Dwight holds inaugural 5K
Posted on 19. Jun, 2010 by admin in Iowa Football
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — For nine years now, former Iowa wide receiver Tim Dwight has held an annual summer football camp in his native Iowa City.
This year, he added on a new idea that got off and running on Saturday, hosting the inaugural Dwight Dash at the Ashton Cross Country Course.
Dwight, who also ran track and field for the Hawkeyes in college, began the five-kilometer race this year to benefit the UI Children’s Hospital. There was also another one-mile component for those who didn’t want to participate in the 5K.
With about 60-65 runners on hand, as well as some sunny weather, Dwight felt Saturday’s race was a success for it being brand new, and hopes it’s able to evolve into something bigger in the coming years.
“This is a whole different ballgame than my football camp,” Dwight said, adding that he wants to have next year’s event take place in downtown Iowa City. “It’s a learning experience with some of what we’re doing, but I think down the road, I’d like to build something big.
“I understand that we got to put some prize money out there to get people to come, so we’re going to do that next year, and just keep building on it.”
Adults and kids alike were on hand with their running shoes and took part in the Dwight Dash. The race began near the UI’s recreational rugby fields, and went along roads such as Melrose Ave. and Mormon Trek Blvd. in Iowa City.
On hand for the event as a volunteer was John Raffensperger, who was Dwight’s track coach at Iowa City High, and is currently involved with the Iowa track and field team.
Raffensperger took joy in the sight of those who took time out of their Saturday mornings to run and help out with Dwight’s cause.
“Running has just exploded as a recreational thing, and people are really doing more in this all the time,” he said. “[Tim] just continues to give back, and I like to be a part of that.”
Having been out of the NFL for over two years now, Dwight’s passion for running races has grown rapidly. Last winter, he participated in the Millrose Games in New York City, where he ran a 60-meter dash against former NFL players Willie Gault and David Tyree.
Dwight has also pursued an interest in triathlons, having competed prior in the Hy-Vee Triathlon. He said adding a triathlon component to the Dwight Dash may be in the future, in addition to having the event take place in downtown Iowa City.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Dwight said about competing in triathlons. “There are all kinds of equalizers in that race. You might be a good biker, but your swim might not be good. If you’re a good runner, you have a good chance of being back there.”
Preparation for this race was something Dwight didn’t seem to have as much of as he wanted, saying his football camp earlier in the week turned out to play the biggest role in his preparation.
As he looks ahead, Dwight said he plans to take part this year in RAGBRAI, as well as some other races. His long-term goal though is pursuing opportunities to compete in marathons, specifically the Boston and New York marathons.
He said he wants to participate in at least one of those races (if not both) in 2011, but also knows there’s a proper training schedule he would need to stick with in order to make running in either marathon a reality.
“It’s hard to find training for me right now, but now I’m kind of getting into more of the regimen for racing, so I just got to find the time,” Dwight said.
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