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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 281 to 291]
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william carter from macomb,mi
(10/25/2005)
"definitely one to do despite some rough edges" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Living about 40 miles north of Detroit and working in the city, I know quite well what to expect from Detroit. You take the good with the bad. The pre-race set-up was lousy. Signage was about the worst I have seen at any marathon. This was my third Detroit Marathon and even I was confused. It is pitch black and the non-runners are so close to the start it is difficult to get on the course. The beginning of the race is nothing special until you get to the bridge. It is a challenging climb that provides some memorable views. The miles in Canada are great with wonderful crowd support. The miles on Belle Isle were cut last year and are much more enjoyable. The finish on Ford Field is cool, but that downhill sprint onto the field is something after 26 miles! All in all, I really enjoyed this year's race. Spectator support was by far the best I have seen. It isn't on par with Chicago, New York, etc., but very good. This event was an interesting contrast to the Toronto Waterfront which I ran a month ago. That marathon was horribly organized, had the worst expo ever, and literally NO crowd support at all. I'll be back next year for my 4th Detroit Marathon. | |
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Rodney Brennen from St. Marys, PA
(10/24/2005)
"Extremely well organized event." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This course has its own personality. The unique course is overshadowed only by the incredible support of the organizers and volunteers. This marathon had more water stations that I thought was possible. It seemed like every couple minutes we were passing another one. I didn't expect as much crowd support as I experienced. Most courses have a select few spots where most of the spectators congregate. This course seemed to have enthusiastic supporters even in the more remote areas. The border guards and police force were into cheering as much as everyone else. As far as the bridge crossing, it was an impressive sight to watch the sunrise as you climb the long gradual grade. The tunnel was not so impressive. It didn't seem as long as I expected, but the air got a little stuffy, and by the time I exited, I really welcomed the cool breeze and fresh air. The finish on Ford Field was amazing. All I could think about for the last few miles was my wife and two sons waiting for me to hit the Jumbo-tron. It really helped me stay focused in the later miles. The only glitch for me was the confusion at the starting line. Perhaps a wider street would eliminate all the runners who had to merge from the gated area along the side. I hope this event continues to grow and remains the well organized event it was this year! Run Detroit, you'll be pleasantly surprised! | |
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Jennifer Hershberger from Stafford, VA
(10/24/2005)
"Great; cool running weather for a good race" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first trip to Detroit and my 3rd marathon. The weather was absolutely perfect for running (high 40's at the start). The start was a little chaotic because the marathon, half marathon, relay runners and walkers all line up together. That said, the runners thinned out very quickly and I had no trouble getting on my target pace. The first half of the course was amazing. The Ambassador Bridge into Canada was a lot of fun and running 3 miles in Canada was beautiful with lots of crowd support. The underwater mile was a hoot. One thing to remember is that it is much hotter inside the tunnel and I was glad to get some fresh air. The first 10 miles of the race flew by. Running past the starting point of the race at mile 13 was a bit of a bummer. The second part of the race did not have much crowd support and was not nearly as scenic as the first half. Belle Isle was hard because there were no crowds and it covers miles 17-20 right when you start feeling bad. Indian Village was nice with lots to look at. Although it was neat to finish in Fords Field, I would not want to do it again for several reasons. First, the tunnel into the stadium is very steep and hard on your legs. Second, only water is allowed on the field and it was hard to find. Third, you had to walk up massive steps to the concourse to get Gatorade and refreshments. Also, although spectators were allowed into the stadium, most stayed outside and did not see us finish. All in all the course is very flat and definitely a PR course. I PR'd by almost 8 minutes. If I lived closer, I would definitely run it again. This race will only keep getting better and better. | |
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d. g. from Toronto, Canada
(10/24/2005)
"Wow! Excellent event." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 We decided to do this race based on the positive reviews on this site, and were not at all disappointed. I'd be lying if I said that Detroit was my favorite tourist destination, but in terms of the marathon itself I was truly impressed. The expo was large enough to be interesting, yet we were able to navigate it quickly and effortlessly. The course is fast and more scenic than I was expecting. The course support was second to none! I figured it was an exaggeration when they claimed that the aid stations were every mile, but in fact that seemed like an understatement. They were extremely frequent, well-stocked, and the volunteers were enthusiastic. Like most races there were some long stretches with low spectator turnout, but for the most part I would say the support was much better than average. Quite a few musicians along the course too. The finish inside Ford Field was as fun as it sounded. The only things I would recommend for this race would be a wicking race t-shirt, and maybe a cap on the field size in the near future. I think any more runners might make the winding course at the start quite difficult. I highly, highly recommend this race. | |
