Detroit Free Press Marathon: Sign-up deadline for international races is August 22

The 45th annual Detroit Free Press Marathon is two months away and time is running out to sign up for it the international portion.

Anybody who wants to participate in the Oct. 16  races that cross international borders — the full marathon, half-marathon, and marathon relay — must register by Monday.

The deadline for the races that goes across the Ambassador Bridge and back through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel is significantly earlier than the deadline for the races that stay in the U.S. — the competitive 1-mile run, 5K or Meijer Kids Fun Run on Saturday or the U.S.-only half marathon Sunday — to allow time for the border agencies to make sure the folks who are registered can gain access.

“Registrations will continue for U.S.-only races up until that weekend, but overwhelmingly, of the thousands of people we get, the majority come to run the bridge,” said Aaron Velthoven, Free Press Marathon vice president and executive producer. “It’s the only marathon in the world to cross international borders twice … and the sign up deadline for that is Monday.

“That’s what everyone is super excited for because it’s in our race DNA, it’s what people know about our race.”

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The 2022 rendition of the race will have as many changes as there’s ever been in the race’s history since its inception in 1978.

The return to international border crossing is the first difference — the Canadian border had been shut down each of the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic — with the other being the route in and around Detroit.

This year’s race will run through Eastern Market, down the Dequindre Cut which connects to the Detroit Riverfront, into Brush Park, the District Detroit Entertainment Center and through Wayne State’s Campus and Woodbridge neighborhood.

For years, this route wasn’t possible because of other activities, which is why Free Press Marathon organizers put in some calls to make it possible.

“We worked with the NFL and the Lions to coordinate not having a home game which we sometimes have to work around,” Velthoven said. “We got notice early enough the Lions would have a bye week which opened a lot more of Detroit for us.

“When you have a Lions home game and us doing the marathon, it’s really taxing on the services within Detroit, the safety and security of the Detroit Police Department — it’s just so many people downtown it can be tough.”

Race organizers are expecting more than 20,000 participants; last year had about 12,000 runners. Before the pandemic, the total reached as many as 26,000.

There are participants from almost all 50 states as well as 16 countries including Australia, Italy and Latvia.

In order to make the race more accessible to the fans and supporters, the Belle Isle portion of the event was taken out and the finishing stretch was moved to Campus Martius.

“The downtown area is going to be activated unlike anything we’ve ever been able to do before so that aspect is great,” Velthoven said. “Every hotel sells out in downtown so it’s starting to feel like we’re officially back from the pandemic layover the last couple years.

”Running the bridge as you watch the sun rise is just iconic, so getting back to that is special."

Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on twitter at @realtonygarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Deadline nears for Free Press Marathon international sign-up