T-R PHOTO BY TREVOR BABCOCK Tyler Sullivan of North Liberty runs the sidewalks of Marshalltown’s Main Street Thursday afternoon, all a part of his quest to visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties and the towns within them.

In a mission to visit and run in every town in the state of Iowa, a runner’s journey led him to Marshall County on Thursday.

By the time Tyler Sullivan of North Liberty had made it to Marshalltown at noon, he had already been to nine towns in Marshall County and ran 14 miles starting at 5:30 a.m.

It started in 2015, when Sullivan would drive from Iowa City to Mason City to visit his then girlfriend.

“I was driving that way one Friday after work, and I was seeing all these counties like Chickasaw and Bremer, and I had never actually heard of these counties before,” Sullivan said. “When I met with her I was just like, ‘Have you ever thought about going to these counties and finding something special in those counties?'”

He and his partner began picking a county to visit on each trip to see each other. When the two parted ways, Sullivan continued to visit counties, but instead began visiting each town in every county he went to.

“Then my friend was like, ‘Have you ever thought about running in these towns?,'” Sullivan said.

Since 2018, Sullivan runs at least a mile in every town he visits. He is including every town on Iowa’s roadmap in his mission, which means he’s also running in Iowa’s unincorporated towns.

“They’re a part of Iowa, they make the state a whole,” Sullivan said.

On Thursday, he ran six miles in Marshalltown, and 20 miles in Marshall County.

He enjoyed seeing old gas stations, art sculptures, old houses, different styles of main streets, murals, with welcome signs being his favorite part of his trips.

“I’m a stranger, but I always feel like I’m welcome in these towns,” Sullivan said. “The people are so wonderful. I’ve met so many wonderful friends along the way. They take pride in their towns. I’m happy to go to these towns and see that joy. I just love the enthusiasm and excitement Iowa has for these small towns.”

He also writes a poem for each county he visits, and hopes to publish a poetry book this fall. He posts his findings in each town to his “Iowa’s Scenic Views By Foot” Facebook page.

At the day’s end of running in Marshall County, Sullivan said he has run in 89 of Iowa’s 99 counties and at least a mile in 890 of Iowa’s towns.

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.