Course Map
Route based on 2024 course — may differ slightly from this year.
About this Race
The Detroit Free Press Marathon is a true international race, the only U.S. marathon that crosses into Canada and back, climbing the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor before returning through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and its famous underwater mile. The course is largely flat aside from the bridge crossing, running along the riverfront on both sides of the border. Held in October, it offers cool autumn conditions and the novelty of needing identification to cross frontiers mid-race. The flat terrain rewards steady effort once the bridge climb is behind you. It suits runners who want a quirky, border-spanning experience and a reasonably fast course in a cool-weather window.
Course Insight
Detroit is a two-nation marathon, crossing into Canada over the Ambassador Bridge and returning through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, home to the famous underwater mile where GPS dies and the air turns close. Bring your passport and treat the bridge climb and the enclosed tunnel as the course's signature tests. The October conditions are otherwise cool and runnable. The flat-to-rolling profile is forgiving beyond those crossings. Pace the bridge gently and the underwater mile becomes a novelty rather than a low point.
Difficulty Breakdown
Mostly due to very flat, lots of turns.
Course Details
- Course type
- Loop
- Elevation gain
- 95m
- Elevation loss
- 98m
- Highest point
- 210m
- Lowest point
- 165m
- Net elevation
- -3m
- Start
- West Fort Street
- Cutoff time
- 6h 30m
Course Records
- Men's
- 2:13:07 — Greg Meyer (USA), 1980
- Women's
- 2:34:16 — Elena Orlova (Russia), 2004
Race History
The Detroit Free Press Marathon was first held in 1978 and built its identity around being the only U.S. marathon to cross into Canada, climbing the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor and returning through the tunnel's famous underwater mile. Its international, riverfront course set it apart among American races. From its founding it grew into a popular autumn event. Held each October, it draws a large field across the border and back.
Plan Your Trip
Everything you need to know to get there, get settled, and get to the start line.
- Nearest airport(s)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW), Windsor (YQG)
- Best area to stay
- Downtown for proximity to the start, finish and the bridge crossing, Greektown for lively central stays, and Windsor across the river for cheaper rooms with your passport in hand.
- Getting to the start
- The start is downtown by the riverfront; walk from downtown hotels to the start, and bring your passport for the international crossing into Canada.