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Detroit International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Detroit International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 402 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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J. H. from Huntington Woods, MI
(10/22/2009)
"Excellent Race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Perfect weather, relatively flat course, and the new wave start made for a great race. The wave start eliminated heavy congestion on Ambassador Bridge. Watching the sun rise while on the Ambassador Bridge was very cool. I loved the run on the River Walk near the end - it was just beautiful. In, fact being able to run on both side of the Detroit River was gorgeous. Tunnel gets very warm and a bit stinky; however, it is fun. Plenty of water and Gatorade. The GU station was the best marked GU station I have ever seen. Apparently there was supposed to be a bunch of food a block or two down from the finish line, but I didn't see it. Myself and my friends all set PRs, so all in all, it was a great day for a race. The news about three half-marathoners passing away was shocking given the perfect weather and organization. | |
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r. h. from new jersey
(10/21/2009)
"Just another marathon!!!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The 2009 Detroit Marathon was just another marathon... besides crossing the USA/Canada border, there was nothing special here. It was a flat, fast course, with spotty spectator support, even though I'm here to run and not here for people to cheer me on. The best decision of the organizers was to send out corrals two minutes after each other; the bridge would have been a disaster!!! | |
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M. V. from Michigan
(10/20/2009)
"Run Detroit - It's Not That Bad!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon, and first Freep. Positives: The course. It's a classic for an urban course. It's nice and flat - the only hills at all are the Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor Tunnel, and they're not that bad. Spectators are pretty good. No, they don't line the entire course like some runners seem to think is necessary. Lots of aid stations; water and Gatorade are plentiful. Volunteers couldn't be better. Negatives: There were nowhere nearly enough porta-johns along the course, and they are not arranged in any logical manner (i.e. every even mile or every third mile). They just appeared haphazardly along the course - nowhere near mile markers or water stops; sometimes in a group of three, sometimes ten. That's really my only complaint. I'm not in it for the food at the end; it's not that great, but no big deal. Overall it's a worthy event. | |
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S. P. from Michigan
(10/20/2009)
"Superb course and crowd support" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 2009 Detroit Marathon as my first marathon - finally taking the plunge after several other half-marathons. The course is amazing and beautiful - good, strong start by running over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada as the sun is rising. Running along the waterfront in Canada and then "underwater" through the tunnel back to the USA is great. The course runs through some beautiful old neighbors in Detroit, with stately homes and stunning fall colors. The last portion runs to Belle Island and then along the riverwalk. The crowd support is steady and amazing - in Canada and the US. Well organized - plenty of water stations with Gatorade and even GU (with variety of flavors) at one station. As a first marathon - I was advised to run a "big" race so that the crowd support would be helpful. After running Detroit, I think that only Chicago or NYC can compare. I will be back. | |
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P. H. from Rochester, Michigan
(10/20/2009)
"Much improved, diversified course - great time" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Enjoyed the extra space at the start, with its new, more enjoyable course. No long, static stretches that become so fatiguing. It was unfortunate to bottleneck near the bridge, but once you got past that point it was pretty smooth sailing. It was the only reason I did not rate this five stars. Good work at all of the water stations - good moral support throughout. It was the most relaxed marathon I had ever run and not due to any change in my training. My program has remained the same. Just a well-run event. Eager for next year. | |
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William Joy from Ionia, MI
(10/20/2009)
"The good, the bad, and the ugly" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The good concerning the course was about the first eight miles. It was very scenic running up and over the Ambassador Bridge, into and through Canada, across the Windsor Tunnel, and back into Michigan. The crowd support was great too during this stretch of the race! The bad about the course was once you got back into Michigan; you went through some not-so-nice areas of Detroit, and until you got to about mile 22, when you went into Belle Island and back, the course was boring, with little crowd support. The expo the night before was small, with few vendors, and very few free samples to try. If it weren't for the requirement to show citizenship at the expo, I wouldn't go to the expo. The food selection after the race was extremely poor. The only food was bananas. There was also cups of water and Gatorade available. In addition, Whole Foods gave you a bag with a bottle of water and a few other light snacks. The medal had a nice design, and was of good quality. The volunteers throughout the race were nice and friendly. The post-race party was relatively small and uninspiring. The band playing was entertaining though. Overall, I would say this race was OK at best. I would recommend doing this race one time to say you ran into Canada and back. | |
