Marathon, Film Fest, Top 10 Takeover enrich the region
We may not have had Canada, but the Detroit Free Press Marathon was back in person this year. So were other events and programs, if still in a modified fashion that included virtual options because of the pandemic's receding and then rising case counts. Together we adjusted and still managed to help enrich the lives of Michiganders this year. Here are the highlights:
Detroit Free Press Marathon
The streets of the Motor City were once again filled with thousands of runners as the Detroit Free Press Marathon returned to live racing in 2021.
The preceding year, all components of the race were held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns. The pandemic did affect the 2021 race: For only the third time in its 44 years, the marathon was run solely in the city of Detroit, as border issues made it impossible to include a Canadian leg — a signature feature in the race’s history.
But the limitations led to some positive additions on the U.S. side, including portions of the new course that traversed the Boston-Edison district, the District Detroit, Wayne State University campus and astride the Motown Museum. Returning were traditional Detroit components of the race, including Belle Isle, the RiverWalk, Indian Village and a start-finish in the heart of downtown.
There were more than 12,000 registered participants in the weekend’s various live and virtual races. That included the full marathon, half-marathon, 5k, relays, a disabilities division for handcycle and push-rim participants, the Meijer Kids Fun Run and more.
As always, the marathon included a robust charity component, with more than $800,000 generated by 32 official fundraising partners. Over the event’s 44-year history, charities have raised about $24 million. In 2021, the marathon also donated clothing to Fort Street Presbyterian Church (which is at the foot of the course), and leftover food and water to Forgotten Harvest.
The 2022 race weekend arrives Oct. 14-16, with the marathon itself happening on Oct. 16. Current plans call for a return of an international course. Registration for races opens on Jan. 1, with discounted pricing in the early-bird period.
Freep Film Festival
For Freep Film Festival, its 2021 edition was about a return to theaters and other in-person events.
In 2020, the festival held only virtual screenings due to the arrival of the novel coronavirus. But this year, the eighth edition of the documentary-focused fest took a hybrid approach, hosting indoor and outdoor events, along with offering at-home streaming opportunities for most of its lineup. The idea was to keep safety at the forefront, while also giving documentary films fans viewing opportunities that would align with their own comfort levels in relation to the pandemic.
Thousands attended in-person screenings, and similar numbers watched movies at home. Highlights included the sold-out opening night world premiere of “Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale,” and the U.S. premiere of “Who You Gonna Call?” a bio-doc about the Detroit-born music star Ray Parker Jr. As always, the lineup featured documentaries with strong local connections.
The festival also hosted a number of free screenings and free educational opportunities designed for metro Detroit’s filmmaking community. This included the inaugural Real Fresh competition, which spotlighted the work of student filmmakers at Michigan State University, Oakland University, University of Michigan, University of Windsor and Wayne State University.
This year’s fest also enjoyed collaborations with the Dlectricity festival, Documenting Detroit, Downtown Detroit Partnership and Detroit Black Film Festival. The Freep festival received financial support from the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Doris J. and Donald L. Duchene Foundation, and was honored with an Ace Certificate of Excellence by the city of Detroit’s Arts, Culture & Entrepreneurship office.
After running in fall 2021, the 2022 festival is moving back to its traditional home in the spring. The just-announced dates: April 27 to May 1.
Top 10 Takeover
In partnership with Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, the Free Press has built a franchise around its coverage of the area’s best restaurants — and presenting related events that allow readers to enjoy the food and atmospheres the celebrated venues have to offer.
But in 2021, the approach was a bit different. Free Press stories shifted to highlight chefs and restaurateurs who were making a difference in the community, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of naming its annual Restaurant of the Year, it introduced the inaugural class of Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Food Fighters — talented folks who use their culinary skills to make positive impacts on area residents.
In recent years, the Free Press has also released a Best New Restaurants list, which serves as a base for the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 Takeover dining series. In 2021, takeovers were held at venues aligned with the Food Fighters honorees, and all revenue generated went to the restaurants and Forgotten Harvest, which delivers surplus food to needy families in metro Detroit.
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The Free Press and Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers in 2021 also continued to partner on the Top 10 Cares Rescue Detroit Restaurants + Feed the Community program. Introduced in 2020 shortly after the start of the pandemic, the program — buoyed by donations from generous Free Press readers — raised nearly $500,000 over the two years to provide more than 23,000 meals to front-line health care workers and community members in need, all while supporting restaurants that were struggling to stay afloat.
That total included nearly $100,000 raised in 2021.
The program paid local restaurants – many suffering due to a downturn in business related to the pandemic — to prepare the meals, which were distributed free-of-charge to health-care employees and others struggling in metro Detroit. The final installment featured Chef of the Year Phil Jones preparing 5,000 free meals for those in need.
Among the other events we produce:
Top Workplaces
High School Sports Awards
Wine & Food
Shining Light Regional Cooperation Awards
Breakfast Club
For all event promotions, contact Aaron Velthoven at 313-223-4347.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Free Press Marathon, Freep Film Fest impact region
