pickupthepacepaul

On 15 October 2023, I took part in the Detroit Marathon. Just a week after Chicago Marathon, this was my 10th US State I have finished a marathon in. Running 2 marathons in 2 States over the course of 2 weekends is pretty special. Travelling back and forth between USA and the UK was pretty tough on the body, and I picked up a bit of a cold and cough from Chicago, but it meant I had minimal amount of time away from home, my family and work. Detroit Marathon was my 142nd marathon (plus), and my 27th marathon of 2023. It was my 105th time as a pacer, 43 times for the marathon distance.

I arrived on Friday evening and was a bit late to get to the expo. So, I chilled out in my hotel and got some food in a local brewery. I then made my way early for the Detroit 5k so I could collect my bib and enjoy a nice shake out run before the marathon. I had plenty of time for breakfast and coffee nearby whilst I waited for race start. It was wet and cold, so I wasn’t interested in hanging around. I had a nice steady 5k, running around 24 minutes to wake my legs up. On my way back to go to the expo, it was so interesting to see Canada just the other side of the water.

It was great to see Paul with his littlest one, still rocking the expo. I hung around for most of the day, helping out, chatting to runners, and mostly eating.

Later, after our briefing, I made my way to Olive Garden with Bill, and it was certainly a treat. I have never been to one before, but it was perfect for carb loading.

We then tried getting an early night, but first, I wanted to lay out my kit and get myself prepared. I was wearing my Boston 12, which has been a bit of a favourite for me, striking a good balance between a race day shoe but with more durability. This was my 4th marathon in these shoes, and they are still going strong.

Detroit Marathon 2023

It was an early start for us with a 7am start for the Detroit Marathon. We set our alarm for 4am to get up and sorted before making our way to the pre race meet. It was fantastic to see everyone.

I was pacing 4:10, which was a little slower than I normally pace, but I had a fantastic group of runners with me. We started with both the International marathon and the International half marathon. In addition, all first-time marathoners had a different colour bib, which I thought was a nice touch. I had so many first-time marathoners with me, and it was great to talk with, encourage, and motivate at the start. I learned a lot about everyone around me, and one first time Marathoner, Autumn, was diagnosed with Cancer last year, and not only has she managed to fight it, she decided to sign up for her first marathon (spoiler, she stayed with me until the end when she pushed on and got under her target time).

Detroit truly is an International marathon, like none I have ever run before. You start in Detroit USA, then run over Ambassador Bridge, crossing through customs. You then do about 6 miles in Canada before running through a long tunnel back to the USA and crossing through customs again. It is therefore necessary to have your passport with you. In reality, not many people get stopped, as there are a lot of checks on picking up your bib. But, if you have your bib covered or are carrying a bag or something, you absolutely would get stopped. It was also strange in the expo, I apparently had a random check, so when I went to collect my bib, I had to go to US customs to do a passport check before being given my bib.

Crossing over Ambassador Bridge was incredible. I didn’t get any pictures as my phone and passport were safely away together and I didn’t want to risk losing my passport. It’s a long bridge and the only real elevation of the whole route. Canada was lovely, and it was my first time in Canada, even if it was brief.

When we exited Canada through the tunnel, it got very hot towards the end. It was a great experience, but I was ready to get out and needed to encourage a few around me. The breeze as we got out the tunnel was bliss. At this point, we were at mile 8, and we carried on until mile 11 before the international half marathon turned off. There was a domestic half marathon with a different route just in America, which started later, so some runners completed both halfs.

Water stations were frequent, almost every mile. They were friendly and mostly well organised. It was not as on point as some of the larger Majors, but there was plenty of water and gatorade. Cliff also gave out shot bloks, which was great.

After the half marathon runners left us, it was a bit quieter, but I still had a large group of at least 20 runners. Some ran ahead, and I picked up plenty more on the way. There were some great local areas with people cheering, which gave me a feeling of the local support in Boston. There were some quiet areas, but it was pretty flat and a straightforward course. Each mile, I let people know how we were doing, and from around mile 5, I maintained a 20-second buffer, keeping a consistent pace. We ran at least an extra 1/3 of a mile, so this needed some navigation. Also, the mile markers were mostly accurate, but some I had my doubts.

As we approached mile 25, I encouraged most of my runners ahead, so I saw around 40 people at this stage run passed me on to smash their times. I was on for about 15 seconds under target time, but there was no mile 26, and I couldn’t see the finish, which made me nervous. So I decided to speed up to make sure I could hit target, and came in at 4:09:27.

When I finished, there were a number of runners waiting to tell me how they did. It was so great to see so many happy, smiling faces.

I saw Autumn with her family, and she called me back for a picture and to thank me. She mentioked how I got her throigh the tunnel, and she thought she wouldn’thave done it without me. The truth is, running a marathon is all about confidence in yourself. Running with a pacer helps you to believe in yourself and dig a bit deeper. I am so proud of all my first-time marathoners.

It was a great atmosphere, running with like-minded people. I really enjoyed the day and would recommend it as a race to experience.