This was my first marathon and I was extremely impressed with the whole event! The volunteers and spectators were great and gave the runners the impression that they were returning from landing on the moon! Great course, great fans, and the best volunteers. Thank you!

Third marathon - very impressed with organization and city support. Only complaint is that the elevation chart does not reflect how hilly the first half truly is. Expected the hilly part to compare to Twin Cities Marathon, but I thought it was much hillier. Thankfully the hilly part was the beautiful part of the run. The second part was less scenic but still enjoyable. Combining the marathoners with half marathoners worked well - made the field seem larger than it was but still not too crowded. Glad they didn't cap registration, but wish I could have received a technical shirt for last-minute registration (only got a lousy cotton shirt). But, less complainin' and more ravin' - great marathon!

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised with this race. The first part, though hilly, was beautiful and the residents were out in decent numbers to cheer the runners on, which was great! The aid stations were all well-stocked and well-staffed, even with a much larger field than expected. The post-race food options were also great, with a little something for everyone. In fact, my only complaints were a couple of mismarked miles around the middle of the race (one short, one long), the fact that they ran out of bags at the expo, and the fact that the breeze picked up as I was slogging my way through the park and up to the finish from mile 21 onward. When all is said and done, though, I was very happy with the experience and would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a flat-ish, fast-ish course. :)

A great race that was well organized - even with the record number of participants (including many who registered fairly late).

The course is pretty nice, and the hills at the beginning are very doable (although you feel it later). The little bit on the Drake track was actually pretty cool even though I had thought it would be a bit hokey. I liked the quieter parts out in the park. I thought mile 25-ish was pretty terrible - industrial road, few fans, hot sun - but rounding the corner for the finish line up a city street filled with cheering fans pretty much erased that! Immediate access to finish time printout was great. Food was plentiful and varied. In most places where it was possible the crowd support was very good.

The expo was a bit thin, but I'm not a big expo person so I really didn't care about that. I expect this year's record numbers will attract more exhibitors next year.

The post-race massage was really nice. :)

First time for Des Moines. Had an 18:59 PR and had a Boston qualifying time. Hills weren't as bad as I thought they would be. Actually nice to get a few in and have some good downhills to work off of. Wished the expo was a bit better. Was hoping there would be some sort of poster for this race that I could frame since I had a PR. The large shirt I got was equivalent to a small. I had to give it to my wife since it didn't fit me. Bummer since I wear that type of shirt all of the time.

There were 25 marathons last weekend! I'm so grateful that, due to timing, Des Moines was the celebration of finishing all 50 States. Three friends joined me and we all had a blast!

This is a race with a BIG heart! There was attention to every detail to make it a truly wonderful experience for the runners.

Organization was perfect. Great shirts, great medal AND the BEST post-race food that was set out and visibly marked and close to the finish. The post-race party at El Bait Shop provided free beer for the runners. There were 29 entertainment areas, which made for 38 times you were entertained, accounting for course loops. Race Director, Team Captains and volunteers were eager for feedback and were visibly touched by our positive comments.

This is a race I'll repeat! Join them in 2011 for their 10th anniversary!

My first time running Des Moines, and I must say that this race is very well run by the organizers.

Expo: Can't comment too much as I got there right at close on Saturday night. Packet pick-up and shirt pick-up were easy, though I'm not sure why they were in two different areas.

Start line: Right downtown near a lot of hotels - a two-block walk to get there. A ton of porta-potties and couple roads were closed so we had room to do a little warm up without weaving around a ton of people or cars. Easy to get to the front part of the start area and find my pacer. Seemed like people lined up very well as I didn't have any problems having to get around walkers or slower runners.

Course: Pretty much as described. Hills were from 3-8ish and really didn't seem that bad to me. You should prepare for them but it's not going to break you that early in the race. Frequent water stops were great including two GU spots, which meant I didn't have to carry as many. Through probably the first 15-16 the course was great. Through residential areas, some areas were low on spectators but then they made up for it with a stretch that was well attended. Did enjoy running at Drake. Last section of the corse was not very interesting though. Lack of crowd support outside of water stops and really not much to look at in my opinion. Twin Cities course is a better view. Also, having to go by the half marathoners finishing was a little bothersome. Being further up in the race meant fewer other marathoners but I could easily see the paths and bridge getting crowded.

Finish line: Again, great. Not sure what it was like for those finishing later, but there was plenty of food, a lot of selection and was easy to find family and friends.

Overall the organization was top notch but the course and fan support left some to be desired for me. Probably would not be a must-do for me, but if you need a fall race and wanted a smaller one, it's worth a try.

As one pursuing a marathon in every state, I am glad I chose this marathon as my IA marathon. Logistically it was completely hassle-free if you stayed at the host hotel. Free shuttle pick-up, the expo was a block away, and restaurants were within walking distance too. The start/finish was a block from the hotel too. You can't beat that!

The marathon was very well organized and the race director did an excellent job of showcasing Des Moines, a very nice marathon experience. The hills on the first half of this marathon will keep you honest! That being said, during the hill part of the course you are running through beautiful neighborhoods with mature trees and stately homes, which was a pleasant distraction. Kudos to the great turnout of neighborhood residents that came out to cheer us. The volunteers were awesome too. And by the way, to the narcissists, you are going to love the attention. I've never seen as many photography stations as there were here. Excellent medal and post-race food.

I've run this race twice and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fall marathon that's not as big as Twin Cities or Chicago. Be prepared for hills between mile 3 and about mile 7. From mile 17 to the finish, the course is flat and scenic, which is good for a PR - not that I'm crazy about running a PR, since by mile 20 I'm usually just glad to be alive. I enjoyed running downtown and in the Des Moines neighborhoods. My only complaint: what's up with the poor quality T-shirts that are always too small?

My second marathon, and a great marathon overall. The expo and pasta dinner were both really good. Start and finish were both in downtown Des Moines, which is a surprisingly beautiful city. Both the crowds and the support staff were pretty great, no complaints. Only complaint about the race is concerning the medal, which is really great, except that it doesn't have the year on the front. Otherwise, no problems.