Editor's Note: To learn more about the Spring Innovation Challenge that runs April 13-14, click HERE.
Carson Lane gives new meaning to the running idiom, “Your race, your pace.”
A middle-distance runner for the University of Iowa men’s track and field team, Lane has created Stridelane, an LED pacing-light technology that helps runners hit their target times. The system syncs with a timing device, cues a pre-set goal pace, and once the starting signal is received, illuminates a sequence of lights that runners chase around the track at their projected speed.
Pacing lights aren’t a new concept, but Stridelane’s affordable price point sets it apart from existing options.
“The other companies can’t grow much more,” Lane said. “There’s a wide-open market for high schools and colleges that can’t afford those systems. There’s a clear opportunity there.”
A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Lane is in his third year at Iowa and will graduate this spring with a degree in business analytics and information systems. He’ll remain at Iowa to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics. Through his running experience and coursework, Lane became familiar with pacing-light technology. As his coding skills improved, he took a closer look at what it would cost to build his own version and was surprised by how feasible it was.
Once he committed, the race was on.
“The demand has been growing ever since,” Lane said.
Lane is part of an interesting trend: several members of the Hawkeye men’s track team are chasing more than medals, they’re also building businesses. At the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center’s (Iowa JPEC) IdeaStorm on Oct. 29, two ventures founded by track athletes took home a combined $2,500. Portal, founded by Nicholas Gorsich, Jackson Johannes, Austin Rowswell, and Braedin Zondervan, placed third in the tech category with a platform designed to streamline recruiting for coaches and athletes. HeathWallet, founded by Will Ryan, won the category with a secure, patient-controlled system that centralizes medical and dental information.
“I heard about Innovation Challenge from my teammates who did IdeaStorm and won money,” Lane said. “I thought, ‘I’ve got a business that’s a little farther along and this would be a good opportunity.’”
Despite not being overly fond of public speaking, Lane impressed the judges at Innovation Challenge, placing second in the Best Technology category and earning $2,000.
Stridelane debuted at the Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational on Dec. 13 at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Complex. Lane has since operated the system at the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat Invitational (Feb. 6–7) and Grinnell College’s Darren Young Classic (Feb. 13–14). He will also use Stridelane at the IATC Indoor Championships in Ames from March 12–13.
While the technology works well at both indoor and outdoor meets, Lane says its greatest value comes during practice.
“I’ve used it, and I’ve seen other people use it and the best application is training,” he said. “It’s the best training tool I’ve ever seen. And with my price point, I can make it available to teams across the country.”
Lane is mentored by Brandon Mateika through the Iowa JPEC Undergraduate Startup Incubator. His goal is to have a market-ready version of Stridelane available for sale in fall 2026.
At Iowa, Lane has found his stride as both a competitor and a founder.
All photos by Stephen Mally, University of Iowa athletics.
