Detroit Rocks!

The Detroit Free Press Talmer Bank Half-marathon has got to be one of the best races in North America. It has it all. A great course that starts in the USA, crosses a bridge to Canada then comes back to the states through a tunnel under the Detroit River. Awesome views from the bridge and throughout the vibrant urban core of the Detroit. Fans lining the course. Live music at almost every mile. A heavy, custom designed medal. And much more.

I’ve run this race a number of times but it never get old. As we all start in the dark and wind through the streets on the way to the Ambassador Bridge each runner settles into their own pace. While crossing over the bridge many runners take out their phones and snap selfies of the sunrise. Running down Riverside Drive it seems as if every fan in Windsor Canada is ringing a cowbell while holding a sign cheering on a friend, family member or the entire field. The temperature and air in the tunnel under the river is always hot which makes the blast of cold air even more noticeable when we exit back into Detroit. The fans in Corktown and Mexican Village watch and wave from their front porches as the parade of runners snakes through their neighborhood on an early Sunday morning. Then it’s back downtown in the canyons of high-rise office buildings among crowds cheering us across the finishline.

And the race was even better this year as I set a personal record of 1:51:14 placing 35th out of 402 in my division.