Michael Cohen's Staging Area

I’m going to break this one down:
Packet pickup was easy and they were really accommodating with swag changes
Parking at the school was easy but we did get there early. The race it self takes you down the coast for 5 miles before zigzagging you back through a beautiful beach town. Now for the down side: The race started 40 min late due to parking and shuttle bus planning. The course is about a 1/4 mile long and when getting to the finish area the lines to get post race food were very long. With the late start and the weather I would have liked to see more aid stations on course, There were 5.

Note the race directors have sent out an email saying that they are making plans to improve these issues for next year.

This race is similar to a RnR race with out the higher price point the course has its ups and downs so train for hills. You get a nice tour of the city during this race. Post race festival is a good time with food and live music. And the bling is a nice medal. This years shirt was a long sleeve tech shirt. Nothing that special.

The half marathon is a really nice combination of running through the city of Des Moines and then gets you in to a beautiful forest preserve. Good crowd support for most of the race. Outstanding post race food options and celebration.

Really good race with a lot of crowd support. Beautiful course running along the river with a couple of bridge crossings to help keep you honest. Would definitely recommend it and I will be back to run it again.

This is a beautiful run along the river. Point to point race. Mostly trail, crushed gravel, single track and large stones make up the 1st 10 miles. The last 3 miles are paved and you finish in a park. Nice post race party

If you are running the half marathon then you start at the airport and finish there as well. All road and well placed aid stations. There is a good post race party with lots of food trucks to sample from. Bring money as the post race food trucks are not included in the race entry.

Wind on the morning of the event prevented us from starting the swim so a biking we went. I felt strong on the course cycling and then had a good run after. I’m 50 50 on if I want to do this one again. I had a wonderful time but not enough to make me want to risk having a swim canceled again. Ironman always puts on a good show and this was not an acceptation.
The run course and bike course make for nice views.

You get to the race start before the sun comes up and start running at dawn. The race takes you through the city and past a large variety of scenery. The pacers for this event were outstanding, singing and dancing their way through the course. Lots of crowd cheering along the rout and a really good finish line celebration awaits you. Before the race starts you have access to the school at the starting line. (Real bathrooms) 🙂

I don’t know what else to talk to you about so go run and have fun

There are lots and lots of climbing points on this course. I ran it the day after RnR Nashville cuz I’m a special kind of crazy. Beautiful venue and good snacks at the aid stations. My Garmin showed me at 95 flights of stairs at the end of this one.

This race takes you from downtown Indy through some neighborhoods and then over to the race track where you get to run on the race course. There are no aid stations while in the venue but plenty set up before and after you enter the track. It is definitely a one time event I don’t feel the need to run this one a second time.

The expo for these events are awesome. Lots of cool stuff to browse and awesome guest speakers. The race it self is a blast. Tons of crowd support once you leave the park. Can you say BLING.