Detroit Free Press Marathon, live.

Over the Ambassador Bridge and back through the tunnel

The Detroit Free Press Marathon crosses into Canada over the Ambassador Bridge and returns through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, on a race weekend from 15 to 17 October 2027.

It all started in 1978, when Neal Shine, then managing editor of the Detroit Free Press, came back from the Falmouth Road Race convinced that Detroit deserved a marathon of its own. More than four decades later it is Michigan's largest road race, and the 2027 weekend runs from 15 to 17 October.

The organisers describe the marathon as the only international marathon in North America. Participants cross into Canada over the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise and return to the United States through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Back in Detroit the course passes historic Woodbridge, the District Detroit, Eastern Market and the Dequindre Cut before finishing at the foot of Campus Martius. In 2026 the Sunday races started on Fort Street between the Lodge Service Drive and 3rd Avenue, and the marathon had a 6.5 hour limit. A valid travel document is required for the border crossing.

The International Half-Marathon also crosses the bridge and comes back through the tunnel before heading through Downtown and Midtown. The Motor City Half-Marathon stays in the United States, touring downtown, Midtown, Woodbridge, Eastern Market and Lafayette Park to Campus Martius Park. A marathon relay for teams of two to five covers the full distance in five legs of 2.5 to 9 miles, and the weekend also has a 5K, a mile, a Kids Marathon and the Little Detroit Dash.

The weekend is built for everyone, from seasoned marathoners to first timers and families. In the organiser's words, whether you are racing hard, running for fun or cheering from the sidelines, you are part of it. Gear check is near the finish line on Monroe, just north of Campus Martius.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the Detroit Free Press Marathon.