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May 6, 2024

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 51 to 61]

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K. M. from Dallas, TX (10/22/2012) "Great midsize marathon in a great midsize town" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Had a absolutely wonderful experience. Very scenic course - trees were in full color. Yes there some pretty challenging hills but they are in the first half. The Full only runs on the Drake Univ. track which was super cool. Half and Full start together so the group is huge (+8000) but the split is at mile 2.5 and then it thins out alot. Nice sized expo, well organized, great volunteers including some on bikes loaded with first aid supplies. Half and Full has pace groups and Half runs the second half of the Full marathon. Finishers party had plenty of warm and cold food and lots of free beer and entertainment. Stay downtown and you won't need a car or pay for taxi's. Be careful what hotel you choose! We picked the Embassy Suites which was listed as a 'marathon hotel' but they absolutely refused anyone having a late checkout. Race starts at 8am and checkout is noonimpossible unless you run a 3hr or less marathon.
T. B. from OH (1/28/2012) "Beautiful Course, Tougher than Expected" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The entire course was very pretty and had nice scenery. There was very little spectators in the 2nd half and less entertainment than the 1st half. The expo was nice and small, just enough. The run around Drake Stadium was the most exciting part. The restrooms at the start was the worst part, they were hard to find and get too and then back for the start. Overall, nice marathon for the size and location.
Alex Matskevich from New York (10/25/2011) "Surprisingly good Marathon!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am sure many people would expect nothing extraordinary from the Marathon in I-O-&where? What a pleasant surprise is this Des Moines Marathon! It was organized perfectly. Even the weather was perfect; I am sure the organizers had something to do with it as well. Lots of water stations, lots of friendly course support volunteers on bikes checking the runners and giving them words of encouragement. The course itself is very beautiful with most of it on forest-like streets of charming suburbs with entire towns out on the street to cheer the runners. There were small children holding facial tissues, and there were their grandparents playing banjo and tuba, singing the country music. With the scenic course, with such enthusiastic supporters, with lots of great volunteers, lots of water and gels, what else could you ask? I would easily call it one of the best Marathons in the country! Great job!
R. K. from Tennessee (10/24/2011) "Excellent city race" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fantastic organization. Great fans. A nice average medal. Mucho post race amenities. Excellent course with a nice mix of normal hills and flat stretches. Nice mixture of scenery for a larger city race. No sharing of roads with cars. Great weather this year. I can't think of a con unless I get picky with small personal preferences such as races beginning earlier such as 7:00 instead of 8:00. I stayed 15 minutes away at the Wildwood Lodge in Clive, IA and had a 2:00 check out time. This motel\lodge must be a secret because it is the nicest place I've stayed at for any event in a very long time and they still had rooms the week of the race.
David Mueller from Arlington, VA (10/23/2011) "Des Moines Delivers Des Value" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Des Moines delivers serious value for your money, especially if you register early. This was the most convenient, best organized & executed road marathon I have run: Good selection of hotels within 1-2 blocks of the start/finish, close to East Village & Court Ave; good values to be had & easy packet pickup at the expo; well organized [8am] start & finish; abundance of porta-johns both before race & during; high quality cotton, long sleeve shirt; prepared & knowledgeable course marshals/monitors; well staffed race (thank you, volunteers!); well provisioned aid stations & Gu handouts; flavorful local bands along the course, including blue grass, country, rock-n-roll, DJs, & more; lots of opportunity for spectators; medal snobs will love the medal; largest variety of post-race comfort food ever. The course is point-to-point through city, nice residential, and then wooded/park [paved] trails. A good scenic mix. Although it's all pavement, you can get some miles on grass through the residential sections & next to the paved trail through the park. I don't think they offered a drop bag service, but the nearby YMCA opens it's locker rooms, gym, & shower to all participants.
S. K. from Ames, IA (10/22/2011) "Great first marathon" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first race of marathon distance. It was all I could ask for. Expo was good, with lots of vendors. A number of good pre-race programs with nationally known runners. Start/finish area was laid out logically. An abundance of water and gatorade stops. Multiple Gu stations. Lots of fans and musical entertainment along a beautiful course (although that 2 mile stretch through Water Works Park is a bit of a bore). Lots of food at the end. Great, hefty finishers medals. The only thing out of the organizers' control was the weather and they even nutted that. If you're looking for a great first 26.2 in the midwest, this is probably it.
M. S. from Atlanta, GA (10/22/2011) "Great race in a runner-friendly city!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I would definitely recommend Des Moine for someone looking for a high-quality, low key, runner-friendly race. I am a back-of-the-pack, enjoy the experience runner, and this event met all my needs & wants. There were plenty of porta-johns all along the course, there were frequent aid-stations, all had plenty of water &Gatoraid - did not run out [important for those of us at the end]. Course went through neighborhoods, and there was welcome support from residents. I was offered donuts [declined those] and beer or champagne [took some champagne]. There was live music of all kinds, all along the course. The expo was large enough to enjoy and find anything you might have forgotten, but not so big as to be overwhelming. The pasta dinner was delicious, and even a vegetarian could be happy. Good police support at intersections -[again, important for the slower of us!] and friendly course monitors. Weather could not have been nicer [not under control of the race organizers, but it certainly added to the overall experience]. The pre-race emails keep you informed and get you energized as race day approaches. Results are well organized, and you can print your own finisher certificate [something I personally really like to hang on my wall.] For anyone who wants a not-too-big, not-too-small, well-organized, good-time race - put DesMoines on your short-list!!
D. P. from Willmar, Minnesota (10/20/2011) "If you need to run a marathon in Iowa, this is it." (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Iowa should be proud to own this marathon. The expo was well organized and packet pickup was easy. The downtown start was well marked for pace and the runners in my pace area were not far off my target pace, not always the case. The course winds through hilly, tree lined streets of older neighborhoods in West Des Moines after mile 3 then flat for 17-26.2. After the finish runners are treated to a wide selection of comfort food. Beautiful course, perfect weather, and great spectators. The only negative is that I couldn't find a sweat check at the start area, an inconvenience for an out-of-towner without spectators in tow. All in all a great race and I had a great time. Do some hill training and you should love this race.
J. P. from Sioux Falls, SD (10/19/2011) "The marathon to run in Iowa" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great marathon on all levels. Well organized with a nice expo, ample hotels and parking right near the start line, easy entry right up to race time, great volunteers and spectators are just some of the pluses to running here. The course is quite diverse... going thru downtown to start, followed by many hills thru neighborhoods, going over the expressway, doing a multi-use trail around the lake, and a somewhat desolate stretch before the big finish keep experience interesting. Bananas, apples from McD's, Dominos pizza, granola, OJ, yogurt, BBQ sliders made for nice post-race meal. Have to watch out for cambered roads and downhill stretches with turns on the course- both I and a friend wound up with a case of runners knee pain from the pounding. But like others here, I really enjoyed this marathon
J. K. from Wisconsin (10/18/2011) "Very Well Organized" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Des Moines Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Well organized. Well supported by fans. Excellent food/beverages for the runners. Very nice medal. Overall, it was a very nice course including beautiful neighborhoods,bike trails, around lakes and in parks. The first half of the course was quite hilly. Running around the Drake track about at the half way point was a nice touch.

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