IMT Des Moines Marathon: Course, Training Plan, and BQ Strategy

The Des Moines Marathon at a Glance

The 2026 IMT Des Moines Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, with an 8:00 a.m. CDT start. The marathon begins and ends in the Court Avenue district in downtown Des Moines, near 4th and Court. The race was established in 2002 and the current course design debuted in 2024.

• Race: IMT Des Moines Marathon
• Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026 — 8:00 a.m. CDT
• Start/Finish: Court Avenue district, downtown Des Moines (near 4th and Court)
• Course type: Loop, paved roads and trails, USATF-certified
• Terrain: Rolling — marketed as "flat and fast," better described as fast and rolling
• Elevation gain: Approximately 682 ft cumulative gain and 682 ft loss; elevation range ~785 to ~980 ft above sea level
• Course score: 98.43 on FindMyMarathon — among Iowa's fastest courses
• Status: USATF-certified Boston qualifier
• Field size: 1,889 marathon finishers in 2025
• Time limit: 7 hours
• Weekend events: Marathon, half marathon, relay, 10K, 5K, and free kids run
• Best training block: 16 to 18 weeks
• Best pacing cue: The marathon is won in the middle. The early miles will give you anything you ask for. Don't ask.

Des Moines is a loop course run on paved roads and trails. The official race materials describe the newer route as "flat and fast," which is directionally fair but not the whole story. The course is better understood as fast and rolling: approximately 682 feet of cumulative climbing and 682 feet of descending, with an elevation range from roughly 785 to 980 feet above sea level.

That profile creates a course with two personalities. The earlier miles include the most meaningful undulations and the landmarks that make Des Moines memorable: Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the Des Moines Art Center, and a lap around Drake Stadium's famous Blue Oval. The middle carries runners through Historic Valley Junction. The final miles pass through Water Works Park and Gray's Lake before returning downtown for the finish.

A note on the 2026 athlete guide: it has not yet been released. Route details will be confirmed closer to race weekend. The broad course architecture described here is based on current published materials and the 2025 athlete guide.

Is This the Right Race for You?

Des Moines suits four kinds of runner especially well.

The PR hunter who wants a fast course without the circus. The course score is high, the field is manageable, and the mid-October timing means you have had a full summer and early-fall training block to build into a peak. If your goal is a clean shot at a personal best on a quick course — without fighting a 30,000-person start corral — this is a strong option.

The Boston aspirant who reads the fine print. Des Moines is absolutely a viable BQ course. But the qualifying rate here is more modest than the "flat and fast" branding implies, and the gap between marketing and reality is exactly the kind of thing that ends a Boston bid at mile 22. Run it understanding what it actually is — a fast rolling course, not an effortless one — and it can deliver your qualifier. Run it expecting the elevation chart to do the work and the rolling middle will teach you a harder lesson.

The Midwest runner who wants a flagship local race. If you are in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, or within a few hours' drive, this is the regional marathon to target. A one-night trip, a clean race, and a drive home Sunday afternoon.

The first-timer who wants a supported debut. A manageable field, self-seeded corrals, and a well-organized downtown loop make Des Moines a friendly first marathon — provided you respect the rolling section rather than assuming "flat" means free.

Who should think twice? If you need a true pancake-flat course to hit a razor-thin qualifying margin — the kind where the elevation chart is genuinely a flat line — Des Moines is not quite that, and a purpose-built flat race may be a safer tool.

The Course, Mile by Mile

The 2026 athlete guide has not yet been released, so exact turns should be confirmed closer to race day. The broad route architecture is well established: downtown, the Art Center and Drake University area, Historic Valley Junction, Water Works Park, Gray's Lake, the MLK Bridge, and the downtown finish.

The most important thing to understand about Des Moines is that it is not a perfectly flat metronome course. Its speed comes from a runnable overall profile and a favorable final section, not from the total absence of hills. The number that matters is not the 195-foot elevation range — it is the 682 feet of cumulative gain, concentrated in the earlier miles.

