m sitting in Waverly at a desk in a study room writing about how much I love running. No matter the path, always trust, one step at a time. I’ll leave you with my favorite quote; One mile at a time, my race, my pace.