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☰
Detroit International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Detroit International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 406 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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A. S. from Oakville, ON
(11/1/2006)
"Interesting course. Bridge and tunnel cool." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Reasonably good organization, but some complaints: 1) Porta-johns were in a muddy field. 2) No decent food at the finish. 3) Branded merchandise was very limited at the expo. 4) Bit of confusion at the start. Clearer instructions needed and earlier start for hand-cycles - runners were tripping over cycles on the bridge and almost run over in the tunnel. Otherwise a great race, with great volunteers and crowd support. Excellent aid stations and great finish in Ford Field. Good course, but too much concrete/poor paving - makes for sore legs the next day. Reasonably flat; see if you can do something about the wind next year!!! | |
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Kenneth Johnson from Chicago, Illinois
(11/1/2006)
"Great event/run! Ambassador Bridge is a killer!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Detroit Marathon experience for me was a good one. Everything seemed to be very organized and well put together. This was by far my most challenging run ever. The weather was cold and extremely windy. Before Sunday, I had never done an entire run in a hat, jacket, gloves and sunglasses. The Ambassador Bridge was a bomber. I thought I would never get to the top. It was nice to run in Canada and to pass through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The course in Detroit and Canada was exciting and picturesque. I especially appreciated the internationalism and how everything was shared and representative of the two countries. The finish in Ford Stadium on the 50-yard line was awesome and a unique touch. An autographed football from the Lions would have been great. :-) The marathon finisher's medal as well as the ribbon adorning it was the best I've received from any run. Very, very nice "Detroit bling"! I also appreciated the kind, gracious, and generous spirit of the volunteers. The women at the information desk as you departed the concourse area of Ford Stadium were exceptional. Overall, I had a wonderful experience and am glad I participated. Thank you and CONGRATULATIONS many times over for a great event! Very truly yours, Kenneth Lamar Johnson Chicago, Illinois Bib # 2383 | |
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D. S. from Michigan
(11/1/2006)
"Detroit is underrated! Nice course!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 OK, so I'm from Michigan and even I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the entire route despite my own preconceptions about running around Detroit. Better course (and more entertaining) than The Cincy Flying Pig, if you ask me. The route doesn't go stale after the mid-point like a lot of marathons do. I agree with the comments on food at the end... not even any fruit or a bagel?!? Maybe the money went into all those big honkin' medals (quite an improvement from last year!). This may be petty but I found the expo to be a little annoying. Is winding through all the booths to get to packet pick-up really necessary? Runners are usually going to browse around anyway, and such a blatant marketing attempt probably pissed off more potential spenders than attracted any. Overall, despite the weather, the porta-potty mudpit, some uneven road surfaces, some early hidden mile markers, you have to ask yourself if the run was organized, safe, and worth the effort. It was and should be well recommended! | |
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Anonymous Racer from Michigan
(11/1/2006)
"Great experience, but I left hungry..." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Crossing the bridge into Canada and coming back into the USA through the tunnel was great, and it's definitely better to run across than to drive. The spectator support was outstanding - even the cops were giving out high-fives, not to mention the encouragement from the other runners. This "greenie" probably wouldn't have made it to the end without it. Packet pick-up was a breeze, and starting area corrals were well marked and roomy enough for stretching. The course was well marked, with plenty of water stops, though it could have used a few more port-a-johns on some areas. At least there were bushes.... My only complaint regards the post-race refreshments. Water, chips and a gross fruit roll-up. VERY PATHETIC for a race of this size. I have been at smaller races (5K's and 10K's) that had better food. You would think somebody could at least spring for some bagels and fresh fruit. There was better food at the expo. At least my wife thought enough to bring food with her, even though they would not let her take it into Ford Field. Don't these people realize you are usually a little bit hungry after running 26.2 miles? Overall, it was a good experience and I will be back to run it again. It probably will not be next year since I have finally convinced my wife to run. She wants to do the Marine Corp or Chicago. She probably is just looking for another excuse to go to Chicago for shopping.... | |
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T. M. from Illinois
(10/31/2006)
"Great course and fantastic Ford Field finish!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Overall, I give the Detroit Marathon a 9 on a scale of 1-10. It would be a 10, except that there aren't clocks and mile markers at every mile. Even small local shorter distance races have this. But this was the only shortcoming. Everything else is top-notch. The course is very conducive to fast times, and it covers many areas of the city, plus Windsor, Canada. The best part is the final mile that includes the big crowd as you approach Ford Field, and the tunnel down onto the stadium field itself. Fantastic! All I need afterwards is a banana, which they gave to all runners, but don't look for any kind of post-race spread like at many other races - it's comparatively skimpy and some will complain about this (not me). | |
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K. M. from Illinois
(10/31/2006)
"A Bag of Potato Chips?" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course was beautiful but I didn't see too much of it because I spent my time focused on all the potholes. And I thought there was supposed to be music along the way.... Yea, there were a couple of bands, a few radios with big speakers, and one man in his front yard singing in a microphone (he had nice voice). Post-race, finishing on the 50 yard-line of Ford Field was great until you realized you had to climb the stadium steps to get to the food.... Food? I expected more out of Whole Foods than a fruit roll-up, breakfast bar and a bag a chips (something I've never seen at a race). And after 26.2 miles of water and Gatorade, I could have used something different... | |
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E. Y. from Rochester, NY
(10/31/2006)
"A good weekend in Detroit" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and overall it was a great experience. The race shirt and medal are really nice. Finishing on Ford Field was unbelievable. The service at the host hotel was excellent, just how a host hotel should be. The only thing I would change is the food at the end and the lack of entertainment. I read that they spent a million dollars on course entertainment but I didn't see it. Not that it was bad, but not what you would expect for a million dollars. The food part has already been noted so I think the point has been made. Overall though it was a great weekend in Detroit. | |
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Cliff Franklin II from Milan, Michigan
(10/31/2006)
"Best Finish Line, Crappy Post-Race Food" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Detroit International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The tweaking of the course this year was great. Corralled starting lines worked out great, and the straighter shot to the end was great. Being able to see Ford field earlier and removing the turns near the end was an awesome idea. I don't think there's another marathon that can top the finish - sprinting the last 30 yards on an NFL field is amazing. The post-race food was terrible. No bagels or bananas; they handed out chips, granola bars, oranges, fruit snacks, and pears. What the heck? Sounds like it's time for a new sponsor. | |
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N. S. from Hopkins, Minnesota
(10/31/2006)
"Despite problems, a great marathon" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This course is flat, interesting and great - city streets, parks, bridges, Canada, a tunnel! Times would have been even faster but there was a fair amount of wind. Definitely some issues with organization - I had preregistered months in advance but got no goody bag and wrong shirt size at the expo. The start was a bit confusing even with marked corrals (how do you get to the other side of the street?. The end of the race was equally confusing - still a great marathon experience though. | |
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J. G. from Sterling Heights, Mi
(10/31/2006)
"Amazing!!!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Detroit International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a great time! I am from Detroit so it was awesome to see all of the people down in the D for a amazing race! The hardest part was the bridge into Canada. The spectators were great! I will be running again next year!!!!! Only negative was the post-race food.... No carbs or anything! |
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