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Lisa Tortorice from Tucson, Arizona
(10/24/2005)
"Fast course, great organization and great views" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Prior to traveling halfway across the country (from AZ) to run this race, I was consistently asked, 'Why Detroit?' My reply was, 'It fits into my busy residency schedule and the course is supposed to be flat.' While that was certainly the case, there were so many things about this race that I loved. The course was beautiful and scenic. The view from Ambassador Bridge was unbeatable. A good portion of the race takes runners along the Detroit River - also beautiful and with the trees in full fall color. The organization was top-rate, from the expo, to the race to the post-race food/photos. Though I think my favorite part was the Ford Field finish. Running down that last stretch and seeing my face on the Jumbo-tron was a treat. I loved the fact that I finished alone (unlike Chicago where multiple people cross the line with you) and that your name gets announced over the loud speaker. I am going to Boston in April and couldn't be happier that I chose this race. I will definitely be back. Thumbs up to the race director for the changes that were made and led to record numbers, which will certainly increase from here. | |
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s. s. from brookfield, wi
(10/24/2005)
"Fun and fantastic!!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was by far the most fun I've had running a marathon. The course was fast and scenic, the fans were amazing, and the race was well organized and supported. I'd definitely run Detroit again! | |
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M. H. from Highland Heights, KY
(10/24/2005)
"Expected MUCH more, very disappointed." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I was looking forward to this marathon. I heard it was highly rated and it was a great course and that it had great spectator support. Well, for the first half of the marathon it did have spectators. The second half was dismal. The only positive thing I can say about that is that the ones out there were very supportive. There were two school bands, and that was very cool. I dreaded the idea of Belle Isle, but it ended up being a beautiful section and no worse spectator-wise than the rest of the 2nd half. As for the start, they need to start this marathon a half hour earlier! The time limit to get to the tunnel is ridiculous when it takes almost 15 minutes to get to the starting line! That is unfair to runners/walkers who are slower (I was not one of them, but two friends of mine were, and had ONLY run this race to do the hyped-up 'Under-Water Mile'). And then to make matters worse, at mile 7.5 they were told they could make it to the tunnel in time, only to find out that they closed the tunnel early (by at least 10 minutes)! That is terrible! My biggest complaint is the LACK OF FOOD and WATER/GATORADE at the finish line for us back-of-the-packers! I mean, it was the WORST I've ever encountered. PATHETIC. I would NOT do this race again, just because of that. A Dixie cup of water and a fruit leather and a couple peanuts was all I got. Where was the Gatorade or bottled water? Or anything? That is unacceptable for a race that SAYS they will stay open for 6 1/2 hours! They ran out of food between within 5 1/2 - 6 hours. Unacceptable! Those poor people who were out there after 6 hours got nothing. That isn't right at all. Don't advertise a marathon as being SUPPORTED for 6.5+ hours and have it not be (7:35 am-2:15pm). 'Cause it sure wasn't! The whole 15 minutes to get to the start was a joke. If I wanted to wait 15 minutes to get to the start, I'd do Chicago or NY. Something needs to be done to alleviate this problem. Either start the half marathoners behind the marathoners or have an entire area for walker's only. I didn't have a problem with the walkers, by any means. NO ONE could tell where they were supposed to be, and where it looked like an 11-12 mpm area should have been acceptable, it was mostly walkers. I lined up with the 11-12 minute miles, but was all the way at the back. Where were the 12-13 min mile and walker signs? What, no one is supposed to run over 5 hours there? Oh, and they got rid of the walker pace groups. And the last runner pace group was 5 hours. I guess that is it. They only cater to marathoners who can run less than 5 hours!... Which is fine, but they need to put that in the literature! I highly doubt I'd ever consider doing this marathon again. I'd rather do the Flying Pig, Air Force, Glass City or Bayshore. I'm certainly not driving 5 hours to get such poor organization! For all the hype, the course was average. It has its good points, but bad ones as well (like running through run-down part of the city with bums lying on the sidewalk). Oh, and they did have a good expo. If you care. But the pre-race meal was very expensive. | |
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J. D. from Cleveland
