What: 2019 Detroit Free Press Marathon
When: Sunday, October 19, 2019 (Start time: 7:00 AM)
Who: The Detroit Free Press and TFC Bank are the races biggest sponsors
Where: Downtown Detroit (and Canada!! Windsor, Ontario)
Price: Around $100, depending on when you sign up
Expo
A beautiful big city expo. It starts with this long corridor with inspirational photos from the past years’ races. There are vendors for everything a runner could ever need or want (I really appreciated the $2 pairs of throwaway gloves for sale. How has either a) no one thought of that before or b) I’ve never noticed these before??). There was a big screen showing a recording of the marathon course, music, and plenty of fanfare. I wasn’t super motivated for this particular marathon, so this was much appreciated. The actual packet pickup was a little stressful. Not only was there the typical race volunteers, but also border patrol. MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR PASSPORT! We almost didn’t bring our passports because we had used them months ago to sign up for the marathon in the first place. But not only do you need to show your passport to get your bib, but you also need to carry it with you during the race!
Course
The course was one of my favorite courses I’ve ever run. Every turn held something new and exciting, which made it a lot more bearable considering I was sorely under prepared. One second I would think, “Wow, this is so cool! I could run through places like this forever!” And the very next second I would think, “Wow, this is the worst and I’ve never been in this much pain and I want to die.” So it was a nice mix of emotions! It’s also mostly flat! The only hills are very scenic hills – meaning the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The Bridge was amazing, I barely recognized it was a half-mile hill (I mean, I still acknowledged it. Scenic hills are still hills, after all). You crest the bridge right before sunrise and on a clear day, the view is just stunning. Even if your race didn’t get off to the best start, you can’t help but fall in love with the sport all over again.
Aid Stations
The aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked. That’s pretty typical for a marathon of this size, and Detroit didn’t disappoint. I struggled with motivation more in this race than most, so it was such a nice surprise that almost every aid station doubled as a cheering station. Everyone was so encouraging and so energetic, even during those gruesome 17-22 miles where all hope has vanished and you don’t feel like you’re doing much more than running in place… Like I said, my motivation wasn’t great at this point.
Goodies
Such awesome goodies! We still use the goodies from this race. Participants received reusable bags that we take to Trader Joe’s all the time, gloves with the Detroit Marathon logo that are perfect for cool weather running, a Detroit Marathon Buff (that has been great for a makeshift mask during COVID-19), a cowbell (okay, we don’t use that one…), and a long-sleeve dri-fit shirt that comes in wildly different sizes for men and women but it’s still a great shirt! After the race, there’s a great selection of snacks and drinks (although it’s all a little hazy now) that you can hoard like a squirrel preparing for hibernation under the space blanket they give you when you cross the finish line. Oh also, free race photos! Always an unexpected bonus.
Awards
Yeah, nowhere near fast enough to know what the REAL awards consisted of, but the medals were cool! Solid, good quality, big but not obnoxiously so. If you’re fast enough, really ambitious, or just clueless of what your limits are, here’s the prize money awarded to the winners.
| Place | Overall Male/Female | Masters Male/Female |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $4,000 | $2,000 |
| 2nd | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| 3rd | $1,000 | $500 |
Pros
I was so surprised by how much I found to love about this race. I really can’t stress how uninterested I was in running this marathon, my mind was not even a little bit ready for what I was about to do. And if it had been a different race, I might have found myself completing the walk of shame to the finish line. But thanks to the constant support along the course, the incredible scenery, and the engaging course (the perfect weather didn’t hurt either), it honestly turned out to be an enjoyable experience! The price for a race of this size and caliber is beyond reasonable. I was also pretty worried about finding parking and navigating the city. We had to do a bit of research ahead of time regarding parking, but thanks to that research getting to the city and back wasn’t too bad.
Cons
Although navigating the city and parking didn’t turn out to be too bad, the traffic leaving the city wasn’t great. There was a Loin’s game starting around the same time the marathon was finishing, which made for an influx of spectators, but a bit of a nightmare when trying to leave the city. It’s not a huge deal, but just something to keep in mind. I also think the race officials could have been more clear about what documents were required to run the race. We nearly didn’t bring our passports because we didn’t think we needed them, and we would’ve been fresh out of luck if we had left them behind.
Overall Thoughts
I will certainly be running this marathon again, I loved it too much to only run it once. And hopefully this time, I’ll actually be looking forward to the experience! The course was one of the best I have ever run, taking the runners through so many different aspects of the cities of Detroit and Windsor and keeping them engaged throughout the entire experience. They really take care of their runners, which was nice to see in a big city race. This race could be a little overwhelming for a first-time marathon runner, but in my opinion, it’s a good thing to let the marathon overwhelm you, makes you eager to come back for more 😉 And if you end up hating the distance of the marathon, you can at least enjoy the EXPERIENCE of the marathon.
