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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 191 to 201]
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E. R. from New Jersey
(11/26/2006)
"Fun course, but organization was surprisingly poor" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Overall I enjoyed the experience. The course was interesting; it was cool to run into and out of Canada; the spectators were fantastic; and finishing on Ford Field was really cool. For a race with this much backing, I was surprised by several of the organizational inefficiencies. Mind you, organizers and volunteers were great along the course; this is more feedback for the race director: 1) I signed up for this race in May; my bib showed my shirt size, but somehow they were out of my size at the expo. A month later I am still waiting on my technical shirt to be mailed to me. I can only guess why they would mess something like that up. 2) Pasta party was a fiasco. There was over an hour wait just to get into the buffet. I highly recommend that if you're gong to put this thing on, you sell advance tickets for seating times, or make use of hotel resources to host a larger crowd. In retrospect, I was actually happier ordering spaghetti from a local pizza joint for half the price and half the wait. 3) Mile markers were not clearly displayed. Most big races have BIG mile marker signs, up at least 5-6 feet off the ground. Races like this have tons of people and you can't see markers when they are on the ground. 4) The last quarter mile leading to the stadium was WAY too narrow. It was probably two runners wide at most at some points.... To add to this frustration, many relay running teams wait for their anchor and all want to run together. All this does is prevent the faster runners from putting on a good finishing kick. That's cute and all, but try to be considerate! Many runners may not experience the same annoyances I did, but many runners did. Overall if I were local and weren't trying to do the 50 states, I would run it again. But I'd expect a little more thought in the planning from the organizers. | |
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Tim Mooney from Toledo, OH
(11/25/2006)
"A great experience" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I thoughly enjoyed myself. Being a Detroit native, it is really nice to see a top-notch event in the city. I liked the course, as you are doing something different most of the way. The Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor Tunnel are both neat experiences. Finishing in Ford Field with a large crowd cheering you on as you enter the stadium makes for a strong finish. Overall the course is flat with aid stations about every mile. I qualified for Boston on my first try, so the course can't be too difficult. I would recommend this race to anybody. | |
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L. P. from Colorado
(11/16/2006)
"Excellent time in Detroit" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Running Detroit was a pleasure. I really enjoyed the course (I don't remember huge potholes, though apparently they were there...), the spectators were great, the run into and out of Canada was fun. The bridge was a slight climb, but oh well... and I loved the ending in Ford Field (I thought the tunnel and steps were a non-issue). The weather is not the RD's problem. Now, don't get me wrong, I felt like crap at the end, but I did set a PR, qualified for Boston and was celebrating my birthday, so maybe everything else was not important. Not a lot of negatives, but a few suggestions from me: The mile markers should be easier to see. My splits were all over the board. Thank god for my pacer (Pacer David - a godsend, funny and patient). As soon as I crossed the finish line, I mumbled, "Water, water..." over and over and finally after the picture, I found some. Had I been more coherent, I could have found the water table first, but it would be nice to be visible and available right away (before the picture). If I eat immediately after the race, I hurl, so the peanuts were perfect for me. Just what I wanted. Had I stayed longer, I would have searched out a banana. And, for out-of-towners like me, a pre-race tour by bus would have made a huge difference. Everything else went very well. All expos are tacky. There was the usual pre-race confusion in the chutes... but I loved the course (fast and flat), found the staff and volunteers extremely helpful and excited to have us in Detroit; and I felt like they really appreciated us coming. The RenCen was confusing (no, I don't want to have to take a tour of the hotel to find my way around) and the rooms at the Marriott were surprisingly noisy and the room temp was difficult to regulate. Thanks for the exhuberant crowd support near Ford Field. I highly recommend this race. Good job, Detroit. (P.s. go to the Motown Museum and Aunt Lil's house in Roseville for homemade kielbasa and sauerkraut - she'd love to have you). | |
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Z. M. from Royal Oak, Michigan
(11/14/2006)
"Flat, Fun Course Highlights Detroit" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This international marathon earns points for a unique and consistently interesting course with great volunteer support. It was not without its organizational flaws, but overall it's an event that native Detroiters like me can be proud of. Course - this is the strength of this marathon. Participants get a great running tour of Detroit, touching on many of the city's highlights. Running over the Ambassador Bridge and along the river in Windsor, Canada offer great views, and coming back to the U.S. through the tunnel is a unique experience. The course is mainly flat and offers a lot of variety so that it stays interesting throughout the race. Things are a bit congested over the first few miles of the race. The Greektown/Ford Field finish is a nice conclusion. Most spectators and runners alike will enjoy the unique finish line setup. Organization - Registration/packet pickup was fine. More support (voulnteers, signs) could be used at the start area, which was a bit confusing. Start area port-a-johns were unfortunately located in a dirt lot that had turned into a mud pit thanks to the previous night's rain. Aid stations were available essentially at every mile and were well stocked with water/Gatorade. The race could definitely use more port-a-johns along the course. Finishing was easy - very nice medals and foil blankets were presented immediately, and the chip dropoff was easy. There's plenty of room to stretch (or take a nap) on the football field after the race. The post-race experience can be improved. As has been noted, the refreshments are underwhelming (all I wanted was a banana, which I managed to obtain from another runner). I was more frustrated with the lack of organization for spectator-runner reunion. If you have people coming to watch you run, make very specific plans of where to meet after the race (e.g., at a specific section of the stadium), because this is not well established by race officials, and the Ford Field stands are too crowded to try to find someone without a good plan. Spectators - I saw Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm at two points along the course, which was a race highlight (this was an election year, though). Jenny From the Block aside, crowd support is great at some spots (coming out of the tunnel was awesome, Campus Martius, Windsor) and thinner in others (some of the riverfront stretch and the aforementioned stretch from mile 23-25), but the volunteers were consistently fantastic throughout the course. Summary - I had a great day running the Detroit Marathon. The course was fun and gave me a tour of Detroit/Windsor I'll never forget. There are some organizational aspects that could be improved, but overall this was a fun race that I would not hesitate to do again. Positives - Flat, varied, interesting course, international marathon, volunteer support, nice medal. Could be Improved - Start line confusion, post-race reunion and refreshments. Overall Grade - 4/5 stars | |
