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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: 406 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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J. D. from Sylvania, OH
(10/20/2008)
"Nice medium-sized marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I've done Detroit 4 times now. For me, the pluses are that because I live in nearby Toledo, I can sleep in my own bed and avoid a hotel charge and participate in a decent-sized marathon with a good course and decent spectator support. Other pluses include the spectacular view from the top of the Ambassador Bridge joining US and Canada. The sun is just rising as we "hit the bridge." Going through Canada and then back to US soil via the Detroit/Windsor tunnel is nice, too. And you get a huge finisher's medal. Another plus is that it's not too big. Chicago for me is just too big. Negatives - so much concrete, but there are few larger 'thons that don't have this issue. Also, neither the amenities nor the finish line food are not great. This year's goody bag at the packet pickup had not a single free item, only ads for other races. I think Detroit needs to consider how other nearby marathons are including giveaways to runners like Akron or Cincinnati does. I will return to Detroit several times. | |
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Marlin Yoder from NE Ohio
(10/19/2008)
"Great Run" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first Detroit Marathon and my fourth overall. The first part of course was great, especially seeing the sun come up on the bridge, and the tunnel was fun. The weather was great (other than it being a little cold in some of the windy/shaded areas between buildings downtown, although that's still better than being too warm). The wind was not as bad this year compared to some comments I have read about other years. If any areas could use improvement, the sidewalks in the start areas were really congested with a lot of spectators and I could barely get to my starting chute. The expo was OK, and packet pickup was very easy; I didn't have to wait at all. I felt the finish area needed more food compared to all of the other marathons I have run. Since my wife and kids always come along as spectators, my wife commented that this was easiest marathon to get around to different points to see me, and the Detroit people-mover was very convenient to use. Columbus, OH - 2006 Marine Corp - 2007 San Diego Rock & Roll - 2008 | |
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Ronald Scott from Washington, D.C.
(10/19/2008)
"Race organizers SCREWED the half marathoners" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Does this sound like a good idea? Have the marathoners and walkers line up on one side of the street and the half marathoners line up on the other. Start ALL of the marathoners and ALL of the walkers. Now you have over 12,000 runners on the course. Five minutes after the marathon and walkers' starting gun, start the 6,000 half marathoners. Of course, the walkers have barely cleared the starting line by that point. So all the half marathoners have to run through the walkers and slower marathoners who are already on the course. If that's not bad enough, add a course that funnels down to ONE LANE for about half a mile over the Ambassador Bridge. What do you get? Complete chaos for the half marathoners. As one of the faster half-marathoners, I had to run through all the walkers not to mention every single marathon pace group (I probably passed through ten). Each pace group was a "choke point" on the course as numerous runners crowded around the pacer. Good luck getting by, especially when they were going through two-lane streets in the neighborhoods or even the wider streets of Windsor or the tunnel. People were actually forced to WALK approaching the Ambassador Bridge with too many runners trying to access just one lane. Add the faster half-marathoners trying to get through the marathoners and walkers (who, remember, started first) and it was just a complete nightmare. Sure, accepting a zillion runners into the field makes lots of money for the race organizers (especially since they got rid of the Ford Field finish, which the runners loved but which also cost lots of money). Race organizers need to think about the runners who train SERIOUSLY for months, only to be unable to run their pace because the race organizers have totally screwed thing up. Come to Detroit for a "fun run." Don't bet your fall training on it. | |
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E. W. from Michigan
(8/21/2008)
"Way to go, Detroit" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 2007 marathon. (My wife ran it in 2004 and loved it.) The race is well organized. Good expo. Great medal and shirt. Bands are playing loud and proud throughout. You get to run in Canada and in an underwater tunnel of all things. The course is fairly flat, but you have to run a couple of small hills and over the steep Ambassador Bridge. You have to tend with the wind, but the race directors can't control that. Nor can they control the weather, but the weather was beautiful in 2007. The spectators could be better, especially on Belle Isle. The aid stations are plentiful and well stocked. I plan to come back again next year. Way to go, Detroit. | |
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r. b. from detroit
(5/22/2008)
"check your Garmin" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My mile times were right on. | |
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M. A. from Shaker Heights, OH
