2026 Detroit Free Press Marathon

Name: 2026 Detroit Free Press Marathon
Start: 2026-10-18
End: 2026-10-18
Location: Detroit, United States

42KCombo

BonusesScenic

Oct 18, 2026 · 1 day🇺🇸 Detroit, United States

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Key FactsSold out

Standouts

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The only U.S. marathon to cross into Canada — over the Ambassador Bridge to Windsor, back through the Underwater Mile. Oct 18, 2026, passport required.

Why attend here

Run where the U.S. meets Canada, crossing the Ambassador Bridge and the underwater tunnel before looping back through Detroit's vibrant neighborhoods. In mid-October, the city's crisp autumn air and changing leaves make for ideal running conditions, and you can warm up afterward with a coney dog at Lafayette or American Coney Island, or explore the Eastern Market's seasonal harvest offerings.

Distance from you

From Columbus, US to Detroit, US

~0.3h · 264 km

Detroit

combo

typical Oct weather · 2025

17 Fri

16°7°

0mm2.6 m/s

23 Thu

11°6°

2.6mm7 m/s

ComboPart of a combo trip

55th Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting + Hyrox & 19 RacesOct 8 – Oct 25Montreal +19 sports

Event Details

Elevation

118m

Course

The headline is the border: the Detroit Free Press Marathon is the only U.S. marathon that crosses an international boundary, sending runners over the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, Ontario, Canada around mile 3, then back to Detroit through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel — the world's only official underwater international mile, the famous 'Underwater Mile' beneath the Detroit River. The route is otherwise mostly flat and fast: about +388 ft (118 m) of total climbing against -397 ft of descent, the gain concentrated in the one-mile bridge ascent and the half-mile climb out of the tunnel. After the international section the course tours Woodbridge, the District Detroit, Eastern Market and the Dequindre Cut before finishing at Campus Martius downtown.