Packet pick-up was a hassle - certain bib numbers were pulled for random screening by customs. This would have been fine if the lines were clearly labeled. After waiting 40 minutes in one line, the custom officer wouldn't give me my number and made me go to another line. At the end of this, my passport was not even looked at!

The course was nice. The hills at mile 24 and 26 were not nice, but overall, there was good crowd support and they had good fluid stations.

No complaints about the race at all. The organization is very well done. The expo is nice and the course is unique. There were a lot of fans on the course, but the cold temperatures must have gotten to them. They were extremely calm and quiet. There was not much music on the course to pump up the crowd, which in turn could have pumped up the runners. I felt like an animal in the zoo - people just stared at you as you ran by.

On a completely separate note, the Detroit Police Department and the city should be ashamed over the traffic situation after the race. It took 60 minutes to get out of downtown. Between construction, one-way streets and blockages for the race, there was nowhere to go. We were forced to make three laps of the same six blocks. There were plenty of police officers around (we counted six on one corner), but when you asked them for help, they just waved you by and told you there was nothing they could do. Pretty ridiculous.

Detroit should definitely be on everyone's radar for a fall marathon. The race organizers do an excellent job of orchestrating a flawless event.

No cutting corners at this venue. Marathoners get a technical long-sleeve shirt, distinct from the one given to those running the half. The finisher's medals are also distinct. Most marathons that also have half-marathons give the same shirt and medals to all runners (saving money).

The volunteers were amazing and the water/Gatorade stations were in abundance and well organized: Water first and Gatorade second.

Most downtown hotels are within walking distance of the start/finish. NO shuttles or hassles to deal with in the morning.

Although somewhat challenging, the course is really nice. Nice touch running to/from Canada... and the underwater mile was a blast.

In short, I can't find any faults. Very impressed....

This international marathon is one of a kind!

Two for the price of one. Not many long distance runners and walkers in the world are legally provided the opportunity to run within two countries in the same marathon. As a mother of four, I have had the pleasure of running this race eight times; such an international experience with the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon is certainly worth your while, too.

What keeps me coming back? Well, it doesn't hurt that my home town is Detroit, Michigan. I grew up appreciating the diversity of its venues and the hard work of its citizens. As a little girl I remember driving with my family across the friendly American/Canadian border via both the monumental Ambassador Bridge and the fascinating tunnel. I thought it was so cool that we had a choice as to which method (bridge or tunnel) we wanted to use to travel to Canada and back. Now that's what I call international relations!

I also remember as an adolescent trying to hold my breath while we drove that one mile stretch of the tunnel "under the water" (Detroit River). Who would have thought that a few decades later I'd have the chance to run the bridge/tunnel route... not just drive it? (Side note: Now I definitely breathe in the tunnel!)

During my marathons in Detroit I always appreciate the vistas from the Ambassador Bridge. My head turns more than it should as my fellow runners and I reach the crest. Gazing to my left and my right, I observe the water glistening along the stately Detroit/Windsor skylines and occasional boats cruising in the distance. Moreover, at the border crossings I love to hear the motivating music and lively race announcers welcome me to Canada... and welcome me home.

Next to the finish line, the most anticipated destination of my 26.2-mile journey on foot is consistently (and predictably) the tunnel exit and coinciding return to the USA. With about a quarter-mile to go in the pitter-pattering, rolling tunnel, I begin to hear the jamming music and enthusiastic spectators near Jefferson Avenue and the Renaissance Center. What are they doing? They are roaring with thunderous applause. Applause? For who? For me? It's not that I'm anybody super special. It's just that on that October day in Detroit, we are all part of an uplifting sea of humanity - where any pre-existing barriers of color, gender, nationality, language, religion, creed, age, status, abilities and even political persuasion, are just absent.

So what's left? Passionate walkers and runners, spectators, sponsors, donors and volunteers... are all cheering each other on for tackling worthy goals and life-fulfilling causes. Many of us run or walk for a reason beyond ourselves. (In my case, that's with the Marathon Mission Team.) With fortitude and gratefulness we mobilize our minds and muscles from patriotic shore to shining shore.

