Des Moines Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A rolling city tour past the Iowa Capitol, Drake University and Gray’s Lake, with enough roll to demand pacing by effort.
- Where:
- Des Moines, Iowa
- When:
- October
- Course:
- Rolling · urban
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Des Moines is gently rolling rather than flat, touring the heart of the city past the gold-domed Iowa State Capitol, the Drake University campus and the loop around Gray’s Lake. There’s no single big climb, but a steady accumulation of moderate ups and downs gives the course more character than a pancake-flat PR route. It’s a well-organized, scenic course that runs best when paced by effort over the rollers.
- Start → Finish
- 810 → 845 ft
- Net
- +35 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 285 ft
Key moments
- Mile 1–4Out past the gold-domed Iowa State Capitol — rolling from the start; hold a conservative effort.
- Mile 8–12Through the Drake University campus and surrounding neighborhoods, with steady ups and downs.
- Mile 16–20The scenic loop around Gray’s Lake — a chance to settle your rhythm on calmer terrain.
- Mile 24–26.2Rolling closing miles back toward downtown where the cumulative climb is felt.
Pacing strategy
Run the rollers by effort rather than chasing even splits — the moderate ups and downs add up over 26 miles. Stay disciplined through the early hills, use the flatter Gray’s Lake stretch to recover your rhythm, and keep a little in reserve for the rolling return to downtown.
Plan your mile splits
Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for Des Moines Marathon. The even pace option is pre-selected to suit this course.
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:09/mi | 9:09 |
| 2 | 9:09/mi | 18:18 |
| 3 | 9:09/mi | 27:28 |
| 4 | 9:09/mi | 36:37 |
| 5 | 9:09/mi | 45:46 |
| 6 | 9:09/mi | 54:55 |
| 7 | 9:09/mi | 1:04:05 |
| 8 | 9:09/mi | 1:13:14 |
| 9 | 9:09/mi | 1:22:23 |
| 10 | 9:09/mi | 1:31:32 |
| 11 | 9:09/mi | 1:40:41 |
| 12 | 9:09/mi | 1:49:51 |
| 13 | 9:09/mi | 1:59:00 |
| 14 | 9:09/mi | 2:08:09 |
| 15 | 9:09/mi | 2:17:18 |
| 16 | 9:09/mi | 2:26:28 |
| 17 | 9:09/mi | 2:35:37 |
| 18 | 9:09/mi | 2:44:46 |
| 19 | 9:09/mi | 2:53:55 |
| 20 | 9:09/mi | 3:03:05 |
| 21 | 9:09/mi | 3:12:14 |
| 22 | 9:09/mi | 3:21:23 |
| 23 | 9:09/mi | 3:30:32 |
| 24 | 9:09/mi | 3:39:41 |
| 25 | 9:09/mi | 3:48:51 |
| 26 | 9:09/mi | 3:58:00 |
| 26.22 | 9:09/mi | 4:00:00 |
Fueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 1.5–2 miles with water and sports drink. Because the rollers raise the workload slightly, fuel before the climbing sections rather than during, and keep gels on a steady schedule throughout.
Weather
Mid-October Des Moines is typically crisp fall racing weather — starts in the upper 30s to mid-40s warming into the 50s or low-60s, usually dry, with the occasional wind across the open Iowa landscape.
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