Drake Road Races

Drake Road Races is run in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 17, 2027, with the half marathon (13.1 miles) and the 10K at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K at 7:45. Now in its 58th edition, it is a fixture of the Iowa spring calendar and the official curtain-raiser for the Drake Relays. The route winds through the historic neighbourhoods of Des Moines, and every runner finishes on the famous Blue Oval inside Drake Stadium, a track steeped in top-level athletics history. A lively crowd, committed volunteers and smooth organisation round out the morning.

A stadium finish is worth saving something for, since the last stretch is the one you will remember. Twelve weeks of road training with a weekly long run covers the half; if you would rather race than survive, the 10K asks for speed work instead of volume.