Poet Runs Across Iowa

KEOKUK COUNTY – For close to seven years, poet and long-distance runner Tyler Sullivan has worked to capture the beauty of Iowa through writing and running. Sullivan works his way across the state, stopping in every small town he can find. He runs at least one mile around the town, often more. So far, he has visited 92 counties and run through 1106 different towns. After visiting each county, Sullivan writes a poem about the area.

“I’m doing all the ones on the road map and have found a lot of hidden ones along the way. At least 20 are not on the roadmap, but they’re still towns. People live there,” said Sullivan. “It’s amazing, the people I meet. I go to a lot of museums. I like talking about locals. I go to local diners because honestly, local diners are the way to go.”

One local site he remembered fondly was the Native American harvest mural in the Sigourney post office. “I love finding those types of murals, because they’re hidden. You go inside the post office all the time, but you don’t notice. It’s kinda cool to see that, because it was painted during the Great Depression,” said Sullivan. He also listed the historical society museum, Lancaster school house, the town of Hayesville, the Columbian Hotel mural in Keota, and the Delta covered bridge as places of interest.

Sullivan first visited Keokuk County in 2017 and has returned several times. He plans to come again over the summer, for the 5k run and flea market in What Cheer. The Keokuk County poem, written in 2022, is as follows:

When we take a look at the map of Iowa with all the counties identified

We can see Washington, Adams, and Madison are just a few of the counties that are named after former US Presidents

Cherokee, Sac, Potawatomi, and Chickasaw are a few counties that are well known for Indian tribes

Keokuk on the other hand is named after the Sac Indian Chief who made peace with the white settlers 

Keokuk also stands for “He Who Has Been Everywhere” 

I am no Keokuk by any means, but when the day comes I complete my Iowa quest 

I can’t wait to say I have been to and ran at least a mile in every city on the Iowa transportation map

Sullivan operates a Facebook page called Iowa Scenic Views By Foot, where he posts poems, photos, and stories of his travels. He plans to compile these posts into a series of books. “Each city is very special and I love exploring Iowa,” said Sullivan. “Talking to the locals, checking out historical museums, eating at the local cafes, hiking through the state parks. Iowa is a beautiful place, and it is waiting to be explored.”