June 23, 2025
Imagine Grinnell hosted its sixth annual Prairie Burn 100 event, based in Grinnell’s Central Park, on Saturday, June 14. More than 300 riders and runners participated in the various ride and run options with many more in the park to cheer on the athletes and enjoy food, fellowship and pleasant weather.
“This was the smoothest Prairie Burn yet,” says Tim Ellsworth, Imagine Grinnell president. “We have a good army of volunteers who have done it for a few years, and we had good weather. It was a bit hot and a little humid, but we had no wind and no rain for the day. And it was great seeing so many people downtown.”
Bike riders had their choice of courses of 100, 50 or 25 miles. Ellsworth says his favorite part of the day was starting the bike riders on one of the courses. He rode with the 50-mile group, first setting the riders going, then mounting his bike and catching up.
The 50-mile group, he says, had friends and family members all riding together, including his family’s kids and people from Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas and Chicago.
As the riders prepared to take off, Ellsworth thanked them for coming to the ride, urged everyone to ride safely, stay to the right and care for fellow riders, then thanked Jennifer Cogley for her work organizing the event and said, “Ready, set, go.”
Ellsworth notes that conditions for the ride were perfect with the dirt roads in perfect shape, gravel roads “amazing” and both “picturesque,” lined with green brought by the recent rains. Aid stations along the way, he continued, were fun with volunteers equipping their pop-up tents with music and good snacks like bananas, Coke and Snicker bars.
Total registration for the day in all events was 309 with ten men and one woman in the 100-mile race, 93 in the 50-mile ride and 31 in the 25-mile ride. In the men’s 100-mile race, Ben Anderson of Iowa City won and earned a $300 prize, Chris Adams of Cedar Falls was in second place and won $200, and Michael Maney of Cedar Falls claimed third place and $100. Kristin Hansen of Iowa City was the only female 100-miler and won $300.
The event had 50 volunteers working on Friday and Saturday. During the day, 12 people did Yoga in the Park, 20 kids participated in Storytime and Art in the Park, and many friends and family of riders and runners throughout the day enjoyed the food from food trucks and beverages from Solera in the park. Will Bentley, director of worship and praise at Prairie Lakes Church, brought the church’s mobile system to the park to provide entertaining music throughout the day.
Runners could take a 3K or 5K course, and winners in age categories for males and for females were declared for each course. All runners wore bibs provided by a timing company whose computers recorded the time of each runner as he or she crossed the finish line. The fastest male and female runner in each category won a gift certificate for ice cream at Jay’s Deli.
Winners of the 100-mile race and the 5K and 3K were announced at an awards ceremony at 3 p.m. Cash prizes and certificates were handed out to the winners who were present, and those who won but were not in the park to receive their certificate can pick up certificates at the Imagine Grinnell offices in Ahrens Park.
First place in the 5K was awarded to a male and a female runner by age categories. With the male listed first, winners in the categories for kids were, in the age 7 and 8 group, Miles Levy and Kinley Kofoot; in the age 9 and 10 group, Crn Sawyer and Gracelynn Burke; in the age 11 and 12 group, Weston Duke and Thea Hanson; in the age 13 and 14 group, Aiden Vance and Acadia Robinson; and in the ages 15 to 17 group, Jase Koester and Alexis Sorenson.
Male and female winners in the 5K for adult age categories were, in the ages 18 to 29 group, Tommy Hexter and Olivia Olson; in the ages 30 to 39 group, Ryan Miller and Christy Hazel; in the ages 40 to 49 group, Jon Duke and Susie Duke; in the ages 50 to 59 group, Ryan Albright and Laura Gomez; and in the group over 60, Loring Heitman and Denise Christian.
Male and female winners in the youth age categories in the 3K runs, with males listed first, were, in the six and under group, Henry Cooprider and Ofelia McIntyre; in the age 7 and 8 group, Dawson Plate and Eloise Cooprider; in the ages 9 and 10 group, Kevin Gray Jr. and Eveniy Shriver; and in the ages 11 and 12 group, Rostam Zarghami and Paisley Pagliai.
Male and female winners in adult age categories in the 3K, with males listed first, were, in the ages 30 to 39 group, Bryce Heitman and Haylee Pagliai; in the ages 40 to 49 group, Nathan Van Wyk and Grace Van Arkel; in the ages 50 to 59 group with only a female entered, Simone Sidwell; and, in the age group 60 and over, Dave Vajgrt and Joann Matt.
(Written and Published by the Grinnell Herald-Register)
