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Des Moines Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Des Moines Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 295 [displaying comments 241 to 251]
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Jeff Busche from DeSoto, KS
(10/9/2003)
 "Great people, great city, great run..." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The people and crew of the Des Moines Marathon were outstanding. It was my first marathon and it was worth it. Thanks, Des Moines!!! | |
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K. J. from Ames, IA
(10/9/2003)
 "Good experience, but could use improvements." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 PROS: WONDERFUL/LOUD support from the limited fans/volunteers that were there. For the most part I thought the course was a beautiful mixture of sights. I loved the drummers that seemed to be around every other mile marker for the first ~10 miles! CONS: All throughout the pre-race emails we were told RED powerade - it was blue (diff taste). All throughout the pre-race emails we were told there would be pacers - I only saw the 5:30 turtle. The first few mile markers were hard to find = hard to know if you were on pace. The 16-mile marker seemed to be .5 miles too soon!?? A couple of spots needed more direction (I actually heard a woman who signed up for the 1/2 and missed the turn and ended up running the full!) My fiance' and I almost turned into the 1/2 area - we wouldn't have been happy. Also, the start is 8:05 and for people finishing in 3 plus hours (I was a 4:30), the weather got a little warm. Starting it an hour earlier would be a great idea. Please err on the side of too many portable bathrooms instead of not enough if possible. Could the finish (last mile?) be planned so that the runners could see it (a major site like Sec Taylor Stadium) coming to help finish strong instead of the few turns at the end without knowing exactly where the finish was? Lastly, this race was my PR... It was also my first full marathon. I will run more of them, and will probably be back due to the support from those that were there and the mixture of sights. Thanks! | |
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Sean OGrady from Shawnee, KS
(10/9/2003)
"Mile 16 being mis-marked was devastating!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall, I was happy with the course and the event. This was my first marathon. I do have 2 negative comments: 1- Mile marker 16 being so far off was mentally devastating. I would have rather not even had a mile marker. 2- The 3 places in the course that require you to circle back were also very tough on me mentally. | |
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m. s. from central iowa
(10/9/2003)
 "Already making plans to return" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have lived in central Iowa my entire life and the course still managed to show some very nice areas of the city that I had not seen yet. It was also my first chance to get to the Grey's Lake area since the pedestrian bridge has been put in; it is a nice touch. | |
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Bob Wemer from Montezuma, Iowa (60 miles east of Des Moines)
(10/9/2003)
"Great experience for a 60-year old" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon. I ran my first, the next to the last Drake Marathon, 11 years ago. I ran a 4:42 and had absolutely no problems along the course. I did not have to stop at any intersection and all aid stations were open with plenty of fluids and some with food. In reading last year's comments, I believe that most of last year's complaints were corrected this year. The biker courtesy patrol was a nice touch. I am also a biker and was able to carry on a conversation with some of them which took my mind off the pain during the last third of the race. The course was very senic and I saw parts of Des Moines that I had never seen before even though I have lived nearby most of my life. The finish line hype and activities were great. The baggage service worked very smoothly. I am already making plans for next year and hope to convince friends to at least walk it. Walkers could start an hour early and the finish line was open for 8 hours for the early starters. Great experience for a sixty-year old, 2nd-time marathoner. | |
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Mark Williams from Zionsville, Indiana
(10/8/2003)
"Nice Marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 2nd marathon, right behind Grandma's in June. Great city, and I love the feel of having room to run. Staff was very friendly, and the rest stations were fun. I've been spoiled by running the Mini-Marathon here in Indianapolis with fan support and great views, but this race was excellent. Next year, try to have water with the Gu stations and get a better t-shirt design! I'll definitely be back! | |
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J. L. from Ames, Iowa
(10/8/2003)
"1/2 Marathon Runner" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The course was a little bit 'hilly', then last year but overall a great course. Fan support could always be better!! The shirts for the 1/2 marathon were less than exciting. The finish line 'activites' were wonderful. There were lots of massage tables and chairs. That was a big help!! Overall, great job. Hope that every year each portion gets better. I hope that the expo/health expo gets bigger. | |
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J. H. from Johnston, IA
(10/8/2003)
