Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Race week. Only the gel you trained with: nothing new on Sunday. Your race-morning kit Amazon partner link
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Des Moines Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Next race
- Date not out yet
- Last run Sun 18 Oct
- Start
- 08:008:00 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon
- Time limit
- 7 hours
The course
The 2026 marathon starts at 8:00 on Sunday 18 October at 212 Raccoon St, where every race of the weekend starts and ends, with a cut-off of 7 hours.
- An 8:00 start at 212 Raccoon Street and a seven-hour limit8:00 start at 212 Raccoon St, every race starts and ends there; 7-hour limit.
- Expo at Two Rivers Park on Friday and SaturdayExpo and packet pickup at Two Rivers Park: Friday 12-6, Saturday 10-5.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseConditionsAn 8:00 start at 212 Raccoon Street and a seven-hour limit8:00 start at 212 Raccoon St, every race starts and ends there; 7-hour limit.
The organiser starts the marathon, half marathon, team relay, 10K and 5K at 8:00, with the free kids run at noon. In 2026 all races start and end at 212 Raccoon St in downtown Des Moines, which the organiser lists as new this year. The cut-off is 7 hours for both the marathon and half marathon courses.
Sourced
Whole courseConditionsExpo at Two Rivers Park on Friday and SaturdayExpo and packet pickup at Two Rivers Park: Friday 12-6, Saturday 10-5.
Athletes finish registration by picking up their own bib and packet at the expo at 200 SE 2nd St, with ID and the bib assignment email, which goes out on Friday 16 October. The organiser does not mail packets. Walk-up registration is available at the expo for races that still have bibs.
Race-morning packet pickup can be added as an option when registering.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 16 October Expo
-
12:0012:00 PM–18:006:00 PM
Health and Fitness Expo and packet pickup MidAmerican Energy Two Rivers Park, 200 SE 2nd St. Bib assignments are emailed to athletes on this Friday. Walk-up registration is available at the expo while bibs last.
Saturday 17 October Expo
-
10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM
Health and Fitness Expo and packet pickup MidAmerican Energy Two Rivers Park, 200 SE 2nd St
Sunday 18 October Race day
-
08:008:00 AM
Marathon, half marathon and relay start 212 Raccoon St. All races start and end at 212 Raccoon St, new in 2026. -
Time not published
Marathon time limit The organiser gives 7 hours for the marathon and half marathon courses. 7:00 limit: 9:57/km for 42.195 km7:00 limit: 16:01/mi for 26.2 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Des Moines time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Des Moines time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Des Moines, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Only the gel you trained with. Nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Des Moines Marathon.
