Detroit Free Press Marathon begins: Follow along with us
The 45th annual Detroit Free Press Marathon has begun!
The first wave of thousands of marathon and half marathon entrants dashed away from the start on downtown Detroit’s Fort Street near Cass Avenue at 7 a.m. That was right after about two dozen athletes in the Disabilities Division rolled away at 6:58 a.m.
This year’s main course went back to its roots. After a two-year pause, the course resumes its wildly popular route across the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, for some of the best views of any race anywhere, then returns to Michigan via the Detroit-to-Windsor Tunnel through the only international underwater mile in all of marathoning.
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Yet, when the familiar ends back in Detroit, racers will take in what planners call “the most dramatic changes since the event’s founding in 1978.” The course adds signature Detroit features: “Gilded Age” Woodbridge mansions, the arenas and theaters of District Detroit, historic Eastern Market, a former railroad link still called the Dequindre Cut, and a new finish line at the foot of downtown’s epicenter: Campus Martius.
See the finish line live!
After canceling the in-person race in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Free Press brought all of its famous races back last year. This weekend they’re better than ever — Saturday’s 5K, 1-mile race and Kids Fun Run, and Sunday’s 26.2-mile marathon, 13.1-mile international and domestic half marathons, and the 5-person marathon relay. More than 18,000 people signed up for the many events, race executive director Barbara Bennage said.
With a temperature at the start around 40, heading for the upper 50s by 11 a.m. with sunshine predicted, Detroit’s famed marathon is set to have perfect weather for the runners as well as for spectators cramming Woodward Avenue’s sidewalks along the course’s final ¼ mile.
Good luck, athletes!
Follow along with us as we watch thousands cross the finish line by using #freepmarathon on social media.
Live updates
Contact: blaitner@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 45th Detroit Free Press Marathon begins: Follow along with us
