A running program at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center is helping inmates develop healthy habits, set goals, and push themselves to new heights. During this Talk of Iowa segment, we run a 5k behind bars and then talk with Mark Powers, president of Corridor Running, who has been involved in building the running club at the prison.
"As I've grown to learn from working with these individuals, it's like a microcosm of normal society," says Powers about mentoring the runners who are a part of the club at the IMCC. "There are some that run, some that don't care as much about their health, and some that get a lot more out of choir or music."
Powers, as well as Warden Jim McKinney, think that the running club and the 5K race where outside runners come to to run alongside the offenders living in the prison, is a very positive experience.
"I think in our world, at the end of the day, the only thing we have is our God and each other," says Powers. "If we can't help each other, we've missed our purpose here on Earth. I look at this as an opportunity to see that most people are going to get released from prison."
