Overall, this race is very well organized with a fun atomosphere. The first part of the course is great, running through downtown and scenic neighborhooods on Grand. However, the second half of the course is lonely and secluded. If I were designing the course, I would cut out some of the running trails. I would also move the finish line to the middle of downtown. It was hard mentally to hear the finish line announcer without seeing him.

Now, a little about the freebies! The massage tents are great. Good food and drink selection at the finish. T-shirts are original, but there wasn't a poster! You've got to have a race poster.

I came from NJ to run the half as a tune up for the NYC Marathon! The half course really rocked. Just the right amount of hills and fast, flat areas to be the perfect race.

The fluid stations were more than abundant. In fact I don't think I have ever run a race with that many stations, in addition to Powerade at each. And believe me, I have run races all over the East Coast.

The fans that were out on the course were wonderful as well as the 'entertainment'. I can only imagine that the fan support would have been even greater had the city as well as local newspapers embraced this event from the very beginning instead of just a few days before.

Nonetheless this event in only its second year was well worth it and offers numerous amenities that I have seen only in races that have been in existence for 10+ years! This event will only continue to get better and better!

'The Des Moines Marathon and Half-Marathon - not just for the locals in Iowa!'

Completely satisfied from the state of New Jersey!

For those looking for a great fall marathon, they need look no further than Des Moines, Iowa. Fast course, filled with diversity, including forests, lakes, streams, city streets and neighborhoods, the state capitol, and smiling, cheering Midwesterners. Add to that a seamless, top-flight organization, and... well... what more could you ask for? Although the race is only two-years old, it shows every promise of becoming a top event.

This half-marathon was a first for me. Prior to turning 50, it seemed a good idea to participate. My perspective is from that of a 'walker' and not a 'runner'. The course was beautiful, the people very nice, helpful and considerate. Although there is always room for improvement, the organization of this event seemed quite good.

The finish line was wonderful. Much food/drink, cell phones for a call home and medals to mark the accomplishment.

We had a wonderful time and would recommend the Des Moines Marathon to anyone.

Thanks so much Des Moines! You have much to be proud of.

I wont be returning to Iowa for another marathon in the near future because I'm trying to complete the 50 state circuit.

Pity.

It was a great marathon, a superb course, a gorgeous day and fantastic volunteers.
There is no doubt that this marathon will grow in the subsequent years. I hope the planners keep a realistic limit to the number of runners it accepts.

The solitude of the trip through the woods on the Riley Bike trail at around mile 16, 17 ,or so, was totally worth the cost of the race. There was space, shade and it was downhill! No heel clipping and quiet enough to hear yourself think. Perfect. For me that is the gut check time in a marathon when the legs begin to feel some fatigue and I decide how much I want to(or how much Im able to)push it home.

If there were another 2000 or so runners, the narrow trail would have been a major problem.

Although I ran a PR, I may have run even faster knowing they were serving BBQ Pork sandwiches at the finish line.

Brilliant!!

It was GREAT to be able to meet with and talk to Dick Beardsley at the Expo. And GREAT to meet John Elliott from marathonguide.com.

Congratulations Des Moines. Congratulations Iowa.

You have the right to be very proud of your marathon.

It was bit hit with me, anyway.

The city was clean, clean, clean and the volunteers were great.

Overall it was a great experience, but I still get a small-time vibe from everything in Des Moines. The course map was good, but lacked mile markers. The course was good (I loved the first half), but the elevation map was a little deceiving. And miles 15-20 were pretty isolated - that's a lonely feeling out there. I'd like it if the race started at least a half hour earlier, though the day was unseasonably warm this year. Oh, and NONE of the drinks they handed out at the end were cold. The Blue Bunny popsicles ruled, though.

Apart from the race, the shirt logo is cool, but it needs work. Not that you need to advertise, but it's cool to have a shirt that can only be obtained by finishing the marathon. The fact that anybody can go buy one makes me not really want to wear it. Cool medal, but I care more about the marathon and less about Mediacom.

Really, though, the complaints aren't huge; but they need to be worked on.

This is by far the best half marathon course I've run. I ran it last year and didn't think it could get better but it did. The course changed slightly, but the change was good. I enjoyed running through some beautiful neighborhoods, and Waterworks Park and Grays Lake were as scenic as I remembered. Plus, there were more spectators along the course this year. Hopefully that will improve each year. I was also glad the start time was 8:00 this year. Reaching the 70s in October is pretty rare. I expected 30s at the start. Great event.

I really enjoyed the overall experience in Des Moines. I ran my 1st marathon at the last Drake Marathon 10 years ago, so it was nice to be back for my 2nd marathon in the same town. I was disappointed that I did not qualify for Boston (2 minutes and 48 seconds off) and part of that was not being mentally prepared for the hills. There were more than I expected, so I would simply caution how it is 'billed'. I would not call it flat, but it is definitely not challenging if you are prepared.

Several people have commented on the pacers not being seen, but I saw the the 3:45 pacer early in the race and the 3:30 pacer later in the race(great guy, too bad I lost him!) I did not have any difficulty finding them, but my husband suggested bright t-shirts of the same color/design to be worn by all pacers for easy identification.

Also, it was a small enough marathon that my husband was able to ride his bike around the entire course and support me. It was so awesome to have personal fan support in addition to the rest of the great fans! It would be nice to run the Gray's Lake area earlier in the race since there is not as much fan support. It is a beautiful area, but boring when you are struggling during those miles.

Also, personally I could do without the BLAST from the band (I can't remember where they were for sure, maybe Mile 21). I am sure it was meant to be inspiring, but I thought I was going to throw up from the loud heavy metal music and that was over the music I had playing on my MP3 player.

I never saw an GU or fruit stations as advertised. I could care less about disgusting GU, but the fruit would have been nice.

I have to add that less than 3 weeks before the marathon, one of the host hotels closed. They personally called me to let me know they were closing and made arrangements for me to stay at another hotel a few blocks away for the same rate. I was impressed by this level of effort considering it was closing and I would never be their customer again. The Best Western Starlight hosted us and were gracious enough to give us a late check out. I hope all hotels in Des Moines are this accomodating to the marathoners!

I thought, for the second year of the event, that everything went very well. The race director works hard to have a great event that will surely grow. You have been able to read in all of the reviews how good this marathon is and I totally agree. The size is great, but I don't think they need to be big to have a great marathon.

Pros: Nice course, great volunteers, LOTS of water and powerade (which I loved!). Even though some are saying they couldn't find the GU I personally thought it was found easily. Great mile markers. I ran the 15th or 16th mile in 4:05! Okay, so it was short - people need to get over it.

Cons: These are nit picky only to be constructive!!!!
1. Change the scale of the elevation chart so that it is realistic. I was pretty shocked in a couple of places.
2. Change the map on the website so it has mile markers.
3. Try to get the finish in Sec Taylor.
4. More portapotties on the course.
5. Have Fitness Sports help out. They are a great resource.

Thanks for a great marathon!

I ran in the half marathon and have to admit not in a fast time. The race has been so much fun to participate in. They have found a way to make me feel as important as the winner. The staff have done an excellent job organizing this race. I will be participating again next year.