Detroit marathon participation now back to pre-pandemic levels
Runners set off from downtown Detroit on Sunday morning in numbers not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic during the 46th annual Free Press Marathon presented by MSU Federal Credit Union.
Nearly 24,000 people registered for the full weekend of races and challenges, which was back to typical pre-pandemic participation levels. Last year, by comparison, had about 19,000 participants and there were just under 13,000 in 2021. (The 2020 live races were canceled.)
While participants in Saturday's 5K and 1-mile run dealt with rainy weather, conditions on Sunday were dry and slightly chilly with some wind. Temperatures climbed into the low- and mid-50s by late morning as the sky turned from overcast to sunny.
This year was the second year of the marathon's redesigned course, which still loops through Canada but now passes through more Detroit neighborhoods in lieu of cold and windy Belle Isle. The races also now finish in downtown just south of Campus Martius, rather than on Fort Street near the start.
WHAT WAS YOUR TIME? Results from all of Sunday's races
There were no reports Sunday of major medical incidents during the races.
“We had a really great race day," said Free Press Marathon vice president and race director Aaron Velthoven. "We certainly had some winds on the course today, but nothing too significant, and the rain stayed away and the sun came out.
"So we couldn't have asked for better weather — based on what we were getting forecasted."
The winner of the marathon was Mitch Klinger, 31, of Jackson, who completed the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 51 seconds. The top women's finisher was Kate Landau, 47, of Tacoma, Washington, who ran 2:50:06.
Marathon finishers included Ann Arbor resident Ian McGinn, 29, an automotive engineer and onetime Hartland High School track star, who spent much of January in the hospital after a skiing accident left him with 16 facial fractures and in need of multiple surgeries.
He returned to the hospital in February, this time for gastrointestinal bleeding resulting from NSAID pain medications he had been prescribed. McGinn said he spent about four days in the intensive care unit.
Recovery was slow at first, but by spring McGinn was back to light exercise and jogging. In April, he set a goal to run his first marathon before the end of the year.
And that is what McGinn achieved Sunday, finishing in 31st place with a time of 2 hours and 48 minutes.
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Watching along the marathon route were his parents and fiancée.
“I just wanted to celebrate my own health, and then my friends and family and partner who all helped lead me back to health," McGinn said, shortly after crossing the finish line. "This is as much for them as it is for me.”
McGinn set school records in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters during his time at Hartland, although before his marathon preparations, he hadn't seriously trained since graduating from college.
He reported feeling no pain from his skiing injuries during Sunday's race, but said the last miles of the marathon were tough.
22nd in a row
Finishing in a little more than four hours, Lisa Harper, 58, of Farwell, Michigan, in Clare County, completed her 22nd Detroit marathon in a row on Sunday — and her 23rd in total.
A member of the Marathon Mission training team, Harper said she has come to really enjoy the marathon's new course that debuted last year.
"I really don’t miss not going on Belle Isle," she said. "I love all the new things they did with the route. Frankly, I want to go back and drive the route and see all of these lovely neighborhoods.”
One notable finisher in this year's International Half-Marathon was Brandon Peeler, of Commerce Township.
Six years ago, he weighed 300 pounds. All that extra weight just seemed to sneak up on him.
"It was the lack of exercise and just not eating well. I like ranch (dressing), McDonald's — all of that kind of stuff," he said. "At that time, my kids were really little and I was just looking at pictures and was like, ‘Man, I've got to do something.' "
After cutting out junk foods, late night Taco Bell runs and starting a five- to six-day per week exercise routine, Peeler, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall, dropped about 100 pounds.
However, he has since began to focus on gaining muscle as well as cardio fitness and now feels healthy and strong at his current 215 pounds.
He set a personal best in Sunday's half-marathon, finishing in 1 hour and 53 minutes. He may be back next year for the full marathon.
Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit marathon participation now back to pre-pandemic levels
