For Mike Mwangong, his love for running will never end.

Mwangong, a former standout athlete on the ISU track and cross country teams, has continued his training even after his college eligibility expired.

After graduating last year with a bachelor’s degree in transportation and logistics, the Kenya native landed a job at Wells Fargo Bank in Des Moines and has moved on to life after college.

Life, however, is not complete for him without running.

“Running is something I like doing,” Mwangong said. “A lot of people look at it as something that is hard to do.

“Once you get going, you get used to it. You want to do it every day. If I didn’t run then something is wrong with my day. Running has gotten me to a place that I never thought I would get to.”

While racing for Iowa State, Mwangong claimed the Big 12 championship in the 10-kilometer run during his senior season of track. The win also qualified him for the national outdoor track meet.

“[Winning the Big 12 championship] is one of those things you’d love to do all over again,” Mwangong said. “I won it in front of my teammates and coaches. My goal at the beginning of the season was to win, and it was a dream come true.”

He also was a two-time qualifier for the NCAA National Cross Country Meet.

“Being a national qualifier is exciting, to have that experience and to run with the best guys in the nation,” Mwangong said.

When current cross country head coach Corey Ihmels took his job, Mwangong had a year and one-half of eligibility remaining, allowing Ihmels to see first-hand one of the top runners in the country.

“He was a guy who was really talented and could do great things,” Ihmels said. “He was a consistent performer who was going to lay it on the line. When you stood on the starting line with Mike, you knew that he was going to go out and give it everything he had.”

Mwangong was also a leader to younger members of the team who were looking to learn from one of the best in the business.

“He was a great example,” said sophomore Dan Taylor, a runner who spent his freshman season learning from his senior teammate.

“We’d go to meets and see stars from other universities and we knew that we had one of our own. It was a great feeling at a cross country race to look over and see Mike and know that he was going to get the job done. He set a good example of what can be accomplished.”

Ihmels agreed with Taylor.

“Every day at practice he worked hard and did everything he could for the group. He was a great example for the young guys, and we miss that a lot. We lost more then just his athletic ability, but lost a great leader who did a lot for the program and someone who continues to be a guy who is very encouraging to our kids.”

Now that Mwangong is out of school, he has less time to train. He isn’t letting that obstacle get in the way. He tries to run three to four times a week and competes in area races when possible.

He plans to run in an off-road race Saturday at Living History Farms in Urbandale, on Saturday pitched as “the biggest cross country race in North America.”

“I don’t have a lot of time to run,” Mwangong said. “I run when I can. It’s going to be something that I can have for the rest of my life.

“My career didn’t end at the end of college. I still love running.”