Des Moines Marathon versus Twin Cities (Read 716 times)

If anyone has ran both can you tell me how the hills compare? How did your times compare?

I've done Twin Cities four times. Love the race, and I've never considered it hilly. There are mostly slow rolling hills that break up the monotony, which is good. But there is a big hill around mile 20 that can be a killer. If you live in 'sota, try out the Get In Gear 10k this spring. You run up that same big hill that you do in TCM. I've never done Des Moines, IOWA= Idiots Out Walking Around...

I thought you'd volley one back towards your northern neighbor, but I guess not. Geesh. I'll just make fun of cheeseheads then.

I have run TCM many times -- both the full and the 10 miler. Will never run either again! I hate the course. Big hill at mile 20 and then a gradual climb from 21 to 26. Summit Avenue deathmarch! Add to that the headphone policy (which doesn't bother me) and an overall less than friendly organization attitude of late and it is less than appealing to me. I will be there every year to support other runners, but count me out. As for Des Moines -- love the race!

I've done both. TCM in 05 and Des Moines in 06. The Summit Drive hill was a challenge, though I think the placement (mile 20) has a lot to do with it. The down hill part at the end coming in to the state capitol was a nice finish and the scenery and support was very good. I came in 3:31 for a respectable finish. Des Moines a year later was very nice as well. The front half of the course is a little more scenic as you have the older Des Moines neighborhoods to run thru, then Drake stadium complete w/ cameras so you see yourself on the video board. Back halft was a challenge as crowd support was sparse due to running in a park on the bike trail. I came in 3:22, narrowly missing a BQ. If you want something a little bigger, TCM may be for you. Des Moines is a smaller race but does a nice job w/ organization and support.

I certainly wouldn't call the Twin Cities organization unfriendly. It's just that they really treat the events like races. They're often hosting national championships and I think the organization reflects that. Also, the hill at the end is certainly not until mile 26. It's about from 20-23, and it's only a little over 100 ft. After that, it's totally downhill. The hill is a little tough because of its placement, but I think that's part of the appeal of the course. After all, what would Boston be without the Newton Hills?

I did TCM in 2006 and crapped out of it in 2007, so I decided to head on down to Des Moines a couple of weeks later and give it a shot. My other marathon experience is Grandmas in 2006. I'm pretty much of a plodder so I won't go into my times. Des Moines is a nice mid sized marathon that will probably grow in the coming years. If you plan a head you can probably book a hotel a block or two from the starting line. I stayed six miles away and easily found a parking spot two blocks away from the start. I mention this because I think it is a very convenient marathon to run compared to Grandmas and TCM. There is a major hill around mile three if I remember correctly and the hills roll for the next few miles. If you run it smart and hang back a bit, they won't catch up with you later. Personally, I'd rather have the hills early on than later like at TCM. Later on at around mile 16 there is a whopping hill, but this one carries you down hill and I probably ran my fastest mile in a marathon. Neither Grandmas nor TCM rewards you with such a drop. As others have mentioned the last part of the course gets pretty desolate and it definitely flat. Since you have done Grandmas and TCM I'd definitely recommend it as one to try.