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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 161 to 171]
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Todd Saffell from Bloomfield, Iowa
(10/17/2006)
"Great Course, Not Much Crowd Support" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The move to October was a great decision. The weather was very favorable and the course was scenic and varied. The only issue is that if you need a lot of crowd support, choose another marathon. There are some very lonely miles in the second half of the course. The volunteers were top-notch and very enthusiastic, but from miles 14-25 there were very few spectators. A great mid-size marathon. | |
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B. G. from Omaha, NE
(10/16/2006)
"Great Alternative to Fall Mega Races" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my fifth marathon venue (ninth overall marathon) and it was a lot of fun. The important stuff was great: Very well organized and a ton of volunteer support on bikes and at the frequent water stops. Course was extremely enjoyable with a mix of residential and park setting, and I loved the lap at Drake. Early Y open for lockers/stretching/showers was a great perk. On the downside, it did get a little quiet in Waterworks Park, it sure seemed like some of the mile markers were a little off, and the t-shirt was mediocre. However, if you are looking for an alternative to Chicago or Twin Cities and you don't want to register five months in advance, I highly recommend Des Moines as an alternative. It's well worth a trip from anywhere within a day's drive, and certainly the best of my "local" options. | |
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L. R. from Chicago
(10/16/2006)
"Awesome Experience" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Running Des Moines was a wonderful experience. The course was interesting, the race was well organized, and the volunteers were friendly and helpful. Nice job. According to my Garmin GPS watch, the distance was 26.72. Did anyone else wearing a GPS watch notice this? | |
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Alan Remele from Yucaipa California
(10/16/2006)
"A great course, good variety, and a clean finish" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 22nd marathon, and if I didn't have 28 more states to do, I would do it again next year. Great course, support, and things to do in town - like the International Food Fair, Madison Co. Bridges Expo, Farmers Market, Centro's Resturant, and the list goes on. I have changed my mind about Midwestern marathons; this one is at the top of my list. | |
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P. B. from Minneapolis, MN
(10/16/2006)
"Professional, but lonely in parts." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My 2nd marathon, first with serious training. Very professionally handled. Des Moines made me feel welcome and they took great care of everyone racing, including holding me up when I finished. The course was seriously lonely from about mile 16 to around 24, which was the hardest part for me. Otherwise it was great though - perfect weather. Race-sponsored pacers helped me PR at 3:29. | |
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S. B. from Iowa
(10/16/2006)
"Worth thinking about..." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Des Moines was my first marathon and I survived! One thing I learned about is that it's good to get to the expo early. I got there about 3:30 on Saturday, and it was heavily congested - it made it difficult to walk around to the various booths (I didn't even make it to all of the booths because of heavy traffic in the aisles). Also, they were almost sold out of everything in my size for race merchandise. Word to the wise: The early bird gets the worm. I thought the goodie bags had good stuff in them - water bottle, race poster, lots of free samples. The race shirt was a long-sleeve, mesh training shirt. As for the actual race, the volunteers were great and friendly. There were dozens of volunteers on bikes riding the course with the runners. A couple of them had music pouring out of the speakers (loved that!). The water/Gatorade stations were at every mile and were staffed wonderfully. Also, port-a-potties were plentiful throughout the course. The streets were blocked off to traffic, so one didn't have to worry about that. Miles 2-6 on the course were very hilly, but it was very scenic (I really liked it). That part of the route took you through some very upscale neighborhoods in Des Moines. Right around mile 10-11ish, the course had you take a lap around Drake Stadium (which felt great on the feet). The stadium was open for spectators to cheer on the runners. Plus, they had a camera set up so you could see yourself on the big screen at the stadium (keep Drake stadium as part of the course for next year!). Once you hit mile 15 or so, it was nothing but parks until mile 25. For me, this was the boring part. I don't mind running through parks, but nine straight miles of parks? They did have a few bands in there (thank you!), but I thought that part of the course was mentally tough. When you crossed the finished line, immediately a Mylar blanket was put around you. There were a few food items there (dry bagels, breakfast cookies, bananas, and water), but there wasn't much variety. Did I miss the usual huge food buffet for the runners? I couldn't see any other refreshments (that were free) for the runners, so I'm glad I brought food with me in the car to eat. I didn't think the race or post-race activities were near as festive as the Dam-to-Dam run that's held in Des Moines in June (a must for all runners!), but I know the organizers are still just getting their feet wet, trying to organize everything. | |
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L. R. from Crown Point, Indiana
(10/16/2006)
"Wonderful Experience" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Congrats to the organizers of this very fine event. Race volunteers were terrific. Although fan support was scarce at times those who showed up up did a wonderful job of cheering on the runners. Only recommendation for next year is to have a pasta dinner for runners. | |
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Troy Rand from Waterloo, Iowa
(10/16/2006)
"I couldn't have asked for a better first marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was really happy with the course support. The police did an awesome job with the traffic. There were more water stops than I needed. Everyone was really supportive on this course. Spectators kept me going through the worst of it (which for me was about the last seven miles). I am really pleased with everything about this race. All the hills are in the first six miles and they are not really big hills, just Iowa hills! | |
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Emma Davis from Iowa
(6/8/2006)
"My first one was great!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Des Moines Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and I loved it very much. Marathons are like drugs - do one and you get addicted to them. I am running this one in 2006 too. I was the youngest one (13) and I got a neat medal and a small trophy. They sent me a bronze trophy too - I really don't know why. The first half was pretty hilly... but then it was totally flat. The spectators were great! The PowerAde was good too. The weather was hot though - about 70 when we started and 80 when we finished. But this year it is moved back to October. I really recommend this marathon to a lot of people - if you like the Chicago Marathons and big ones... Des Moines isn't the one for you - but it was great!! Looking forward to it again! | |
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R. K. from Des Moines, Iowa
(11/21/2005)
"Nice, hometown marathon." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Des Moines Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I live in Des Moines and this was my 3rd Des Moines Marathon. Back in 2003, it was extremely flat, so this year was certainly hilly in comparison. Des Moines has a lot of flat neighborhoods, so I know the course could be flatter; they just aren't as scenic as the "South of Grand" area. How about a little of both next year? I hear the Water Works Park part of the marathon will be shortened next year. That certainly got boring. Maybe try to get some junior high bands to play, or something. I thought the post-race food was plentiful, but I finished in just under four hours, so I would guess the complaints by the walkers are valid. How about starting the marathon an hour or two before the half marathon? Volunteers were wonderful.... A very nice event. |
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