(3/24/2008)
"Go easy on the Motor City" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After running the Detroit Marathon, I am definitely going to watch what I say about the Motor City from now on. For those of you who haven't been there or run there, don't be too quick to judge. The course, volunteers, and support were just great. For those of us who don't like the heat, this mid-October race is a good option. | |
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M. M. from Ann Arbor, MI
(2/28/2008)
"Great Race, Poor Measurements" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 From fitness expo to post-race massage, they provide you with every opportunity to succeed, save one glaring error. Their mile markers were horrendously off for most of the race! This needs to be corrected because accurate split taking is a necessity for every marathoner from 2:15 to 5+ hours. | |
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S. S. from Naples, FL
(1/30/2008)
"Wonderful time back home" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I grew up in Michigan, but made the wise choice to move to sunny Florida. Running by old Tiger Stadium brings back some the best memories of my childhood. I have run this marathon twice, and each time I have gotten a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I go by the stadium (I hope it is still there for the next marathon, although, if it isn't, I can see a lot of it in my brothers basement). The aid stations and volunteers are fantastic. The view from Canada, looking back at Detroit, is awesome. Detroit (the city, not the marathon) gets bad publicity throughout the country, but I encourage anyone looking for a marathon to run in October to run the Detroit Marathon. It is first-class and I will come back again and again. | |
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T. E. from Washington, D.C.
(11/9/2007)
"Great race, but NOT AN EASY MARATHON" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a fabulous marathon. Over the bridge into Canada, back through the tunnel, around Belle Isle, through Indian Village - there is so much to like about this marathon course. Why isn't it a true PR course? Oh, its not the bridge/tunnel - overall, you'll probably only lose about 90 seconds there compared to if they were flat. The problem historically is WIND. This year was pretty calm, although the day before was extremely windy. Last year the winds were so strong that they closed the airport for a little bit and the Detroit River had large whitecaps. I bought the book at the expo about the history of this marathon. Almost half of the write-ups over the years or the participants comments mentioned WIND. The adjectives went from "strong" to "brutal." So based on that, you have almost a 50% chance of having a day so windy that it will effect your performance. (Too hot or rainy was mentioned about 15% of the time over the years.) If you happen to hit Detroit on a calm day, you are in for one of the best marathon experiences you can have. But there is a very good chance that you are going to be battling a very strong wind in your face. Last year's wind probably cost me five minutes, enough to just miss Boston. | |
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J. C. from Rochester, NY
(11/7/2007)
"Well run - definitely worth running" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Race organizers have some control a number of things: course, expo and on course support to name a few. Some things they have much less control: weather and spectator support come to mind here. For the 2007 version of this race, everything was favorable in both categories. The course offers some unique twists without making it unnecessarily difficult. This was my 15th marathon and I ran a PR on this course. Can't argue with that. I haven't run Detroit before so I can't compare the course to it's previous revisions, but I thought it offered a nice tour of some of Detroit's unique neighborhoods with a brief visit to Windsor, Canada. Finishing in Ford Field might have been a preference had the weather been less agreeable, but with this year's tank top and shorts weather the outdoor finish line (and post-race amenities) were just fine. The packet pickup was smooth and I would rate the expo above average. The pace chart tattoos provided by Saturn were cool. The support on the course was very good. Lots of volunteers at the fluid stations and the water and Gatorade endurance drink (a plus in itself) were always in the same order (water first, Gatorade second) and in different style cups (I hate having to guess who's holding the cup with my fluid of choice at each station). The course was well marshaled, too. I did not stay at the host hotel, but at the Holiday Inn Express near the start and found the staff there to be enthusiastically supportive of the marathon guests. Another group who were (perhaps surprisingly) supportive were the border patrol agents. Yeah, I know they were closely watching race numbers, etc. but they were also some of the best cheerleaders on the course. There were no real 'dead spots' - if the crowd was thin there was entertainment and in the absence of either of those you were probably enjoying a unique portion of the course (e.g., the tunnel or Belle Island). In general, Detroit is very supportive of their race - and it doesn't hurt to have the local paper as the primary sponsor; nice articles and complete lists of registered runners and finishing times. I'd definitely recommend this race. |
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