A record 30,000 runners are expected to compete across eight events during Detroit Free Press Marathon weekend, turning the city into a crowded race hub from Friday through Sunday. The weekend culminates Sunday morning with the Detroit Free Press Marathon, the signature race that sends runners into Windsor, Ontario, and back to Detroit.
For Plymouth resident Zach Hose, the draw is not just the scale. He said his first marathon in Detroit two years ago felt welcoming from the start, with spectators and volunteers cheering him on and handing him his medal at the finish. That kind of reception is part of why the race keeps pulling in runners of all ages, abilities and experience levels, from first-timers to seasoned competitors.
The weekend is built to do more than fill a starting line. The Kia Health and Fitness Expo is set for Huntington Place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and organizers expect more than 30,000 people there between Friday and Saturday. A two-mile Shakeout run sponsored by Brooks follows at 6 p.m. Friday along the Detroit Riverfront, then Saturday brings the Children's Hospital of Michigan Family Fun Day from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the 1 Mile Race at 8:25 a.m., the 5K at 8:50 a.m., the Meijer Little Detroit Dash at 10:05 a.m. for children 8 and younger, and the final mile of the Kids Marathon Presented by Priority Health at 10:30 a.m. for runners ages 6 to 13.
The marathon itself is the event that gives the weekend its edge. Organizers say it is the only race in the world to cross two international borders, and the only race with an underwater mile through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The course runs through Woodbridge, The District Detroit, Eastern Market and the Dequindre Cut before ending near Campus Martius, a route that ties the race to Detroit even as it slips briefly into Canada and back.
That mix of local tradition and unusual geography is part of the appeal. Will Sexton said the border crossing and tunnel segment make the race unlike anything else, while Malik Jordan said racing at home means his wife, his son and friends can watch him in person. The unanswered question now is not whether the weekend will be big — it already is — but how many of the 30,000 runners will make it all the way through the finish across the eight events.