Miles 1–3: Downtown, the Capitol area, and Pappajohn Sculpture Park

The marathon starts in the Court Avenue district and quickly gives you the most dangerous combination in distance running: fresh legs, cool October air, and a watch displaying splits that feel suspiciously easy. Pappajohn Sculpture Park arrives around mile 3. Keep the leash short. Goal pace is the ceiling, not the suggestion. A handful of overeager seconds per mile will feel harmless here and expensive later.

Miles 4–12: The early rollers, the Art Center, and Drake Stadium's Blue Oval

This is the section that deserves the most respect. The terrain rolls more meaningfully as the course heads toward the Des Moines Art Center, which spectators can use to see runners at approximately miles 5 and 12. Around mile 9, runners enter Drake Stadium for a lap of the Blue Oval — the historic track used by generations of athletes at the Drake Relays. It is one of the most distinctive features of any marathon in the Midwest.

The hills are not dramatic, but they interrupt rhythm. Run them by effort. Allow pace to drift slightly slower on the inclines, regain it naturally on the descents, and avoid turning every roller into a tiny race. You are trying to preserve your marathon, not win a collection of 40-second arguments with gravity.

Miles 13–18: Historic Valley Junction and the long middle

The course reaches Historic Valley Junction around mile 14.5 — a useful spectator location and a natural mental checkpoint. The early rolling terrain has been handled, but the real work is still ahead. Settle into your most economical rhythm here. Keep fueling on schedule and resist the urge to force pace simply because the road is becoming more cooperative. The correct sensation is controlled momentum.

Miles 19–23: Water Works Park and Gray's Lake

The late miles move through Water Works Park and toward Gray's Lake, arriving around mile 23. This is where the course begins to reward the runner who stayed patient earlier. The park and trail sections are runnable, but they can feel exposed in a breeze and mentally quiet if you are running between packs. At Gray's Lake, stop thinking about the full marathon and start breaking the road into smaller pieces: the next mile marker, the next runner ahead, the next gel.

Miles 24–26.2: MLK Bridge and the downtown finish

The course crosses the MLK Bridge around mile 25 and returns to the Court Avenue district for the finish. If you managed the early rollers rather than trying to conquer them, this is your chance to race. The final miles are not free, but they are fair.

October Weather in Des Moines

Mid-October in central Iowa is, on average, very good marathon weather — and that average hides a real spread you have to prepare for.

The historical race-day numbers put the average low around 42 °F and the average high around 63 °F, with a mean temperature around 52 °F. With an 8:00 a.m. start, you will run the bulk of the race in the 40s and low-to-mid 50s, warming through the morning. That is close to ideal for fast running: cool enough to keep your core temperature down, warm enough that you are not fighting the cold.

But "average" is the key word. Mid-October in the Midwest can hand you a crisp, still, 40-degree morning — or a gusty start with wind off the open ground, or an unseasonable warm spell that pushes the back half into the high 60s. Wind is the variable most worth respecting: the park and trail sections can become more consequential if the breeze is up, particularly when you are isolated late in the race.

Check the hourly forecast during race week, not merely the daily high. Look at temperature, dew point, wind speed, and wind direction. Dress for the running temperature rather than the standing-around temperature, and bring a throwaway layer for the start if needed. If it is a windy day, tuck behind other runners on exposed sections and save the effort for the sheltered ones.

Can You Actually BQ Here? The Honest Answer

Yes. Des Moines is a legitimate Boston-qualifying course and a sensible place to chase a PR. It is also not a course where you should expect the road to do the work for you.

Recent Boston-qualifying rates:

Those numbers tell a useful story. The course currently carries a 98.43 Course Score and 98.43 PR Score on FindMyMarathon — third in Iowa for Course Score, second in Iowa for PR potential, and first in Iowa by 2025 BQ percentage. Des Moines is quick. But it is not a specialized downhill course or a perfectly flat conveyor belt. A BQ rate in the 5 to 10% range is a respectable regional result, not the 15 to 25% range you see at genuinely BQ-optimized courses like Houston or Indianapolis.

