The Iron Horse Half
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The Iron Horse Half 
by Karl Johnson Karl Johnson
August 24,2025
As we headed out for the race the sun was just rising ahead of us as we drove along 272nd and I-90. Beautiful pink clouds promised a gorgeous day for the race, but also high temps as the forecast called for a high in the mid-90s. Kathryn dropped me off at the start area and then was going to go to the Meadowbrook Farm to await my finish. However, GPS had other ideas and sent her 3 miles down a rough road with potholes the size of VW bugs and boulders on each side before having her do a U-turn and go back down the same road again. Needless to say, she was not happy. Parking a quarter mile from the finish area did not help any. But she made it and anxiously waited for me to finish.
The trail was gorgeous and mostly downhill for the first 9 miles before flattening out for the last four miles. The last four is where I usually bonk but I managed my fueling and hydration much better this year so that was not an issue. I was a bit bothered by the running etiquette of other runners, though. Yes, I am slower than you, but the trail is wide and you really don’t need to cut me off after passing me. Courtesy seems to be a dying trait.
For me, the race was ok. I’m not in prime shape for races like this as I am just getting over a muscle pain issue in my leg. So, I took it easy and stopped at each aid station for a couple minutes and took pictures along the way. My overall pace was 11:45 min/mile but my running pace was closer to 11:00 min/mile which I was aiming for. I talked with Ray at the start area and Steve at the finish area. I also saw Mae and Ray cheering me as I crossed the finish line. We didn’t hang out much afterwards, mostly anxious to get out of the heat and back home to the comfort of our couch where we began questioning our life choices.
On a cautionary note, be mindful of the weather conditions and take steps to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration. Take water with you when running longer distances and try to go out in the early morning or late evening once the temperature has gone down. There was a young fellow being taken out on a stretcher from the finish area. It could have been for any reason but my wife has helped runners at other events who ignored the signs and overdid it during a heat wave.
This was a well-attended race with 1386 participants, of which 253 were Silver Striders. The first female Silver Strider was Caryn Landau-Walter with a time of 1hr33m28s. The first male Silver Strider was Coung Dang with a time of 1:31:46.
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AGE GROUP WINNERS BY BRUCE FISHER
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