Des Moines Half Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa

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Delightful Des Moines!

I ended up having to miss the 50 States Half Marathon Club meetup event last weekend in Kansas. My son ran cross country for the first time this season with his middle school team, and their big away meet was the same weekend in Ohio and I didn't want to miss that!



I shuffled some things around so I could still run an October race, and plans for the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon came together really easily. They get an A+ for their race website! It was very easy to navigate, provided all of the necessary information, and even had hotel discounts. Their communication leading up to and following the race was also clear and thorough.

Logistics Report: I stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Des Moines. The location was great, right on the riverfront, and a short walk over the bridge to the Expo/Start/Finish line location. There were lots of great restaurants within walking distance. I flew in on United and out on Southwest, both very smooth travel days connecting through Chicago. I used an Uber to get to and from the airport, no rental car required. My flight out was at 5:10 AM on Monday morning, so I used the "schedule ahead" feature on Uber and requested a "woman driver," both things I'd never tried before, but it worked out really well. My driver was waiting for me in the hotel lobby at 3:30 AM. We chatted with the overnight hotel receptionist at the desk for a few minutes, she gave us both some breakfast goodie bags to go, and we headed to the airport.

I can see the hotel, the race festivities in the park, and the Capitol!


My hotel priorities: #1 - proximity to finish line,  #2  - hot tub

I couldn't believe I had the hot tub all to myself after the race!

My friend Amy joined me, which made the trip extra fun! She is a rockstar and ran the Kansas City Half Marathon on Saturday as part of the I-35 Challenge - two half marathons in one weekend!

50 States Half Marathon Club Pre-Race Picture - Brian, Amber, Amy, & Anne

Course Report: The course is really nice! It is flat, only a handful of small hills and a few bridges, which provided a little variety. It is a wonderful tour of downtown, with views of the Courthouse and the Capitol building. Then, it heads out on a bike path through Des Moines Water Works Park, a massive urban park that uniquely combines a functional municipal water utility with a vibrant public natural space. It spans 1,500 acres, twice the size of Central Park in NYC, and is one of the largest urban parks in the US. We ran into Grey's Lake Park and over the bridge, before heading back into town for the finish.

The Courthouse

The Capitol

Capitol Selfie

Des Moines Water Works Park

Bridge over Grey's Lake

There was a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon all happening at the same time, so there were some course split points which were all clearly marked with helpful volunteers making sure we went the right way.
 
From the race website regarding the half marathon time limit: "7 hours – YES! Same as the marathon. Because they share the course, they share the same cut-off time." I always love supporting a race organization that does this, it is so very much appreciated from the back-of-the-pack running community when a course feels welcoming for everyone with plenty of support for a full 7 hours!
 
The full marathon re-joined the half marathon course around mile 22 in the park. The faster marathon runners were beside us from that point on, but it felt like the path was wide enough to accommodate everybody. The aid station volunteers were doing an impressive job of passing out water from tables in the middle to people running on two sides of the path in different directions!
 
Weather Report: Welcome back, Fall racing, I have missed you! The weather this time of year is perfection! The race started a little bit later at 8:00 am, which was nice because it wasn't a ridiculously early wake up and the sun was coming up as we walked to the start line. It was a nice cool 40s at first, and as the sun came out it warmed up some. It was probably high 50s-low 60s when we were finishing, but still a little breeze and really no complaints!


Start Line Report: This was a big race, with nearly 9,000 participants across all of the distances. They had a very organized corral system, which reminded me of the Rock 'n' Roll Washington, D. C. Half Marathon. We were in corral G, which was very far away from the start line. We could hear music, but didn't catch the National Anthem or any of the start line announcements. They released the corrals one at a time, which really helps alleviate congestion on the course. So I approve, even though it meant we stood around for a good 10 minutes before we even started shuffling towards the starting line. It took us about 30 minutes in total to reach the start line.

Aid Station Report: We were almost to mile 4 before we hit the first aid station, so that felt a little bit long (probably more so because we'd waited so long at the start line). After that, there were frequent well-stocked aid stations with plenty of water and Powerade. The volunteers were enthusiastic, and there was crowd support throughout most of the course! The only quiet stretch was running around the lake, and that was very peaceful. They had placed a lot of fun signs throughout this area, which kept me entertained.

Finish Line Report: Something happened with the mile markers along the way and my watch stopped matching up with them. The course seemed to be a little bit long. The Mile 12 marker was definitely off, and that final mile seemed to stretch on FOREVER. I came around the bend and could see the Capitol in the distance, but still had to get to the bridge to cross the river to enter the finish line area. The crowd support leading up to the finish was awesome, but it was so crowded I couldn't see the finish line. We had to twist and turn through the parking lot to get there. Right after the finish line we were funneled into a very long, slowly-moving, chute forcing us away from the finish line. I like when I get my medal right away! I also wanted to get back to the finish line to see Amy, but I couldn't find a way out of the chute in time. Because I was busy looking for an escape route from the chute, I think I missed some of the food. There was evidently a "bacon mile" with bacon and pickle juice, sodas, chocolate milk, pizza, and cookies. I just found Amy, we took a picture, and headed back to our hotel.



Swag Report: The race was embracing their 25th anniversary and was all about the retro 2000s vibe. Instead of a traditional race shirt, they gave us a windbreaker style jacket. It is a little odd, honestly, very thin with tight elastic at the bottom. I'm not a huge fan, and would have personally preferred a race shirt, but it is unique! They also gave us gloves, which is great. The medal is really nice, big and shiny, high quality, and specific for each race distance. I always appreciate when a race includes free race photography!








Food Report: On Saturday evening, Amy and I explored the area around our hotel. We saw several interesting restaurants: Sushi, Pho, Irish Pub, German... we settled on Chelsie's Courtyard Diner for an easy dinner. We had the place almost to ourselves, it was nice and quiet so we could visit easily. We had tasty diner food, I had a burger with an egg on top - one of my favorites! Sunday after the race we explored the other side of the river closer to the Capitol, and had a yummy lunch at Zombie Burger + Bird. They were very committed to the theme with their decor, menu, and even the restroom signs!



The hotel was very welcoming to runners and provided an early breakfast option. I stuck with my usual go-to breakfast in the room, but I did appreciate that they offered!



After we'd had a few minutes to stretch out and refresh after the race, Amy and I went out on an adventure to find lunch and explore Des Moines.

The bridges were really pretty, reminded me of Pittsburgh!


The Capitol is beautiful! One of the prettiest I've seen so far!





Beautiful monuments and gardens surround the Capitol




Judicial Branch Supreme Court Building


All in all, this was a top notch race-cation weekend! I added another half marathon, in a new-to-me state, and got to visit the Capitol building! I'd highly recommend this race for Iowa! It is very well-organized and well-supported with straightforward logistics.










Iowa complete! State #16 / Half #22

Date: 10/18/2026
Bib: 7317
Time: 3:10:41
Pace: 14:33


Next month I am headed to Missouri for the MO Cowbell Half Marathon!



Location: Des Moines, IA, USA

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