Summer Series: Des Moines Continues to Add Large Sporting Events

There’s a lot happening in Des Moines, Iowa, these days. As the city emerges from the pandemic with the rest of the world, the schedule for the summer of 2022 is full of big events.

Large competitions like the Red Bull Soapbox Race, USA Gymnastics Championships and Ironman North American Championships kicked things off in June for the city of about 215,000.

Greg Edwards, president and chief executive officer at Catch Des Moines, took some time to share his insights into the events that have already occurred, and the large gatherings to come this summer.

He estimates the Red Bull Soapbox Race drew 25,000 people to the area, while the gymnastics and Ironman competitions brought in several thousand athletes and fans.

“Des Moines has gone through a Renaissance period in the last 20 years — it used to be a sleepy Midwestern town, but the civic leaders and elected officials have really built this whole community up,” Edwards said. “We’re one of the insurance capitals in the United States — we have 63 insurance companies that are headquartered here and we’re a big financial base.

“A lot of young people have come back to Des Moines after finishing college and there are a lot of great jobs here, whether they be in tech, financial or insurance. A lot of the young people live downtown and that’s created a new vibe in that area. There are probably 50 restaurants downtown and most of them are locally owned.”

Des Moines has also grown into a big sports city. It is home to the Iowa Cubs, Triple-A baseball affiliate of the Chicago Cubs; the Iowa Wild, an AHL hockey team in the Minnesota Wild organization; and the Iowa Wolves, the G League affiliate for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pro soccer is coming to Des Moines in 2025, and plans are underway to build a stadium downtown.

Source: Sportstravelmagazine.com