Karen-always welcome to stay here, Toledo is about an hour away.

5:25 finish for Detroit.  Energy all good throughout but after mile 20 the concrete just got to my feet so I walked pretty much the last 6 miles.  Belle Isle and the River Walk in those last 6 miles are actual concrete.  Pretty sure that I'm swearing off of road fulls, they just hurt my feet too much and I knew that to push it things would start working up calves to knee.  DNUD (Did Not Use Deductible) was what I started thinking.  Was a beautiful sunny 50 something degree day.  Will post more later.  Half in 2:32, I think 20 at just shy of 4 hours.  Shot of bourbon at mile 12 which resulted in a 10:10 mile (LOL), 3 beer stations in Indian Village with polka music and pretzels.  thought that would have helped my feet.  Great signs along the course and lots of runners!

My feet are just throbbing, I do not get this at all on trails so know it's the concrete.

Detroit RR 2014

Went to the Expo on Friday and found myself standing in a long line for 30 minutes until it opened.  Met a woman from North Dakota who was in town visiting her daughter.  She was running the half, her daughter did the 5k.  Nice conversation and we exchanged phone numbers so that she could wait inside before the race Sunday morning.

Not sure why by Sunday morning they started shutting down freeways and roads very early.  Race started at 7am and they were closed at 5:30am.  Couldn't use my usual parking spot and ended up driving the course since all other roads were closed (not sure how I ended up on it!) and finally found a $20 lot (ugh!) that was within a few blocks of start.  ND runner was had been dropped off and was waiting for family to park so she never did come into building.

Gene ran the half in his famous Quisp shirt.  The Free Press is moving into smaller offices next week.  Not sure what this means for start/finish of marathon.  It's just down the street so could still be same.

Spent some time inside with him then went out for Marathon Maniacs pic.  Only 2 others showed up ... 2 tall Maniacs!

Then off to find corral K.  Great Detroit music including Journey's Don't Stop Believing where we all sing loudly to the part where they say "just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit" because there is no South Detroit.. that would be Windsor, Ontario.  Sort of an inside Detroit joke.  Since this is an international marathon both the Canadian and American national anthems are sung.  Total there were 27k runners in the marathon, 2 halves, relay, and 5k.

I was doing pretty well until 20.  5miles at 59:54 with 11:58 average pace.  10 miles at 1:58 with 11:52 average pace.  Half at 2:34 with average pace now at 11:46.  15 miles at 2:55; average pace at 11:43.  20 miles at 3:57 with average now at 11:51.  25 miles at 5:08 with average now up to 12:21.  Finish in 5:25 with overall average 12:24 min/mile.  Didn't really feel like I went out fast but mainly it was the concrete getting to my feet vs energy issues.

We start out along Fort Street so a straight out and then a corkscrew like rise to get onto the Ambassador Bridge.  Homeland Security and Border Patrol there in force cheering us on but also making sure that bibs were displayed.

Always a highlight since the sun is just coming up as we hit it around mile 2.  Walked up the steepest (6% grade) part mainly since I wanted to keep it easy to start and partly because the view is just amazing.  Truck traffic on open lanes included many who blow their horns for us.

Definitely took advantage of the run down to Canadian side.  Canadian border agents are always low key compared to the US agents.  Announcer as you come through the gates as funny as usual.  Telling us that there was cold Canadian beer around the corner, bacon and male strippers (Windsor has a male strip club tradition that goes way back) but warned us of shrinkage due to the cold.  Then said he wasn't sure if the shrinkage referred to the bacon or the strippers.  Also announced that your bib would get you free buffet at the casino if you decided to not finish.  Ladies next to me seemed to be considering this when I told them that I think he was joking.

We run under and alongside the bridge, past a cemetary and then out onto the drive that runs along the Detroit River.  Great views looking back at the bridge.

