My Profile

@marathon250

Des Moines, IA Raving since 2018 Boston Marathon finisher Active 5 years, 4 months ago

About Me

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My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

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Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

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Future Races

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (2)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
Marathon Des Moines, IA Oct 20, 2018
Marathon Osage, IA Aug 25, 2018

My Raves

Course Difficulty: Most of the hills are in the first 8 miles. They are bigger than what you expect, but once they are done you have a mostly flat or … MORE

Course Difficulty:
Most of the hills are in the first 8 miles. They are bigger than what you expect, but once they are done you have a mostly flat or downhill course for the rest of the race.
Course Scenery:
You get to run in scenic neighborhoods of the city, take a lap on the famous Drake blue oval, and enjoy Grays Lake and Waterworks Park, one of the best recreational areas of the city.
Race Production:
Solid effort is put into hosting the event. Bike support is great, plenty of water stations, first aid tents at mile 20 and beyond, and an organized finish line with half marathon on the right and marathon on the left.
Swag:
There are awesome zip up long sleeve athletic jackets that come with your packet pickup! I have run Des Moines 4 times and I can tell you the medals are different every year. They are unique, and if you do the 5 mile race the day before, that medal will connect to your sunday race medal (any distance) adding to the coolness factor. On top of that, you could also do the I-35 challenge (Running Kansas City and Des Moines marathons) for more unique swag.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5

3 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

A race that far exceeds expectations considering the number of participants. Inaugural run was in 2018. A run that starts in small town Iowa, you run to another town and … MORE

A race that far exceeds expectations considering the number of participants. Inaugural run was in 2018.
A run that starts in small town Iowa, you run to another town and then back to where you started. Mostly flat with gentle hills in the farmland. When you cross the Cedar River at around mile 5 WOW you almost want to stop just to take it all in for a minute or two! However, that hill coming back is why the course is level two for difficulty instead of one.
Execution of first aid support was great! 4×4 UTVs were cruising up and down the highway for runners. Water stations are great! Some had food for energy. Roads are NOT closed to traffic, but because of the UTVs and police/first responder presence traffic was never moving fast, and traffic was light.
All runners received a nice long sleeve athletic shirt and finishers medal, age group awards were glasses with race logo, and there was a prize for the overall winner! However, I heard race officials talk about adjusting prizes next year due to the small field size. (Get your friends to do it with you!)

Post race you get a free shower at the Cedar River Complex! (However, it is a few blocks away from the finish, it was a two minute drive.)

Race morning was humid and warm. That will happen at this time of year. Expect temps between 60-70 at start time and 80+ near finishing time.

I have been to other small marathons as a spectator that have been around for a while, and even though I was a participant in this one, I would still say organization was far superior. Being its inaugural year, hopefully things dont get changed much for future races!

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
3
SWAG
5
My Media

4 members marked this review helpful. Agree?