I did not care for this marathon course at all, way too many turns, at one point they had you run…read morelike 50 feet turn around and run back, just ridiculous. Just a heads up, if you don't cut every apex of each turn and run the outside of turns you'll end up running way over 26.2. Also this year, they ran out of medals, they said they would be mailed, but still haven't received mine. The course starts you off with huge hill and for most of the first half there's a lot of up and down elevation, this may play murder in your joints.

It'll be fun, they said. Really? 2 marathons in 2 days? Are YOU freaking kidding me?…read more That's what I said. And speaking from experience, I couldn't believe it when I found myself crossing the finish line on the 2nd day and lived to tell about it. While my performance was anything but stellar, it was a marathon finish that I would never thought possible, if it wasn't for the prodding and coercing nature of a few marathoner friends whom do this sort of thing all the time. And so, if I was to do this 50 states marathon thing more economically, running 2 marathons in 2 different states in 2 consecutive days is a must. I proudly can say that I finished the 2011 version of the IMT Des Moines Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa on 10/16/2011. It was my 1st "double" out of 6 of them completed over the course of my 50 states marathon journey. This was my 34th lifetime marathon and 32nd marathon state in a bid to knock off 50 marathons in 50 states from Hawaii. It was great to be in Iowa actually and Des Moines is the biggest city here and they have a nice race for me to enjoy and indulge in. The IMT Des Moines marathon is definitely a well oiled machine and caters to everyone - runners and walkers alike. They do not cap registration, so that's great. Everyone and anyone can participate, providing that they register officially up until the expo closes the day before the event. The marathon and half marathon is typically held in mid October, typically when autumn is in full effect and the weather is downright epic for a personal best and just great running weather. Cool conditions are expected and everyone has a fun time for all. It was about upper 40's at the start that fateful morning and warmed up to about mid 60's. It was almost ideally perfect for me. The IMT Des Moines Marathon starts and finishes in downtown Des Moines, but not before venturing outside the downtown area. The residential areas and the rural nature of the marathon makes you look at life outside the city of Des Moines and looks pretty nice. Makes you want to move here or something. I particularly liked running around Gray's Lake Park and the lake itself. The marathon course is deceptively hilly, especially at mile 6-7, where you start climbing up gradually a rural residential area and it didn't seem flat at all. While the hills were nothing major, I just felt like I was told flat, but was presented something else. Still, the course was pretty and scenic. The overall course was good and authentic, but could have used more urban flavor. I didn't visit the expo, as I had a friend pick up my race packet, as I had been running a marathon the day before in Indianapolis, IN and was traveling to Des Moines and could not get to the expo in time. My friend and I stayed at one of the downtown area hotels, so walking to the race start was just a short 5 minutes. The funny moment after getting back to the hotel after finishing my 1st double is that my legs were super wobbly, that I fell down the stairs in the hotel lobby. I guess first time for everything! Haha. Nothing broken, just my pride I guess. I didn't care. I finished 2 freaking marathons in 1 single weekend. That's got to be pretty epic. There was live music on the course on certain spots and the aid stations were 2 miles apart, so that was great. Crossing the finish line was particularly gratifying, specially when I was a little tired from the day before and I just wanted it all to be done. Everything was well organized, so I can't complain. There were sparse spectators in the 2nd half, but there was plenty to see us off and in the first 10K, before dwindling. The finisher's medal was great. Nice design and just a spectacular marathon for the city and community of Des Moines to rally around and support. Thanks to IMT Insurance company for being the lead sponsor for the IMT Des Moines marathon for many years. And so, if you would like to run a mid sized marathon in the Midwest USA in the middle of October, do give this one a chance. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what Des Moines can offer you. I didn't have a rental car on this one, but do feel free to explore the area before and after the race. This can be a destination race for y'all who want to run a fall race but don't want to travel so far. I would definitely recommend the IMT Des Moines marathon to anyone and everyone who wants an enjoyable marathon or half marathon. Whether you want to BQ or PR, or just finish your first race ever, this one has it all. Check it out! Run more! Support local! A