I am so proud to be a part of this fine Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. I don't expect perfection; however, I do expect exceptional quality with the course, organization and spectators in Detroit. Great expectations. I do have those. Detroit has delivered for me every time. Indeed, this annual, international marathon in the refreshing autumn air is one of a kind, and I intend to roam its roadways with gratitude for decades to come.

If I were one of the Detroit 2008 organizers, I would hang my head in shame. For weeks prior to this race, all we locals heard was the bloviating organizers patting themselves on the back for the "record" sign up. Huge numbers of participants = huge amounts of money. It's a record number field! Record turnout! What they neglected to do during their self-congratulations was actually organize the race. The course was ok, similar to other years. Some things were added, some removed. The run through Greektown was removed, which was disappointing. The run through the new River Walk was added, and that was great - so pretty and clean, pedestrian-only, with beautiful views and meandering turns. It was one of the best parts of the whole race. The views over the bridge were captivating, as always. We sure had a lot of time to soak that view in since the field came to a complete stop several times. It seems that spending so much time patting yourself on the back for the fine job you did rounding up paying participants leaves you unable to open more than ONE LANE for 18,000 people. That's right - that many people had to funnel through ONE LANE to get onto the bridge. And that isn't even one traffic lane! That is one pedestrian lane. At one point only 4 runners could fit abreast. FOUR!

The brilliant idea to start the walkers with the marathoners compounded the problem profoundly. Several "race walkers" started out very fast to break away from their pack. Their strategy was to get themselves ahead and get some elbow room before settling into their much slower pace. Their much slower pace started on the approach to the bridge and on the bridge itself. This is also, coincidentally, where the course narrows significantly. So now you have a bunch of 50-year-old women settling into their walking pace uphill on only one lane of space. While this is happening, thousands of marathon runners from the further back corrals are now logjammed behind these women. And there are hundreds of these women. As a negative split runner trying to run a conservative race, I was stuck at a standstill several times approaching and on this bridge. Imagine my flash of anger when I finally got past the largest group and found them to be walkers. Walkers should never NEVER be allowed in front of runners in a marathon. NEVER! Once you lose several minutes of time standing in one spot during a race, it is really easy to lose your focus. I was so anxiety ridden about the lost time, pace problems, etc. that I ended up running too fast for the rest of the race, trying to make up for lost time. Yes, that was my decision (and a poor one at that), but this scenario should never have occurred. I ended up flaming out with 6 more miles to go, too tired from running too fast, and finished 12 minutes slower than my goal time.

Once I did finally make it past the finish line, some kid dragging the medals on the ground mumbled something to me like, "Here" and tossed a medal to me. Hey, thanks; I feel great about myself now. I thought after that maybe I could at least drown my sorrows in cool water and salt bagels, but no! I got a wrinkled up brown sack with the world's oldest and driest whole grain bagel, a green banana, and some chips that were so oily they could have passed for chip soup. The volunteers then corralled me out of the fenced-in parking lot - oops, I mean "family area" - and then wouldn't let me back in to get a Gatorade. I trained for 4 months to be treated that way!

There were some positive notes to this race too. As I previously mentioned, the River Walk area was nice to run through. The bridge is normally nice, and the tunnel is ok too. Garmins don't work inside the tunnel but they catch up within a minute of exiting the tunnel. The tunnel does get stuffy, so exiting was refreshing with the gusty, cool Detroit River air in your face. All of the fluid station volunteers on the course were great. Lots of eye contact and smiles. Very few volunteers hold the cup by the rim, which I like. It's kind of gross to put your mouth on the cup where someone's fingers were. Water and Gatorade were clearly distinguished and uniformly found at each fluid station. The spectators are numerous in the first half but not terribly supportive. The last 3-4 miles also have numerous spectators but these people are very encouraging, even sometimes reading your name off your bib to encourage you personally. Nice touch. Most of the runners are friendly and positive once you pass the 13 mile-mark and the half-marathoners are weeded out. I did not experience the shirt problems others did at the expo but I wear a small/extra small and that might be why.

