Des Moines Marathon
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Event Overview
The Des Moines Marathon is an annual running event held in Des Moines, Iowa. Established in 2002, the event provides a variety of race distances to accommodate athletes of different ages and abilities. The marathon course is recognized as a Boston Qualifier and is described as being flat and fast.
Participants can choose from several competitive and non-competitive options:
- Marathon (42.195 km)
- Half Marathon (21.1 km)
- Marathon Relay
- 5K
- Kids Run (free of charge)
Race Weekend Activities
The event includes the Health and Fitness Expo held at Cowles Commons. The expo serves as the location for athlete packet pickup and walk-up race registration. It features official race merchandise, active apparel, and product innovations. Attendees can participate in athlete briefings where guest speakers discuss race nutrition and post-race recovery. These briefings also provide logistics information regarding parking and on-course details.
Special Challenges
The event features collaborative challenges for runners seeking multiple races. The I-35 Challenge is a combined event between Kansas City and Des Moines, allowing runners to complete races in both cities over one weekend. Additionally, the Corridor to Capitol Challenge rewards participants who complete specific races in both Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.
Logistics
Downtown Des Moines provides approximately 30,000 public parking spaces, including seven parking ramps and street parking. On-course support includes pacer groups to assist runners in achieving specific goal times. Registered athletes must present a form of ID and their bib assignment email to collect their timing bib and apparel at the expo. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