How do you square a fast course score with a moderate BQ rate? Two things. First, the BQ rate reflects the field as much as the course — a regional race draws a broader mix of abilities than one that markets specifically to time-chasers. Second, and more importantly: a fast course only delivers a fast time to a runner who paces it correctly, and the rolling middle third provides ample opportunity to overspend.

The honest verdict: Des Moines is a real BQ course, and you can absolutely qualify here. But it is not effortless, and the branding oversells the ease. Arrive with a margin of safety (training to a goal a few minutes under your actual qualifying standard, not exactly on it), pace the rolling middle by effort, and it can absolutely deliver your number.

Before you build your block, work out exactly what time you actually need — the standards have tightened, and the cutoff has been below the published qualifying times for several years running. See the how to run a negative split guide and the marathon pacing strategy guide for the tools to execute once you have your number.

How to Train for a Rolling October Marathon

A mid-October race sets up a clean training calendar. An 18-week block starting in mid-June lands precisely on October 18. A 16-week block from early July works just as well if you are already carrying a solid base.

The two things to train specifically for Des Moines are the summer heat of the build and the rolling profile of the race.

Training through an Iowa summer

You will do the bulk of this block in July and August heat and humidity, then race in cool October air. That is a gift — you will arrive heat-adapted and race in conditions that feel easy by comparison — but only if you train smart through the summer. Run quality sessions in the early morning when you can. Judge hard efforts by effort and heart rate, not pace, on hot days; goal-pace work will feel hard at 85 °F and humid, and that is the heat talking, not your fitness. Hydrate aggressively and respect that summer mileage banked carefully is worth more than summer mileage forced.

Training for the rolling profile

Des Moines is not hilly enough to demand a specialized downhill or hill-specialist build, but it is rolling enough that you should not train exclusively on flat ground. Run some of your long runs and easy miles on gently rolling terrain so that running goal pace over undulating ground feels normal, not novel. The specific skill is holding even effort as the grade changes — letting pace ease a few seconds slower uphill and roll a few seconds quicker downhill, without surging or braking. Practice it on long runs so it is automatic on race day.

Include marathon-pace work on gently rolling terrain, especially routes with manageable climbs in the first half and a smoother closing section. Practice resisting the urge to surge uphill and learn to regain pace gradually rather than aggressively. Also expect a few rhythm changes from turns and the lap of Drake Stadium — the goal is to stay relaxed when the course briefly interrupts your groove.

Goal-pace specificity

The single most valuable session for a course like this is the marathon-pace long run: a long run with a substantial block run at your exact goal pace, ideally over rolling ground in the back half when you are already tired. Depending on experience, build toward 6 to 12 miles of marathon-pace work inside a long run. This is the session that teaches your legs what goal pace feels like at mile 20, which is the only place the marathon is actually decided.

Strength work

Build strength training in twice a week. Prioritize quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core. It protects you through the high-mileage weeks and pays off in the rolling sections where form retention under fatigue matters.

The 18-Week Structure

The block breaks into four phases.

Base (weeks 1–4). Establish your aerobic foundation in the summer heat. Build mileage gradually with cutback weeks and adjustments based on your current base, injury history, and number of running days. One long run and one light tempo or strides session per week. The goal is durability, not speed.

Strength and threshold (weeks 5–10). The heart of the build. Mileage approaches its peak, the long runs extend, and the weekly threshold session becomes the priority workout — sustained tempo runs and cruise intervals that lift your sustainable pace. Start introducing marathon-pace segments into the long runs. This phase builds the engine.

Marathon-specific (weeks 11–15). The work narrows to the race. Long runs now carry significant marathon-pace blocks over rolling ground, the longest run (20–22 miles) lands in this window, and every key session points at October 18. This is where goal pace stops being an abstraction and becomes a feeling your body recognizes.

Taper (weeks 16–18). Volume comes down, intensity stays sharp but brief, and you arrive on race morning rested and slightly restless. Resist the urge to cram fitness in the final weeks — the work is done; the taper is where it consolidates. See the marathon taper guide for exactly how to handle the final three weeks.

