Iowa Remembrance Run West Des Moines, IA   Sep 27, 2026

Every year, at the end of September, Iowa Remembers hosts the annual Iowa Remembrance 5K Run/Walk. This event takes place at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines.

The program includes the reading of Iowa’s Roll Call since 9/11, an invocation and prayer, a speaker, the national anthem, and the playing of Taps. One of the things that sets this event apart from other 5Ks you may have done in the past, is that the last 100 meters are lined with flags and photos of the fallen. It truly is a beautiful sight to behold and very meaningful.

As a note to our runners and walkers, this event is about the cause and the camaraderie of being together remembering and honoring. Because of this, we don’t consider this event a “race” in the competitive form. While we encourage our competitive runners to attend, and we love having them there, we do not hand out awards for this reason as we feel it detracts from the purpose for which we are all there.