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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 21 to 31]
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T. S. from Indianapolis
(10/24/2015)
 "Highly recommended" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can think of only a handful of times when I've posted five stars across the board on this site. In this case, I would have considered six stars. Everybody has different things that are important to them. For me, it's how interesting the course is and how well it shows off the city, as well as how many water stops there are. From the downtown, the gorgeous South of Grand neighborhood and other nice neighborhoods to beautiful park settings, the Des Moines course did it right. And I lost track of the number of water stops. Suffice it to say, there were plenty. Things not as important for me nonetheless get high marks: enthusiastic fans and volunteers, lots of entertainment (way more than Rock 'n' Roll Vegas), a good expo with easy packet pickup and oodles of food (and beer!) afterward. As others mentioned, the hills, though challenging, are in the first part, But for those of us flatlanders who did no hill training, it kind of beat us up for the finish. Don't be like me in your training. Lodging recommendation: If you don't want to pay downtown hotel prices, try Dat & Alan's airbnb in nearby Sherman Hill neighborhood. Beautiful. | |
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A. R. from St. Paul MN
(10/22/2015)
"Nice surprise" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I didn't know Des Moines had 26.2 miles of cool stuff to run by. Very pleasantly surprised. Drake. Downtown. Parks. Lakes. Fancy houses. Fantastic course, even if there are a little hitches here and there to lengthen the course. The organization and support was fantastic. Water stops at nearly every mile. Medics on bikes everywhere. More than a dozen live bands (mostly classic rock cover bands, but it's still a lot.) Keep in mind, there are some hills. My friend blew away is PR by 17 minutes, but I certainly didn't. | |
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B. M. from Iowa
(10/20/2015)
"I'll run this one again" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I live in the metro so perhaps I'm biased towards the local race yet I've run marathons in all 50 states and DSM is still one of my favorites. Pros: -Well organized -Parking garage (5 blocks from start) and skywalk made for easy access to/from start/finish. -LOTS of music on the course -Plenty of good food at finish including hot sandwiches, pizza, and ice cream -My course highlight is the lap on the Drake Relays track and seeing myself running on the big screen although Reggie's Sleepout from the night before made the infield look like a cardboard wasteland. -A good number of spectators and people cheering Cons: -I got to the expo an hour and a half before it ended and thought roughly half the vendors from what was otherwise a decent sized expo were leaving or already gone. -If you're hoping to run by some cornfields, you will be disappointed. The first half has a fair number of hills. The second half is fairly flat. I did the I-35 challenge and recognized a number of people from the day before in KC. | |
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R. M. from Blue Grass, Iowa
(10/18/2015)
"Scenic fall marathon" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had previously ran the Des Moines half marathon and wanted to come back for the full. I am very happy I did! The first half contained the bulk of the hills for the course, winding through beautiful neighborhoods before hitting the trails at mile 16. From here, the last of the marathon took place around Water works park and Gray's lake. The final two miles were back into Downtown Des Moines. The course was full of spectators and water stations were plentiful. This time of year was perfect to display the fall colors and the temps were ideal (39 start, 61 finish). | |
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d. w. from des moines, iowa
(11/5/2014)
 "fun, easy race" (about: 2014)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I had a blast. The course was pretty easy (in my opinion, anyway) other than between miles 3-6 where there were a few steep but small hills. Beautiful courseDes Moines has lots of gorgeous historic buildings, houses, mature trees, the scenery changed often which kept things interesting. Lots of water stations with plenty of treats, snacks, 'gu',etc. Plenty of friendly supporters, musicians playing throughout the course. The weather was perfect. Fun experience altogether. | |
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J. W. from Virginia
(10/29/2014)
"A very pleasant surprise" (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As an aspiring 50-stater trying to knock off my last 12 states, it was time for Iowa. What's in Iowa?!?! I was not expecting much from this race as I've already run states like Oklahoma and Indiana which proved to be less than optimal. I figured we'd run a bunch of flat corn fields and return to the city. That's not at all what the Des Moines Marathon provided. It was a very scenic course with great crowd support, amazing logistical support, and a tremendous race experience. The course was WAY hillier than I expected but the hills were pretty much done in the first half and then it was flat. I believe the race organizers decided to find every hill in Des Moines they could just to keep it interesting. Well played. I really liked this race and Des Moines and I'll probably be back to run it again once my states are complete. | |
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D. R. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/22/2014)
"Highly recommend this race!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros: 1) Nice course 2) Great organization 3) Incredible volunteers and support during race 4) Expo and race start/finish close to hotels 5) YMCA is open right near starting corrals 6) Chocolate milk, pizza and other food at finish line Tips: 1) Train for hills | |
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C. B. from Newton, IA
(10/21/2014)
"Fantastic Showing" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I showed up late for the expo, barely getting my bib, however I could see that it was a full house with many vendors. The race was extremely well organized and the course route was fully lined with many excited spectators. The mile markers were well marked and the aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers were fantastic. I really enjoy this marathon! | |
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a. f. from ames, iowa
(10/21/2014)
"good course/lots of support/plenty of water" (about: 2014)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Weather was perfect. Scenic run through woods. | |
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A. S. from Oakville, Ontario
(11/6/2013)
"One of the best marathons in the US!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Decent sized Expo, OK shirt and medal. The course had some modest hills early on in, but generally pretty flat. LOTS of music on the course (far better than R&R Phoenix!), great spectators along the course through nice areas of town Great aid stations and volunteers. AFTER ALL THAT, the FOOD at the finish line was SPECTACULAR! Pizza, Turkey Sandwiches, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Nacho Chips with Jalapeno Cheese sauce and last, but not least, a Michelob Ultra Beer Tent. (as well as bananas, water, bagels and the other crap that they usually try to foist upon us at the end of a race) Highly recommended!!! |
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