2027 edition
Entry options are not yet confirmed for this edition. Check the organiser before making plans.
Decision summary
Historical race-date favourability, not a forecast
Stored GPS route
Quick answers
raceindex.org has a GPS course file for Market to Market Relay Iowa, so runners can inspect the route line on the map. Elevation charts and ascent figures appear only when that file includes usable elevation data.
The Market to Market Relay Iowa is described as gently rolling.
The Market to Market Relay Iowa route starts at Bell Tower, Jefferson, Iowa (109 E Lincoln Way), departing at sunrise and finishes at Market Street in downtown Des Moines, near the Union Railway Red Bridge, with the Market District finish. Underfoot, expect mixture of paved bike trail, paved streets, and gravel back roads; most segments follow the paved Raccoon River Valley Trail. It passes Bell Tower of Jefferson, Raccoon River Valley Trail, Panora, Redfield and Adel. Course is roughly 75 miles over 18 stages plus a team finish, running southeast from Jefferson to Des Moines through towns including Winkelman Switch, Cooper, Herndon, Yale, Panora, Linden, Redfield, Kennedy Station, Adel, Ortonville, and Waukee.
Course follows the Raccoon River Valley Trail and rural gravel roads rather than closed roads; runners share trails and roadways.