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K. S. from Michigan
(10/20/2009)
"Good run" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 9th Detroit Marathon. Weather was good. I finished, which is a good thing. The three beer stops were also good. The medals are FINALLY nice; the last two - one silver and one gold - were cheap-looking. My thoughts and prayers are with the three families of the men that died. | |
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B. S. from Franklin, TN
(10/20/2009)
"A great race with an international flavor" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half-marathon and must applaud the organizer's for putting together a well-organized event. Unlike most marathons, this one has the distinction of encompassing two countries, which makes it unique and memorable. The website and pre-race communication are amongst the most-detailed and up-to-date I've seen, so you are left with no questions when you arrive. The expo is no great shakes, but it's well-organized, given the passport requirements needed to run in Canada. Crossing over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada was not bad at all; however, going through the tunnel on the way back into the states was difficult due to how hot it was versus the outside temperature (which was near 30 degrees at the start of the race). The route in Windsor is beautiful, especially as you look across the water and see the City of Detroit. That part was very memorable indeed. The spectator support was nice, although there were pockets that were pretty quiet and lonely. Staying in downtown Detroit made it easy to get to the start/finish area, but the city itself doesn't have much to offer by way of entertainment or transportation since it doesn't have a rapid transit system to speak of. That is rare for a city the size of Detroit, but again, the downtown location makes getting to the race very easy so I would recommend that option if you are traveling from out-of-town. The only negative comment I have would be regarding the post-race food, which was pretty skimpy considering that Whole Foods was one of the sponsors. Instead of bottled water and bottled sports drink, they were passing out cups in the finisher's area. After running that long and hard, you would think a bottle of water wouldn't be that much to ask for. Also, some of the volunteers in the finisher's area were a bit snappy, I thought, which was uncalled for. But overall, this is a very good race that offers the privilege of running in two different countries on the same day. You can't beat that anywhere. | |
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B. C. from Marietta, GA
(10/19/2009)
"Like it" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ok, so I have rune a lot of the bigger races and this was a good race. Judging from last year comments, this year's organization at the start and on the first few miles was much improved. No stopping and starting as was mentioned before, probably because of the corral starting this year. Expo was good. Support on the course was good. No major problems. Weather was perfect. Don't do pre-race pasta dinners (don't know why anyone would ever go to one of those... new food, etc.). Food at the end was a little thin but not terrible. Went to the post-race party "conquered" and vegged out anyway. All in all, a solid race in my book. | |
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D. S. from Huntington Woods, MI
(10/19/2009)
"Unique international race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second time running Detroit, and I have enjoyed it both times. Course: The chance to run over the bridge into Canada along with the two to three miles along the river in Windsor is definitely the highlight. I would highly recommend, if at all possible (not always possible), trying to run through the tunnel (back to the US) away from any pack of runners as it tends to get humid. I like the changes to the course. The worst part for me was that 13-16 stretch getting to Indian Village, but that's better than doing the same stretch at 22-25. I was worried about the turns on Riverwalk at 23-24 being tight, but that turned out to be a non-issue. Instead, the lack of routine helped me keep focus during a difficult time of the marathon physically. Fluid: Water and Gatorade at every fluid station. Every two miles or so in the beginning, more frequently the second half. GU at 16. (I don't understand why a race of this size doesn't have more GU stations (e.g. Martian).) M&Ms at Mile 9 was a nice surprise. Start: I did not run it last year, but the course uses wave starts now. Congestion was never a major problem. Giveaways: For those who care, it's a basic, technical, long-sleeve shirt and honking medal. Post-race food was lacking in variety. Post-race concert was a nice touch. |
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