Day 4 of the 2026 running trip brought us to Montana’s second-largest city and another bustling college town on Homecoming weekend – Missoula. Originally known as Hellgate, the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883 helped transform Missoula from a small settlement into a regional commercial center. The distinctive Clark Fork River runs right through town and contributed to Missoula earning the nickname “Garden City” for its lush landscape and ample trees. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie A River Runs Through It, that’s Missoula.
We arrived in town just after 9am, parked at a local church downtown, and set off for a long run that commenced at the Missoula County Courthouse. The Missoula County Courthouse is one of the city’s most impressive historic building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At the courthouse, I thanked my former colleague Robbie Nunes who recently graduated from UC, Davis law school and has big dreams as life as an attorney.
We arrived downtown as crowds were gathering for the annual University of Montana Homecoming parade, and my next landmark was directly on the parade route. The Wilma is Missoula’s iconic historic theater and one of the most recognizable buildings downtown. The theatre was once called the “Showplace of Montana” and was named for its owner’s wife. Today, it is one of Montana’s best-known live music venues. I thanked my theatre-loving sister Anne amongst curious parade-goers.
Do you enjoy surfing? Maybe whitewater kayaking? If that’s the case, you can do both on Brennan’s Wave, a man-made standing wave on the Clark Fork River in the heart of downtown. Built in 2002 in memory of local kayaker Brennan Guth, it is a fun place to watch kayakers and surfers take on the river. I was hoping we’d see some activity on the wave, but I think the surfers were too busy at the farmers market and Octobefest celebrations occuring nearby. Busy day in Missoula. In any case, I thanked Kelly Caughlan for her donation.
We got away from downtown and the crowd by running West. On the way, we passed Draught Works Brewery where I thanked my brewery-loving friends Ross and Megan Roti. Ironically enough, Ross had texted me at 5am that morning to make me aware that his hometown Spencer Tigers had beat my Fort Dodge Dodgers the evening before in their annual football game. While I didn’t appreciate that text, I do appreciate Ross and Megan greatly.
Our next stop was Ogren Park, home to the Missoula PaddleHeads, an independent professional baseball team that plays in the Pioneer League. Unfortunately, we were not able to get into the stadium or find a nice view of the field, so resorted to showing off the team’s awesome logo. I thanked my former colleague and aspiring baseball umpire Kyle Prager for his donation.
The Kim Williams Nature Trail follows the Clark Fork River through a scenic corridor between downtown and the surrounding mountains. It provided for a great running experience, and we could even hear the University of Montana band on the parade route in the background. We found a historic train station with a statue of Missoula’s favorite mammal, the grizzly bear, roaring outside where I thanked Phi Delta Theta volunteer and nicest guy around, Bob Mehler.
Founded in 1893, the University of Montana is one of the state’s flagship public universities and a defining part of Missoula’s identity. The beautiful campus that hosts 13,000+ students sits directly below Mount Sentinel and the famous “M,” with the Clark Fork River running nearby. I learned that the University is an arboretum, and you may notice why in the pictures below. At one of the welcome gates, I thanked Ken Maikowski, a long-time Phi Delta Theta volunteer who used to work with the Phi Delts on campus.
The Oval is the centerpiece of the University of Montana campus and one of its most recognizable gathering places. The tree-lined space is surrounded by historic campus buildings and makes for an awesome scene. At one end of the oval is another friendly grizzly bear, welcoming folks to campus. I thanked Ryan and Nicole Galles again and then pictured Ryan roaring like a grizzly bear and then giggling at his antics.
At the other end of the Oval is University Hall (or Main Hall), the University of Montana’s oldest building. I thanked Sean and Michelle Wagner in front of the stately building. Sean is my long-time boss at Phi Delta Theta, and the Wagners joined us this summer in Northern Wisconsin for a little rest and relaxation. It was fun to introduce them to the Good family’s long-time summer vacation spot.
The Adams Center is the University of Montana’s primary indoor sports and events venue and home to Grizzly basketball. On football game day, it is also part of the tailgate scene, so it was fun to see the fans beginning to gather for the afternoon game. I thanked my father-in-law Tim Bell in front of the Adams Center to celebrate his love for basketball as a long-time high school coach.
Washington-Grizzly Stadium is home to the University of Montana Grizzlies football team and one of the most intimidating venues in FCS college football. The stadium’s mountain setting and passionate fan base—known collectively as Griz Nation—create an electric atmosphere on game days. Kerrie and I decided not to go to the game that day, but we found a welcoming security guard at one of the entrances who let us go inside and snap a photo. What a great stadium! I once again thanked the Carlsons with whom we love spending Iowa State game days.
The giant concrete “M” on Mount Sentinel is perhaps Missoula’s most recognizable landmark. University of Montana students first created the M in 1908 by carrying stones up the mountain. Today’s concrete version was built in 1968. The short but steep hike to the M provides spectacular views of the university, Missoula Valley, Clark Fork River and surrounding mountains. Along the hike to the M, I thanked Linda Carlson while scoping out the pre-game activities in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
We made it to the M, thanked Ken Maikowski again, and continued on to finish our 9-mile venture in Missoula.
On the way back to our car, we grabbed some ice cream (huckleberry shake for me!) and re-visited the Beartracks Bridge on Higgins Avenue now that the parade route was gone. I thanked my parents once again with The Wilma and Brennan’s Wave in the background.
We made it back to our van, did a little outdoor clothes changing that I’ve perfected over the years, and explored downtown Missoula. We landed at The Oxford for one of the more memorable meals we’ve had on the trip. Before going in, I thought it was only fitting to thank Bill Morrison here for his family’s connection to Oxford, Ohio. When you walk inside The Oxford, you realize you have enter a place that is one part dive bar, one part classic diner, and one part casino. I’m not sure I expected that, but Kerrie and I agreed that the food hit the spot like no other meal during the trip.
Exhausted but content after a great meal, Kerrie and I head to our Airbnb to relax. My final thank you of the day was to the Loonsfoot family who have helped create a home away from home for our kids at Collegiate United Methodist Church in Ames. Our kids adore Lauren, and Tillie and I are thankful for her work at the church. And I think Bryan is pretty swell too.
We finished the evening linking up with Cody Flynn, a Phi Delta Theta volunteer and University of Montana employee to explore Missoula some more. I’m kicking myself for not getting a picture, but we loved seeing him while in town!
