The 2018 race was held on Sunday, October 21st. The half, full and marathon relay all started together at 8 AM. It was sunny and barely 30 degrees. Temps would warm to the 50's and it would get windy.

Registration: You could register online and as race day approached the fee increased. Race day registration was available at the expo. Included with registration was chip timing and a track jacket.

Packet Pickup / Expo: The expo took place at the Iowa Events center on Friday and Saturday before the race. If you could not pick up your things, it was easy for someone else to grab it for you. There was no race day packet pickup available. *I could not make it to the expo before it closed at 6pm on Saturday, my sister was able to grab my things and she enjoyed the expo as a non runner and before I received my stuff from her exclaimed there was "so much swag!"

Pre-Race: The race starts and finishes in downtown Des Moines. This means there are many places to park either by paying for a ramp or a free spot on the street. Port-o-potties lined the street perpendicular to the corrals. Gear check was set up. The corrals were self seeding by pace signs. Pacers were also available. I was in the back and could not hear the announcements or the National Anthem.

Race/Course: The race is a tour of Des Moines.
-Terrain: Paved. Some spots where asphalt could trip you up
-Elevation: There were some bigger climbs in the front half of the race, then flattened out.
-Aid Stations: There were A LOT of hydration stops. They each had water and Gatorade Endurance, however each stop was different in it's layout, had to check which liquid you would get. There were fruit stops with oranges and bananas. There were also Gu stops. A local bike club/store was mobile aid and had gummy bears, twizzlers and tissues. Also - there is a bacon stop!
-Photographers: I believe Marathonfoto was the official course photographer. There are free pictures on the app.
-Spectators: Spectators were thicker near the start and finish, then scattered throughout the course. Some spots were sparse, but they were not easy to access.
-Course Markings: Each mile was marked with a teardrop flag, and each race distance flag was a different color. There were timing mats.
-Volunteers: With so many aid stations, there were sooooo many volunteers. They were all happy and ready to assist. There were lots of law enforcement out on the course as we ran through some neighborhoods with some traffic. The volunteer who gave me my medal at the finish line even shook my hand!
-Medical: The medical stops on the course were easily marked with a tear drop flag. Multiple spots and the bike course support was also monitoring.
-Bathroom: So many port-o-potties on the course!!
-Scenery: This race while run through a city has lots to see, plus it's during "leaf looking" season. Running through downtown you see the sculptures, you run through some ritzy residential neighborhoods, there is the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium just before the halfway point, then you end up on a paved trail section, to then make the trek around Grays Lake.

Mobile App: There was a very easy to use mobile app available. This app allowed live tracking. It also had FAQ, picture filters, and anything you'd ever want to know about the race. Easy for spectators too.

Finish/ Post Race: The finish line was set up with an arch, timing clock and an announcer. Once across and after short walk a volunteer placed a medal around your neck (even a hand shake) then there were tables with bottled water and cups with Gatorade.

The post race food wasn't marked well. The post race beer party area was off to the side before the food, so it was easy to go there first. The beer area had photo opps and the results tent. The post race beer was the Same Adams 26.2.

Way at the end of the chute was the food off to the side. There were more bottles of water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, cookies, oranges, bananas, ice cream, yogurt, pretzels, chips and queso, and pulled pork sandwiches. Also there was security making sure the area was for runners only. There was no place to sit.

Overall: This was the first time I had ever run this race, even though it was my 29th marathon. It did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the course, the elevation was fair and the tour of Des Moines made it easy to enjoy. It's competitively priced and offers something other than the standard race shirt. I would definitely recommend this race.

My race: I didn't pick a training plan, but I did run the miles to be prepared for a marathon. All those long runs were in the heat and humidity, so when I woke up to feels like temps of 25 degrees, I wasn't sure what would happen. I did feel pretty relaxed too.

I lined up near the back, I didn't see any pace signs. Then it was time to go..so I went. I met up with the 5:25 pace group and stayed with them until mile 2 when I saw a friend running the half marathon, so I ran with him a mile or so. Then I just pulled away. At mile 6 I needed to use the bathroom, and it was also the only time I checked my watch the entire race. After that stop I could see the pace group sign in the distance. and thought the 5:25 group passed me. I caught up with them to find it was the 5:10 group... and I felt good, so I passed them too. I just kept trucking along. I did think I could catch the 5 hour group, but that was just a thought. I let me music carry me through miles 15-18, then there was bacon and then I came to mile 20. This is where there was a clock set up and I could't believe the time I saw. Since runners are great at math, I about crapped my pants when I realized a PR was possible. I was confused too, as I never saw a 5 hour pace group, or any 4:XX pacers. I just told myself to keep getting to the next mile marker, just keep moving. After mile 24, I walked for the first time, it was a small incline, then I started running again...my calf didn't feel super..so I made sure to drink Gatorade one last time. I passed the 26 mile flag, and saw a group of friends before the final turn, slapped some high fives and saw the clock at the finish line. AHHHHHHHHHH, I was going to set a new marathon PR, and actually blow it out of the water by 10+ minutes. I shocked myself, I crossed in 4:48...and my official time is 4:43. It was hard to breath through the tears I was fighting back. In fact, I am still confused, I feel I missed a mile or something. I think it was just a day where everything came together, I put no pressure on myself, just to finish my race, and the weather played a huge part.