Overall, this race is just so-so. It's convenient if you live here and some parts of the course are really cool. The race coordinators need to start looking at it from a runner's perspective, though, instead of a money-making business venture. Sure, you can make lots more money by cramming thousands more people than you should into it, but does that really benefit you in the end if it alienates the very people you are trying to connect with? I had such a crappy experience that I decided to run the Disney Marathon just 12 weeks later. That race also has a very crammed course, but something tells me they'll handle it better there.

The Detroit International Marathon was a draw for me because of its unique route. It's a cool course that starts in downtown Detroit, travels over the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, returns to the US and downtown Detroit via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and winds its way into the suburbs via Belle Isle into the Indian Village neighborhood and back to downtown for the finish.

It's a fast course, since the only significant elevation gains were going over the bridge into Ontario and leaving the tunnel as you head back into Michigan. There are plenty of interesting urban sights as well as some great natural scenery and beautiful neighborhoods along the way. Plenty of spectators, pace runners, frequent water and gel stations and enthusiastic supporters made the trip that much easier.

I found the residents of the city were very friendly and supportive even before the race. My wife was my support crew and she was able to walk to see me at four different locations downtown during the race. The most convenient hotels to stay - just blocks from the start/finish - were the Holiday Inn Express, where we stayed (the staff bent over backwards to support the many runners staying there), and the Westin. It was a challenge finding an Italian restaurant downtown in walking distance the night before the race, so I'd recommend the marathon-sponsored pasta feed.

There was some congestion during the route around the Ambassador Bridge due to improvement construction, but it only lasts for a short distance and the bridge is a great feature.

The weather for the race was perfect and my wife and I really had an enjoyable experience.

I have run this race three times; once was the half and the other two times were the full. When I ran the half (2006), there was a lot of wind sweeping through the city, which was tough for a beginner. The two times that I ran the full (2007 and 2008), the weather was great. This race is organized nicely and has a lot of participants. The expo is a good chance to buy that box of GU or get new gear. This past year, I felt that it was tough to get into the starting corral, but being a skinny runner, I was able to slip through the fences. The medal is nice and big. People complained about a logjam on the bridge, but at my pace (07:15) the course was pretty clear. The bridge isn't that tough, nor is the tunnel, but Belle Isle can be windy. My experiences during this race are all positive.

This is my second Detroit Marathon. The course has changed for the better. I enjoyed the addition of the run along the riverfront.

Pros:
1. Expo was well run.
2. Nice course. Scenic and challenging. Unique - running underwater, the bridge, etc.
3. Nice shirt and medal.
4. Nice finish area. Easy to find family.
5. More than sufficient aid stations. Well organized and good selection of drink and food.
6. The music throughout the course is great.
7. Fan support was better this year. The more popular the race, the more fans who will show up.

Cons:
1. Needs better food selection at the end of the race. Disappointing compared to other races.

A wonderful course! Starting in the heart of downtown Detroit you have a great sunrise view of Detroit from the Ambassador Bridge as you cross over into Canada (the top of the bridge is the 4M mark). Crossing back into Detroit you run a mile underwater through a two lane-wide tunnel - and official results post your underwater mile time. While the second half of the race is not as scenic - with exception of Bell Isle Park - the crowds are supportive and enthusiastic. Only complaint was the congestion near start where it was hard to get to respective starting coral. I will run this one again.

After running the Detroit Half-Marathon twice, I decided to run my 1st full marathon here because I was familiar with the course. Runners are great people! The encouragement we give each other makes the experience enjoyable. A big hello to "Grandpa John," who runs for children with neuroblastoma, the couple from W. Lafayette and all of the other runners who ran with me. A special thanks to Eric from Port Huron, MI. We ran the last 10 miles together, and without him, I would have walked the last 2 miles. My overall impression of this race is good, but the race can be improved.

Pros:
Nice size race.
Beautiful scenery (Belle Island, Detroit, Windsor, Ambassador Bridge).
Great music (live bands doing Motown hits).
Excellent volunteers for the timely water/Gatorade stations.

Cons:
Expo at Cobo (no added value).
Parking on Saturday and Sunday (costly).
Shirts (out of all sizes except small).
Start: Confusing. Unable to break through crowd to get to the marathon start.
Course: Congestion caused us to stop running twice.
Finish: Family meeting area was poorly marked. Goody bag was poor.
Chip timer: did not work. I did make the official list of finishers.