Des Moines Marathon

Course & Elevation

The IMT Des Moines Marathon is a road marathon in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, held in October. It was first run in 2002, and the weekend also includes a half marathon, a marathon team relay, a 10K, a 5K and a free kids run. The marathon, the half marathon, the relay, the 10K and the 5K start at 8 a.m. on race day, and all races start and end at 212 Raccoon Street, a location introduced in 2026. The marathon course is USATF-certified, and the organisers describe a flat, fast course that gives runners the chance of a Boston Marathon qualifier or a personal best. The half marathon starts downtown, crosses the river towards the Iowa State Capitol and turns back past Papajohn Sculpture Park, where its course splits from the marathon. The half then goes south to Water Works Park and Gray's Lake Park before returning downtown. The cut-off time for the marathon is seven hours. Both course records were set in 2014: 2:12:19 by Philip Lagat of Kenya and 2:32:28 by Abnet Simegn of Ethiopia.