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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 151 to 161]
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D. I. from Gainesville, FL
(11/5/2006)
"Don't miss Des Moines!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a great experience in Des Moines! The marathon was well organized and well supported. A lot of the marathon was organized on bike trails and parks that were beautiful and away from heavy traffic. There was a detour to route the course through Drake Stadium, which was fun! The crowds were great. The host hotel was right at the start of the marathon and the expo, making everything so easy and convenient. I had a great time and would recommend this marathon to anyone! | |
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James Jaeger from Monona, WI
(10/31/2006)
"Great course but mile markers frustrating" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 6th marathon and I have to say that I really enjoyed the city of Des Moines and the nice people there. The course was very scenic but I agree with others in that running through the parks at the end of the race seemed to go on forever. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that I was pretty tired by that point. My favorite parts of the course were the first seven miles (even though it was fairly hilly) and running through the Drake Relays Stadium. The residential parts of the first half of the race were very enjoyable and it was an awesome experience being able to run through the stadium and see yourself on the scoreboard as you came out. The crowd support was also very good and I especially enjoyed the drumline at mile 21. I was pretty pooped at that point and it helped pick me up a bit. A big "thank you" to those kids. My biggest complaint is that the mile markers were way, way off. It was extremely frustrating not being able gauge what your effort level was. I pride myself on running even splits but didn't come close to that on this course because of the mile markers. My first four splits were 7:13, 8:11, 7:00 and 7:58. There were other points in the race were I ran a 6:09 split followed by at 9:05 and also a 7:38 split followed by a 9:06. Having these inaccurate splits was very disconcerting. If you want a successful marathon you have to at least have an accurate course. Despite that I totally recommend this to other runners who want a nice, mid-size Midwestern marathon. I had a lot of fun in Des Moines. | |
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R. H. from Warrenville, IL
(10/22/2006)
"Good midwestern race." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my third marathon and I had just run the Quad Cities marathon three weeks previous to this. I wasn't expecting a lot and just wanted to run it to get another marathon in for the year. The weather was a little cool if you didn't have some gloves (like me) but otherwise suited for running well. The course was a little hilly running through the South of Grand neighborhood but the scenery made up for it. The parks on the back half of the course were BORING. If the course has to stay out there in the parks, they need to figure out how to get some crowds out there. The drum line that was at mile 21 was awesome (they were covering the Go-Go's 'We Got The Beat'). The aid stations were adequate but they were supposed to have gel on the course three times... it wasn't on the course at all. I overheard someone saying that the gel was never delivered. Thankfully, I had two gel packs pinned to my shorts. Overall, it wasn't the flatest course or the funnest course but challenging none the less. I was only about two and half minutes from setting a new PR and it was probably a combination of the hills on the first half of the course and only three weeks recovery from my last marathon that kept me from it. Oh, and there's beer at the finish so this race can be considered a 'true' midwestern race. I recommend this race if you live in the midwest and don't want to stand at the start with 40,000 other runners who paid a $95 registration fee. | |
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T. M. from Des Moines, IA
(10/21/2006)
"Getting Better Each Year" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was improved, and the loop through historic Drake Stadium was special. When Des Moines gets its road construction settled, the course should improve. The loop through Waterworks Park was mind-numbing (but it was made tolerable thanks to the Parrotheads). The water stations were sometimes more chaotic that usual (some chaos is to be expected), and sometimes were not staffed (or the staff was standing around chatting). Great shirt. Great medal. The fans who were on the course were great. In spite of the media saturation about the marathon, I don't know how many Des Moines residents were aware of it (but I don't know how this would have been fixed - the marathon was very well advertised). Some of the local broadcast media referred to the race as Race for the Cure, which was not for another two weeks. | |
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R. C. from Colorado
(10/19/2006)
"Nice course, and hills weren't that bad." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This will be my only time running Iowa. I have to finish out the rest of the states before I come back. I thought it was a well run race for a small crowd, and I prefer the smaller races anyway. Police were fantastic. Fans were few, but supported you all the way. The tuba player gets the blue ribbon, but the girl punkers were great. I'm glad to have run by them twice; their beat picked me up during the most mentally challenging part of the course. I think my only two complaints are: the Holiday Inn sucks.... They promised a late check-out time when I booked the room, but when I got there on Saturday, I had to argue with them to get it extended. They will not get my business on my 50-state venture anymore. AND, second, the guy running in the loincloth. He should have been pulled from the race; that's disgusting, and there were children everywhere. I felt this was entirely inappropiate. I'm surprised that the police didn't arrest him for indecent exposure. All in all, a good experience. Weather could have been better, and it could have been worse. That was in God's hands. I did get a PR, so I won't complain, and having the pacers running helped me out a lot. | |
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M. M. from Colorado
(10/19/2006)
"Continuing to improve" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race organizers did a fine job of putting togther the races for the city of Des Moines. Although the expo was smaller than some large races have, it was a huge improvement from a couple of years ago. Police kept all intersections clear. Being on the Jumbo-Tron at Drake was cool. Water stations were well stocked, but at several of them I had to grab a cup while volunteers stood nearby. That was strange. Please, please, please change the course so it doesn't go through the parks so much. This comment is made every year - will it ever be taken seriously? Yes, it is scenic, but it's terrible to run through at that point of the race. The miles seem to stretch on and on with virtually no spectators due to limited access. | |
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J. Z. from Kalamazoo, MI
(10/18/2006)
"I'd recommend this race!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race had it all. Great scenery that included a downtown start, great neighborhoods, a university campus (with a lap at the stadium), and loads of scenic park trails. There was great entertainment and the fans were super friendly. Des Moines is a beautiful city, and I hope to return. One area for improvement might be to revise the course to spend less time in the park. It seemed to drag on after a while. KUDOS to the volunteers; they were awesome and they were everywhere. | |
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B. H. from Des Moines
(10/17/2006)
"Where's the pasta?" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 A pretty race route, but the fans are sparse. Could really use more music and support in the last eight miles. (Speaking of music, the tuba player early in the race was GREAT!) The sports expo was very small; I don't think most people in Des Moines even knew it was happening. The city needs to do a MUCH better publicity job. And why no pasta dinner? Nearby Spaghetti Works is a natural to collaborate on this! The pre-race dinner is not only traditional, but it's also a great way to meet fellow runners and get in the race mindset! | |
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J. P. from Sioux Falls, SD
(10/17/2006)
"Well-organized, great first half, then peters out" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a really well-organized race, with a small but good expo, good speakers (Patti Dillon in 2006) and great race shirt. The course is surprisingly hilly at first, and beautiful. But then it drops into some desolate and lonely parks. They could benefit from more spectators. If you want a calm second half, though, it would be a great course for you. Water stops were well-maintained and energetic. And the finish was rowdy and fun. My biggest complaint: The mile markers are WAY off. There's no excuse for that, and it can be very frustrating. But this is a good race, and I could definitely see doing it again. | |
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j. a. from olathe, ks
(10/17/2006)
"First-timer thanks organizers" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Just a note of thanks to the organizers of the Des Moines Marathon. I am on the committee for the Olathe Marathon, and know what it takes to organize an event of this magnitude - and you pulled it off with great success. Nice to know I accomplished a dream of completing a marathon and even more happy to do it in my home state. Thanks again. I'll be back. |
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