Dam to Dam has always been on my bucket list and this year I finally got to run it! Traditionally a…read more20k, 2014 was the first year as a actual half marathon and I absolutely loved the course. Very flat and interesting the whole way. This is a race you could definitely PR if the weather cooperates and you plan ahead. By planning ahead, I mean, start early. I started just ahead of the 9:00 minute/mile pace and the course was pretty swamped the entire time. Even towards the end and at the finish line there were always plenty of other people around me. The finish line was also fantastic. Free, unlimited beer! Heck yes! And not just to finishers :) It was definitely a huge party at the end and we had a great time. My only beef with Dam to Dam is that it is NOT friendly to out of town runners. Packet pick-up times are only from 2pm - 8pm the night before the race. Coming from KC, we thankfully had friends in town to grab our packets for us because our only other option would be to take off time from work early. They also strand you at the finish line. The course is point to point and you need to take a shuttle bus to the race start. At registration you indicate which location you are going to get on the bus. We chose the Ankeny stop because it was close to our friend's house. We didn't realize, however, that the buses don't bring you back to your car afterwards. What? So after the race, we were essentially stranded downtown. If you didn't have friends who weren't running, how would you get back? A $40 cab ride.. that's how. Yikes. The swag was decent. A nice Brooks dri fit and a pair of Brooks socks. The starting line was super buggy (since you are standing ON the dam surrounded by water), but was plentiful with port-o-potties. The aid stations were kinda hit or miss. They were all very well staffed, but only a few had Powerade. It was a super humid day, so I definitely wanted to get more Powerade than I was able to get, but it turned out okay. On course support was also good, multiple areas where lots of spectators were gathered. There are a few parts where the course moves onto a trail which was pretty crowded, I think they could really benefit from using starting waves next year. The medal was fairly unimpressive, however, despite its size, this is still a smaller local race. It doesn't cost a lot and for the price, I'm perfectly happy with my money going towards the beer after :) :) We had an absolute blast and will definitely be back next year (just a little more prepared)! Course - A (But they should use a wave start!) Medal - C Swag - B- Overall Management - B+ Finish Line - A+

I needed Iowa for my 50 states marathon journey for the 2nd time around. Initially, I wanted to run…read morethe Equalizer 24/12 hr ultra in 2020, but it got delayed by the thing. Traveling and doing marathons is a pretty cool experience, not to mention expensive and physically challenging and exhausting. Still enjoying it. With that said, I found the Equalizer 24/12 hr ultra event on runningintheusa website and registered for the 2020 edition. When lockdowns happened in 2020, i asked for a rollover to 2021. When the delta wave of Covid decided to make things worse, I emailed the race director to roll me over to 2022. Once things started to settle down into the new normal, I made plans to travel in 2022. Registration was held online, so payment is 100% credit card. Not sure if they do race weekend registration, but best to get registered in advance so it's saves time and peace of mind. With that said, I arrived here after running a race in South Carolina the weekend before tired, but refreshed. The irony of running marathons so close to each other is that your body does adapt and adjust to what you put on it. Thankfully, I did some practice at getting somewhat good at it. Equalizer 24/12/6 hr event features a 1.9 mile loop around Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Seems pretty much straightforward, I think. Or so it would seem. The overall experience here at the Equalizer 24/12/6 hr event went fairly well. While loops can either help or break you, it gradually broke me to where I just settled for the marathon distance while my friend, who has the car, went on to do 50km. It was nice to be able to not have him wait for me, so it worked out. We got what we wanted out of it. There was one main aid station on the south side of the park, where the timing station and the race staff was situated. Along the course, there was a sizable bridge that seemed like a good 800 feet across, although it may have been longer. It illuminated at night so you knew where the bridge was. It was beautiful. Doing this race was good and got myself a new state on my quest to run the 50 states marathons / ultras for the 2nd time around. Iowa 2022 was my 27th state and passed half way. The course was nice and mostly flat, with only a couple of hills on the course. Not really hills but short uphill sections. There was restrooms available on the course, which is cool. The weather was on point and never got really hot, even though the sun was out majority of the day without much cloud cover. The Equalizer race hosted a small race field, which was nice, although could have been larger. I do enjoy this type of race format instead of the standard marathon event, where I have to be done at a certain time. Here, you have a longer time to finish what you want completed. A lot of people love the generous time limit for the marathon or 50km if doing the 12 or 24 hr. Or if you are talented and/fast, you can try the 100km or 100 miler within 24 hours. Whatever you feel like, consider Equalizer 24/12/6 hr endurance event for your race if you're doing it for a personal challenge or running the 50 states. All good! The Equalizer 24/12/6 hr endurance event is held annually at Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines, IA. The event itself is really low key. With the basics of various forms of aid, not limiting to water, gatorade, various lines of soda pop, and various food items, and timing to get your results timely, that's all you basically need in a race. Although race medals are sure to attract many a participant, it's not as important for me particularly for me, as I enjoy the generous time limits that these timed races provide. This race does not provide individual finisher medals to participants but they do age group medals, at least in the 2022 edition of the race. For the most part though, the experience here in Des Moines running the marathon distance is as invaluable to me as life itself. When you do this as your livelihood and lifestyle, it helps to be familiar with such things. There's parking right next to the start and finish line area, so you can really limp to your car if you need some comfort in between miles. Low key races can be a good thing too. Logistically, this was an easy one to do. If you need Iowa or want to do a timed race to see how you'd do, consider the Equalizer Endurance Run in Des Moines, IA. Its usually held late October. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! Run more! A+