"Great Course, Great Organization" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. It was a fun course. The event was well-organized and the volunteers were friendly and enthusastic. I like the size of this marathon. Big enough to feel like a real event, but small enough to not be a hassle. Being from Des Moines, I hope this event will continue to grow. I'll certainly plan to run it again. A few areas can be improved next year. More Porta-Johns at the start, fixing the problems with the mile marking on the trail section (#16), finding a way to liven up the Waterworks and Grays Lake loops and flattening the Fleur Avenue Bridge would all be nice. Congrats to the organizers. | |
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M. M. from Colorado
(10/8/2003)
 "Honest review" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Overall I thought this was a great marathon, but some areas could use a little improvement. The course is mostly flat from miles 1-9 and after mile 13, but there were a number of hills between 9 and 13. It wasn't so much that the hills were that tough physically, but mentally it was hard to deal with since I planned to speed up after I reached the top of the only hill according to the elevation chart. I was afraid to speed up when I kept hitting hills and had no idea what's ahead of me because clearly the elevation chart understated the course. The elevation chart was worthless in my opinion. Also, running through Water Works Park and Grey's Lake, while beautiful scenery, were some of the loneliest miles I've ever run in a marathon. Virtually no crowd support at all during this section. Either remove this section from the course or rework the course so the parks aren't so far into the mararthon. A course map with actual mile markers on it would be nice for both runners and spectators. I had to basically guess where the markers were based off vague street descriptions to be able to estimate my time of arrival at different course locations. This made it tough on my personal cheering section to know when to expect me at those spots. The water stops seemed well stocked and the workers were helpful and friendly. Haven't heard of any problems with fluids running low. Although I must have been sleeping through the GU water stop because I never saw it. Maybe I was too far in the zone :). All in all, I had a great race, set a personal record by 9 minutes and broke 3 hours for the first time in my four marathons. I recommend this race for all skill levels, but don't go thinking it will be a totally flat Iowa cornfield. | |
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L. V. from New York
(10/8/2003)
"Flat, well organized and supported" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 PRE-RACE/REGISTRATION: Race director did a great job with regular e-mails, updating runners on latest developments and changes. PACKET PICK-UP: Could use improvement here. There were ~1,800 runners registered for the various events and packet pick-up was in a small room with a SINGLE doorway for those entering AND exiting. There were no treats in the ?goodie bag? (not even ads for services or other marathons), but the short-sleeve cotton T-shirt had a cool design with a sense of humor that showed the organizers don?t take themselves too seriously. EXPO: Tiny. Half a dozen exhibitors. RACE DAY: Race start and finish within walking distance (free parking at the start and finish). Water and plenty of porta-potties at the start line. Great option for an ?early bird? start for slower runners. COURSE: This is a suburban marathon, but FAR more scenic than most. The directors planned the course to highlight Des Moines? running/bike trails, the downtown business district (with some genuinely interesting architecture), the state capitol area and some of the more upscale neighborhoods in the city. The course is flat, with one significant hill during the first half. Porta-potties during the course were adequate. The route was not blocked off for the ?early-bird? starters (until the regular marathon start time) and dodging cars was a real concern for the first 30 minutes. On the other hand, all the water stations were manned early. Several opted to do themes: Austin Powers, 70s disco, even one manned by volunteers for a prospective Democratic presidential candidate! Contrary to the marathon brochure, there were no GU/Cliff Shots handed out during the course, but I was offered oranges, gummi-bears and chocolate on several occasions (by folks who may not have even been associated with the race). Bicycle rovers were visibly present throughout the course to provide aid/Vaseline/etc. as required. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me were the considerable number of enthusiastic spectators who cheered us on (although they predominated during the middle section of the race). POST-RACE: Very nice finisher?s medal, although I wished that the name of the marathon was more visible and the logo of the sponsor less so. Terrific hospitality for finishers: great food (barbecue ? YEAH!!!), fruit, drinks, breads, beer, icicle pops and two different massage tents! Kudos to the organizers for recognizing that runners need protein after the race! The reception area was a little crowded, but it was still one of the finest spreads I?ve seen post race. Even the layout of the race finish was clever: runners could see and meet family/friends on an up-slope roped off area just beyond the food tents, without the mass congestion usually associated with the exit from the food pavilion at most other races. And the kicker: free cell phone calls for runners at the end of the race! OVERALL: One of the smaller races with only a two-year history, but already far better than most! Clearly a labor of love and not just a fund-raising cash cow, this race delivers good value for the money. Would not be surprised to see this event grow to 3,000-5,000 runners in the near future as its reputation spreads. |
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