(10/24/2005)
"Not good for out-of-towners" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 After years of the hype and hearing about the Detroit marathon I finally ran it. The course was OK. The spectators were good. My only complaint was the organization. There were so many weekend exit closures through out the city that it was hard to find the COBO center for registration. After finding the COBO center the register we had to walk through this expo that was in the shape of a maze and register at the end. This was an attempt to get us to visit the various vendor booths, but in the same vein, it was very insensitive for those who just arrived in town, and still have to go the the hotel to register. The other point is the morning of the marathon, it is dark and congested and the areas where we checked our bags were full of non-runners and they were in the way, and they did not seem to understand this. Overall, I will say the course was OK, but if this were my first marathon, I would not choose it. I also say that the organization was bad because the city just seemed not to be prepared for out-of-towners. Unfortunately this does reflect the organization of the race. | |
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C. P. from Vermont
(10/24/2005)
"Not all it was cracked up to be" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Many veteran runners I know have said this is a great event. I have run at 14 different locations, and I rate this one as somewhere in the middle to back of the pack. The course was ok, but Detroit isn't really that scenic. The Ambassador Bridge was cool, the tunnel was hot, Belle Isle was very pretty, but it seemed to go on forever (it was only 3 miles, but seemed like more). Aid station were plentiful, although my wife said the one at mile 21 was closed when some of the middle-to-back-of-the-pack folks got there. There was decent fan coverage, but they were very quiet; TNT was well supported which is nice to see. I will say that Detroit has some of the nicest homeless folks I have come into contact with. The things to know that could be fixed by organizers: Running into Ford Field for 2 seconds is not worth 200 yards of descending down a steep concrete hill at the end of 26.2; and then going back up the stairs to the post-race food area is somewhat unnecessary. That payoff of marathoning has nothing to do with football fields and you don't get the long corral of fans in the run up to the finish, which I personally enjoy. The post-race 'party' was the worst part. The lines were really long and slow, and the food was the same as the freebie stuff at the expo and in the same quantity, such as mini cups of granola, and trail sips of Odwalla. There were no bagels, and only half-filled cups of warm Gatorade. I found this to be the worst post-race of any marathon I have run. I hope they improve it. I understand sponsorship, but I am far more concerend with runner recovery. | |
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A. H. from Columbus, OH
(10/23/2005)
"A decent race, but room for improvement" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The Detroit Free Press Marathon was my third in a streak of three marathons in three weeks, so my memory was fresh with ideas of how these events should be run. (See Steamtown, PA for outstanding race organization.) But first, the positives: the course intrigued me with its international route. I loved the idea of crossing over to Canada, and getting a split time for your 'underwater mile' (through the Windsor/Detroit Tunnel). There were lots of well-manned water stops, and the 'spirit stations' on the route were greatly appreciated. I also thought the idea of special bibs for first-timers was great, and the medals are honkin' huge, if you're into that sort of thing. The course overall is pretty flat, although there are some nasty turns and a few noticeable elevation changes (over bridges, etc). 'Room for Improvement': registration information states that they will contact you if there is any problem with immigration; this was not the case with a non-American friend and he nearly could not run as he 'only' had one passport on him. The website was severely lacking in other information, particularly regarding gear check and parking on race morning. We were completely unprepared for the traffic jam leading to the race and ended up missing the anthems and sprinting to the starting area, only to find there were only porta-potties on one side of the area - opposite to where we were. We then had to cross the staging area and jump a barrier to get to them. The GU station at 21 was not followed by a water station for close to a mile. The finish into Ford Field was perilously steep, and just seems to be an accident waiting to happen. Finally, there was only water available for runners on the field upon finishing. You had to exit the stadium before being able to pick up a banana or some trail mix (the poorest selection of post-marathon food I've ever seen...), which was incredibly inconvenient for anyone waiting for fellow runners (I was standing around hungry for close to an hour before my friend finished). When we finally left the building, there was no organized family meeting area, just throngs of people. There were many aspects of this race that were well-done, but I would expect a tighter ship after 28 years. Hopefully there will be some improvements in future years. Detroit seems to have the spirit to want to organize a great event, but there are some details that need to be worked out. |
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