I wasn't planning on making another run at Dam to Dam this year, but I got talked into it by two other members of my running group. They both wanted a 1:35, so I agreed to pace them there. So that meant my race experience differed a little bit this year, since I was working to hit paces and not go all out.

Let's start with the expo. This was the first time I've gone to the expo myself (I've had others pick up my bib in the past). There's a lot going on! Not many vendors that I saw, but lots of food and live music makes up for that. Picking up the race bib is super easy, just know your number ahead of time. You can also pick up other runner's bibs easily as well, which is great since packet pickup is only from 2-8 the day before the race. If you can't make it to Des Moines that day, just send someone to get your things.

Here is a good time to talk about the shirt. I'll go on record and say that I like the simplicity of the Dam to Dam race shirt. Just a small logo on the corner, and that's all. Simple. The colors change every year too, which is a nice touch. Last time I ran the shirt was white (the women's was yellow I think). Last year, everyone got an eye scorching neon shirt. This year, the shirt was a nice royal blue. Although some sizes had the option of a black shirt instead of blue.

Ok ok, on to the race itself. I've never had an issue getting to the start, but every year it seems like someone does. I'm normally on one of the earlier buses out of Des Moines (don't go to the other locations!) so I've never had problems. This year, it sounded like those on the last few buses had problems getting a bus to the start. The starting area itself is fine. Lots of space to sprawl out, plenty of porta-pods, and you can head over for a nice view of the lake if you're so inclined.

The issue with the start is that you legitimately need to start heading to the start line a good half hour before the race. It takes forever to get to your starting area on the dam! So give yourself all the time to work your way up to where you think you need to be. It is separated by pace signs, so that gives you a good judge of where you should be.

The race is a bit congested at the start, but breaks apart once you head down off the dam in the first mile. From there, it's a lot of running through county roads for the first 5-6 miles. Frankly, there isn't much to look at out here. But it's all flat too, so take that time to settle into your race. This is one of the easiest courses to get into a rhythm since no hills disrupt you for the first half of the race.

You start hitting some of the Des Moines suburbs about halfway through the race. Conveniently, this is also where you hit your first (of two) climbs in the race. The first hill is at about the 10k point of the race. It isn't an intimidating climb, but it lasts a little while. But you're rewarded with a long downhill on the other side! You get a lot of straightaway running on this part too, so you don't need to worry about turns for a while. Just turn off your mind and go.

The course finally takes a turn around miles 9 and 10. This takes you up your second climb (smaller than the first) and into a part along the river. This year, it was welcome as it finally gave us some shade (more on the heat later). Right when you hit the 10 mile marker you jump into a park and onto a bike trail. This section of the race is one of my favorites across any race I've done. The trees, the river, and a decently long wooden bridge. After crossing the bridge, you've got about 2.5 to go and you're in the city. Great stretch.

Due to construction, we couldn't run across the main bridge this year, so we ran on the outskirts of the East Village to get back into downtown. Again, more flat and straight, and not the multitude of turns the race normally features in the last 2 miles. I wasn't a big fan of the last two, mostly for that reason. But I like running through downtowns in general, so obviously I was disappointed that the route didn't go there this year.

The finish is a turn up 13th street and into the chute. It really snuck up on me this year since I didn't know where exactly we went with the new course. Crowd support is also excellent at the finish (and really is for a lot of the second half of the race).

Before I talk about the after-party, I want to talk about the heat. This was a warm one. It was 70 when I left my apartment at 4:15 to head downtown. It only went up from there. Since I was trying to pace my friends, the heat didn't get to me as much since I wasn't running as hard as normal. But some people were hurting, as is always the case in hot weather I guess. I thought the aid stations were good, so why did I give it a low rating? I heard that the stations ran out of cups. That should never, ever happen at a race this size. So while it wasn't an issue at the front of the race, apparently it was later on.

Also as a note, lots of folks complained that there was no chip timing this year, so everyone was gun timed. Apparently the family who was hired to do the chip timing had a family emergency and couldn't be there. It's fine, that happens. But the race did not make a mention of this until sending out results, that was also a mistake in my opinion. All it would've taken was a quick announcement at the start saying "We won't have chip timing this year due to unforseen circumstances." Literally all that was needed.

Ok, to end on a positive note. The after-party is amazing. Lots of Powerade for recovery, and if that isn't your thing, there's plenty of beer too. But the highlight is the pulled pork sandwiches. Oh man. That's seriously a reason to run the race is to finish and get some of those. I'm not even kidding. There's also ice cream, chocolate milk, and tacos. It's a pretty electric atmosphere. And while the weather wasn't great for running, it was great for the post-race.

All in all, Dam to Dam is a top tier event. They may have had some issues with the water and timing this year, but let's be real, you can't be perfect every year. Things happen. This is still an excellent event, and easily the top distance event in the state.