By Seth Boyes,
Participants in the annual Pulpit to Pulpit 5K began looking toward the finish line as they pounded the pavement along the College Drive bridge, which spans the Upper Iowa River. (Photo by Seth Boyes)
The skies were gray, but smiles were bright the morning of July 4 in Decorah as nearly 300 people gathered behind the starting line of the annual Pulpit to Pulpit 5K.
Some were accompanied by canine companions.
And at least one runner completed the course barefoot.
But the finish line wasn’t the only goal that morning. Participants knew their strides would benefit the local community.
The Pulpit to Pulpit 5K raises funds for two area organizations each year, as runners make a circuit from Pulpit Rock Brewing Company to the Pulpit Rock Campground and back — the annual event also features a 1-mile fun run/walk. Steph Hughes, co-director of the Pulpit to Pulpit 5K, said the budding tradition has attracted around 250 runners each of the last three years, but this year’s event saw 295 people take their marks behind the starting line — the highest total recorded since 2019, according to Hughes.
Hughes largely credited the run’s origins to the Pulpit Rock Brewing’s co-founder Pete Espinosa. He had been mulling over the idea of creating an event the brewery could host for the community each Independence Day, she said, and he eventually landed on the idea of a 5K fundraiser to support local organizations. Today the event is supported by a dozen sponsors, who Hughes noted cover expenses associated with hosting the 5K, allowing registration fees to be put directly toward the donated funds.
The Pulpit to Pulpit run debuted in 2018 and is now in its sixth year, having skipped a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hughes said the annual run has supported at total of 11 local organizations as of the 2024 event.
“Our purpose, intentionally, is to pick small organizations where a fundraiser of this size, which raises a couple thousand dollars for each organization, is more than a drop in the bucket to them — where that can be a meaningful donation for their year,” Hughes said.
This year’s chosen recipients were Toys Go Round — a local toy-lending library — and Helping Services for Youth and Families, formerly known as Helping Services of Northwest Iowa, which provides family support and youth mentoring services in addition to education and other resources on domestic abuse and substance misuse prevention.
Officials with Toys Go Round indicated the nonprofit has yet to formally decided what the donation will be used for, but interim coordinator Sarah Frydenlund noted the organization is looking to hire a new director and ensuring the nonprofit is sustainable for the next 30 years or so. Toys Go Round serves more than 300 children each year, according to its website, and Frydenlund said officials there hope to improve access to their services in addition to launching a new volunteer program for all ages — she said “play ambassadors” will help test toys and demonstrate how to use them in an effort to be sure they remain in like-new condition for as long as possible.
“The donation from Pulpit to Pulpit just helps us continue the good work that we do,” Frydenlund said.
Likewise, officials with Helping Services for Youth and Families were grateful for the funds this year’s 5K raised for their work.
“The organizers do a wonderful job with the event each year,” said Carson Eggland, executive director of Helping Services. “Our team will utilize the funding for our greatest need, which this year is the Domestic Abuse Resource Center at Helping Services. “
Eggland said advocates at Helping Services provide free and confidential services for survivors of domestic violence who reside in northeast Iowa. The nonprofit’s services can be accessed by phone or online round the clock seven days a week.
Decorah City Council Member Steve Zittergruen said he and his family have participated in most if not all of the Pulpit to Pulpit runs since they debuted six years ago — he added that his children have been a part of the yearly event since they were old enough to get out of their strollers.
“I think it’s great for Decorah to have an activity on the Fourth of July that kicks the day off,” Zittergruen said. “For our family, it’s a fun way to start the day with friends and neighbors celebrating the holiday. And I know personally that the money it raises for charity does a lot of good.”
Zittergruen went on to say he serves on the board of the Decorah Food Pantry, which was selected as a recipient of the funds several years ago, and he was amazed by the financial support area runners ultimately provided to the pantry. He indicated that’s part of the reason he and his family continue to lace up their running shoes each year.
“I guess, even if it were a free fun run, we’d still do it, but it sure makes me feel better about waking up early in the morning that there’s money going to a good cause,” Zittergruen said.
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