Lots of Canadians out cheering us on.  For once, a sign saying "You are NOT almost there."  Kid with sign saying "I trained for 8 months to hold this sign" which elicited many cheers of support for him.  Another saying that Americans only had to exert 90% of effort compared to Canadians.  Another I liked was "All this for a free banana?" Great views of Detroit with the sun shining on it and even Belle Isle further down the river.

Then we wind around to enter the tunnel.  Did see one guy being pulled over by Canadian Border Patrol that made me wonder.  They were asking him where his bib was, he was saying it fell off, pretty sure that he never went any further.  Plus he really didn't look like he had been running.

I do like the tunnel.  Yes, it's warm when you get to mid point but it's a long downhill and just so different.  Stop to take a picture at the mid-point with USA and Canadian flags then start the up and out.

Lots of US Border and Homeland Security here and they do mean business.  But they also do cheer us on.  Most of us thank them.  There are a lot of them.  As you leave them you see a big arch that says Welcome to the USA.  Nice.  As is the throngs of people lining this part.  Change here from before.  We end up routed onto a freeway ramp because of construction along the riverfront and we head out to Mexicantown.  M&M's being handed out.  Pass.  For about a mile an ambulance was very slowly going along the route.  No sirens or lights so I'm sure was just moving from point A to point B but I commented that I guess we were "ambulance chasers" to a lady by me.

Mexicantown with people telling us to come back for margaritas later then into treelined Corktown.  Narrow streets with cute houses.

Just before mile 12 there was sign saying "Bourbon ahead."  Yeah right.  Turned a corner and what do you know.  There were guys with a table set up on Michigan Avenue handing out shots of Bourbon.  I said "what the hell" and took a shot.  Wow!  My watch split for mile 12 was 10:10.  Not that I would run a marathon on bourbon but that certainly kicked things up a notch!  Half splits off and full launches out towards East side of city.  Lions had a 1pm game and the tailgaters were out in force.  That was a bit hard to run by people grilling out.

The 2.5 miles out on Lafayette are straight and not too exciting.  Did see leaders already coming back for the finish.  So fast!  Apartments, schools, industrial park.  People out in spots but not a lot.  Saw a man from our church who has run every Freep Marathon but the first.  Gave him a hug and wished him luck on #36.  Along this part saw a woman step over and was throwing up.  I stopped and gave her some peanut butter crackers that I had so that she had something in her stomach.  My stomach was fine after my shot.  LOL

Then into pretty Indian Village with the mansions and tree line streets that surprise visitors to Detroit.

Many of the residents plan lawn parties and include us runners.  One house had a keg by the side of the road.  A couple more blocks and another beer station.  A few more blocks and polka music, pretzels and beer.  This explains my slow down between 15 and 20.  There were just Dixie cups, small ones.  Don't judge me.

Mile 18 and a house had a big wall created to run through.  I did so.

Once we hit the bridge to Belle Isle that's really when the concrete got to my feet.  The bridge is all concrete, the island has been repaved for the Grand Prix in all concrete.  Out and around, back across bridge and pretty much walked whole thing.  Decided that DNUD (Did Not Use Deductible) applied.  Ouch ouch.

Along riverfront which is pretty but again all concrete.  Calves starting to cramp also.  Sheesh.  Just get it done. I didn't even take any pics at this point!

Nice big spatious finish area where we could take our time getting food and water. Love the medals!

I really don't think I will do more road marathons.  I did the Devil's Lake marathon which was way harder and took 2 hours longer but no bottom of feet pain.

Lisa,  love, love the pics in the report.  It looks like a gorgeous race!

marjorie,  it was Shadow's race I was thinking about, the half with the odd name (same as odd movie), but I can't think of it at the moment.

Nice report Lisa. The pictures bring back memories. Coincidentally I wore my Detroit Marathon shirt to Pilates yesterday, and my instructor asked about the race, and I went on and on about how much I liked it. For this race, didn't you do most of your long runs on trails? Makes sense that the pavement would be hard on your feet. Well, that and the fact that those last miles were evil concrete.

camille, I can't think of the name of Shadow's race either. I wish I could so I could look it up and see if it was this weekend!