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A. G. from NY
(11/10/2006)
"First-Timer in Detroit: Great Course, Great Time!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Detroit was my first marathon and I was pleasantly surprised by everything. The expo was great (someone stayed in the car while I ran in to grab my number and there was no problem with that). I wasn't exactly sure where to show up on marathon day, but once I saw runners heading in a single direction, following them led me to the start. The course itself was great - running over the Ambassador Bridge and through the tunnel were certainly the highlights of the event for me. There were easy-to-find mile markers (with water/Gatorade stations close behind). There weren't a lot of spectators and there were lots of dead spots, but the volunteers and the spectators who did show up were great in cheering us on. Having a green number was also great as people definitely cheer on "greenies" when you start to drag. It was also easy for my cheering section to find me at various points on the course - and even to run with me for certain sections - which was more than helpful. The finish was amazing. I had heard many complaints about the slope going into Ford Field, and while you certainly feel it, it was worth it to cross the finish line on the 50 yard-line. All in all, it was an amazing experience and I hope to be back again soon! | |
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S. P. from Dahlonega, GA
(11/6/2006)
"Great Race... Lousy Post-Race Refreshments" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Detroit Flagstaff/Free Marathon, encompasses a outstanding course - taking you across to Canada over the Ambassador Bridge and then back into the States via the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel. The start time of 7:15 a.m. resulted in a very cool (38F) start with a northwest wind that made it feel even chillier. Not as many spectators in the neighborhoods as I recall back in '84, however there were ample enthusiastic volunteers at every aid station to make up for it. My only major complaint was post-race. Inadequate refreshments, no fruit, bagels, yogurt, or other typical types of foods you would expect to see at a marathon. I'm told that they exhausted their supplies well before my four-hour finish time. The person(s) who were responsible for this aspect of the day should be made to go without food or drink for a 24-hour period! | |
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M. N. from Huntington Woods, Michigan
(11/6/2006)
"This race is great!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is an awesome marathon, and could be one of the best 1/2 marathons around. Great scenery, volunteer support, water stops. There's always something to look forward to around the corner. This was my 7th marathon and 2nd time running Detroit. I'll definitely do it again. The post-race food and drink need much improvement. Other than that, this race is great. | |
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Lou Orazietti from sault ste. marie, Ontario, Canada
(11/5/2006)
"Always one of my very favorite marathons" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was my 10th Free Press Marathon. My first was in 1980 and my previous one was in '97. My times have gone from 3 hours to 4+ hours, having turned 68 this year. My thoughts on the race: very crowded at the start (I was in Section D) and runners moved slowly across the start line for several miles - greater spacing would help. There were many turns in the downtown area both before and after the tunnel, which meant many runners would run diagonally to cut corners and disrupt the rhythm of other runners. In the middle of the pack the field did not thin out until after the half-marathoners split away. On the uphill portion of the bridge, wheelchairs were passed by runners, but then they created a hazard on the declines as they picked up high speeds, causing runners to scurry to get out of their way. Many of the transition areas for the relay runners were congested with with runners switching sides at the last second. Warning of approaching changeovers could have been given sooner rather than close to the actual spot, so that runners could get properly positioned more smoothly. At the finish line, I did not hear any instruction regarding lanes and I ended up with a relay medal, which I didn't notice for a few hours. I did manage to get back to Ford Field to make the change. I thought the aid stations were excellent and well staffed. I did miss many of the mile markers, which were obscured by spectators. Times were often given with only the seconds, 35, 40; no mention of minutes until they got to 60, I guess. My sense is that if half marathoners, relay teams and wheelchair racers could start 30 minutes earlier or later (or some other format), the middle-of-the-pack runners would find running to be much smoother and it would be easier to spot little obstacles on the road, like potholes and loose bricks. I appreciate that the logistics are huge, however, which may make changes out of the question. | |
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P. S. from Rochester, NY
(11/5/2006)
"Worth The Visit" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Detroit Marathon is well worth your time and provides an exceptional value for your entry fee. I echo the previous comments about the food and course. My only complaint is when you exited the finish line, the first thing to greet you was the line for pictures, while the water line was clear across the field (40 yds. away). Greet us with water first, not a podium to take a picture. To people complaining about the stairs: Stop it. You know that (or should know) going in and as a marathoner you should be able to climb a few steps. Go Team Playmakers! | |
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Linda Miller from Florida,USA
(11/3/2006)
"Never Boring!" (about: 2003)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great from the Ambassador Bridge to Canada and the beautiful waterfront. The tunnel was a real trip. There was never a dull moment in this race. Thank you, Detroit. |
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