Our Story
Down with Running was founded by Matt Lamos. A dad. A husband. And now, a runner.
His youngest, Lilly, was diagnosed at birth with Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome. Lilly has thankfully worked with a dedicated group of providers that allowed the Lamos' to give Lilly the chance to try hard things. To really push herself. Even, to fail.​ Through Lilly's hard work, she continues to grow stronger.
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It was hard to watch Lilly hit her milestones at a "delayed" timeline. It was easier/quicker to carry Lilly from point A to point B. Ultimately, taking the easy way, wasn't going to help her. Allowing her the opportunity to become self sufficient was the right move.
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As a two year old, she used a walker to get around. As a 4 year old, she ran the final 200 meters of the Des Moines marathon. ​​​​
Over the past few years, Matt has become an avid runner and has felt, first hand, the positive physical and phycological effects of running and routinely exercising. Watching Lilly overcome her struggles challenged him as well. He learned that our capabilities aren't as limited as we believe. By setting incremental goals, we can accomplish anything. Matt in the past few years Matt has run multiple ultramarathons between 50-100 miles, four 50k races, two marathons, and a half marathon. He wasn't even a runner 6 year ago.
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In February of 2025, Lilly climbed to the top of the rope ladder at therapy and shouted "Oh yeah baby". This wouldn't be considered a "milestone" for most kids about to turn 4, but for Lilly, this was huge. She demonstrated physical strength and control over her muscles and combining three words at once in the correct order.
OUR MISSION
DwR is dedicated to empowering people to stay fit by running. We believe that fitness is accessible to everyone regardless of circumstance and that it can help improve cognitive and long-term physical ailments. Our mission is to provide support and resources to those who want to accomplish their next goal, and the one after that.
