Kim Kozlowski and Rod Beard / The Detroit News
Detroit - The 33rd annual Detroit Free Press Marathon Began This Morning With Nearly 20.000 Runners Participating in the World's only International Race.
The 26.2-mile run started under cool Temperatures early this morning at the Fort and Second in Detroit, with a route That crosses into Canada and back into downtown via the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit / Windsor Tunnel.
Jordan Desilets, 29, of Pinckney won the men's event with an unofficial time of two hours, 28 minutes, 27 seconds. Paul Keating, 44, of New Brunswick, Canada, won the women's event in an unofficial two hours, 52 minutes, 14 seconds, a personal best.
It was the first marathon for Desilets, WHO ran the Steeplechase at Eastern Michigan. His finish marked the slowest winning time in the history of the event.
Runners competed in Several Events, Including a 26.2-mile marathon, a 13.1-mile half marathon, a five-person relay, and a 5K Run / Walk.
About 2.300 ENTERED the 5K run, and the first-place finisher was August Pappas, a senior cross-country runner at Chelsea High School, WHO, finished in 15 minutes, 55 seconds.
"It felt great. I've never run before in Detroit. It was awesome - it's super-flat," Pappas said. "The weather was great. The wind was nice and cool. You Could see yourself in all the windows, so it's kind of cool."
Pappas, the WHO is considering going to college at Michigan, Colorado, Michigan State and Indiana, also Life has run in marathons with the cross-country team.
"As a tradition, on the state Meet Each year, on the Monday morning, we wake up at 3:00 and run a marathon before school," said Pappas, WHO, finished fourth in the state High School Meet. "So, I've run three of Those."
At the race's nine mile mark, "some participants were sleeveless and running shirtless. One man was evangelical running shoe-less. "Go Runners!" Spectators shouted. "Lookin 'good."
Royal Oak resident Carrie Orlando HAD finished running the 5K, and was watching for her husband, Jeff, the WHO was running his third to the Free Press Half Marathon. "It's just a fun event," said Orlando, 38 "It's great" when people CAN get out and rally around to Each Other. "
Race Organizers said the registered 19.700 runners in the events, with about 10.000 in the Half Marathon.
Participants in the marathon, half-marathon and 5K races primarily hail from Michigan. But also Life Athletes were coming from Japan, Ireland, Venezuela, France and Pakistan, said Brian Birney, Race Director.
This year's event follows last year's tragedy, "when collapsed and Three Men Died DURING the 13.1-mile half-marathon. Autopsies later showed That the deaths of Daniel Langdon, 36, Jonathan Fenlon, 26, and Rick Brown, 65, were linked to Heart Conditions.
Still, Officials say safety is first priority and Their They have added more Rovers along the course to watch for distressed runners and added a flag system along the route to indicate humidity levels.
HOWEVER the weather is warm EE Thurs Thurs 1961 degrees by early afternoon, According to Steve Considine, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township.
"It's going to be a Beautiful Day and a Beautiful Day for Detroit to see this amazing event," said Rich Harshbarger, executive race director.
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