Running 26.2 miles is never an entirely enjoyable experience, but this marathon made it pretty close.

We were able to get a hotel, the day before the marathon, just a few blocks from the starting line. I was able to sleep a little extra and not have to wake my family up at the crack of down to help me get across town to get started.

The race expo left a little something to be desired, but the tables that were there, were great. I suspect that COVID was the reason that the expo seemed a little skimpy, but the race swag was pretty cool, including a long sleeve quarter-zip tech shirt.

The weather was close to perfect - crisp and cool 45 degrees at the start and not windy at all. The corrals were definitely packed at the start, but the runners thinned out pretty quickly so you didn't feel like you might get trampled, or trample any one else.

The course was super cool. I really liked that it started in the downtown, including a route that passed by the sculpture garden. Then it transitioned to some beautiful residential areas before taking you through some parks and trails, that led you back to the downtown. I was really impressed with the trail system in Des Moines! Most of the climbing seemed to be consolidated in the first half of the marathon, which made the second half seem a bit easier than races where the greatest climbs are on the back end.

The course support was amazing -- to the point that I almost thought there were TOO many aid stations. There were cyclists around us all the time, available with bandages, safety pins, vaseline... whatever a runner might need.

The crowd support was pretty thick in a couple of areas, but in other more remote parts of the course, the crowds were a bit lighter, but never totally missing for long.

Overall, just a really great way to experience a marathon!