The Pacing Plan

Des Moines is won and lost on first-half discipline. The course gives you a fast, crowd-lined opening, and it will let you run it 10–20 seconds per mile too quick without complaint — and then collect the debt with interest after mile 20.

The plan is a flat-to-slightly-negative split. Run the opening downtown miles at goal pace exactly — not faster, however good you feel. Through the rolling middle, hold even effort rather than even pace: let the pace ease a few seconds on the climbs and come back on the descents, so your effort stays level even as the splits wobble. This is the single most important discipline of the day. Then, if you have banked nothing and spent nothing extra, the flatter closing miles into downtown are where you spend whatever you have left.

Concrete checkpoint: Cross halfway feeling like you are running comfortably within yourself. If you feel like you are working hard at the half, the second half will expose it. The real race begins at mile 20. Arrive there with your legs intact and the run into the downtown finish is yours.

Mind the wind. On a windy edition, do not fight exposed sections solo at goal pace. Tuck behind other runners, accept that headwind splits will be slower, and make the effort back on sheltered and tailwind sections. Effort-based pacing matters even more on a windy day.

For the full pacing framework, the marathon pacing strategy guide goes deeper on execution.

Race Week and Logistics

Getting there

The marathon starts and finishes in downtown Des Moines in the Court Avenue district, near 4th and Court. The 2026 athlete guide should be checked for the final start-line diagram, road closures, parking instructions, and gear-check location when it is released closer to race day.

The expo and packet pickup

The race holds a weekend expo for packet pickup. Another person may pick up your packet with your bib number, confirmation email, and a copy of your ID. Limited race-morning pickup has historically been available as a paid add-on for runners who arrange it in advance. Confirm the 2026 policy before relying on it.

The start

The marathon, half marathon, relay, and 10K begin at 8:00 a.m. CDT. The start uses self-seeded corrals based on expected pace, with pacers positioned in the starting chute. Line up near the pace group that reflects what you expect to average across the entire marathon, not the pace you expect to run in your first optimistic mile.

Aid and fuel

The 2025 course included water stations roughly every two miles, with water, lemon-lime Powerade, and toilets at every station. Selected stations also carried gels and late-race extras including pickle juice, pretzels, and Coca-Cola. Confirm the 2026 athlete guide when released, then practice your exact fueling strategy during marathon-pace long runs. Carry your own gels unless the on-course product is the one your stomach already knows.

Weekend events

The 2026 weekend includes the marathon, half marathon, relay, 10K, 5K, and free kids run. The marathon, half, relay, and 10K start at 8:00 a.m.; the 5K starts at 8:15 a.m.; and the kids run starts at noon.

Race Day Execution

Before the start. Eat your tested pre-race breakfast about three hours out. Dress for the start temperature knowing you will warm up — a throwaway layer for a cool morning is almost always right. Check the wind. Line up honestly in the self-seeded corrals. Set your watch to goal pace and commit, before the gun, to running the opening miles exactly at it.

Miles 1–8 (downtown and the early rollers). Run goal pace. This is the hardest discipline of the day because everything — fresh legs, cool air, crowd noise, the fast opening — conspires to make you run quicker. Do not. The runners passing you in the first three miles are making the mistake you are not making.

Miles 9–18 (Drake, Valley Junction, and the rolling ground). Switch to effort-based pacing. Ease up the climbs, roll the descents, keep effort flat. Fuel on schedule. Enjoy the Blue Oval lap at mile 9 without breaking your rhythm. When the course goes quieter through the middle, stay present — a mantra, a fuel checkpoint, a "settle and hold" instruction to yourself. Silence is where focus drifts.

Miles 19–26.2 (Water Works Park to the finish). The real race. If you have banked nothing and spent nothing extra, the run back into downtown is where you spend it. Pick a runner ahead and reel them in. Stay relentless through the last quiet stretch before the crowds rebuild, and let the Court Avenue finish carry you in.

Run it that way and Des Moines delivers exactly what the course score promises: a fast race and, for the runner who paced it with discipline, a personal best or a qualifier.

IMT Des Moines Marathon FAQ