I have run this race twice and both times I've had a great time. The race is very well organized…read moreand has a pretty cool expo before when you pick up your packet. I enjoy the atmosphere and the people because it has a very cool vibe all around. One cool thing is even though you have competitive runners to runners who just want to see if they can finish they are all friendly and supportive of each other. Also, what makes this event special is that you get to run across the Ambassador Bridge and into Canada where you once again get great support from the crowd, and then run through the Detroit/Windsor tunnel under the Detroit River back into Detroit where you once again get greeted by cheering crowds! One thing about this event is that it fills up fast so if you're planning on running in it sign up quickly because it will sell out. The promotion of the event says that it is voted the Best Marathon in the U.S., and having run a couple of half marathons I would agree. The other event that I would say has a close to this one's feel would be the Rock n Roll half marathon in D.C. where you get run by some of the monuments and it also has the same good vibes and fun atmosphere.

What great about the half or full marathon is definitely the fact you run in 2 different…read morecountries. I really enjoy the run on the bridge that connects Detroit to Winston. We got to see the sunrise during the run. The view on Winston side, we got to view the city of Detroit on the riverfront. There were signs everywhere for us to navigate either if you're doing a half marathon or the full marathon. The expedition the day before the race was very organized and we were able to find a lot of information on where to park, drop off and acceptable IDs that we need to carry for the run.

Motor City Half-Marathon (formerly U.S.-Only Half-Marathon) became my excuse to return to Detroit…read moreMichigan in the fall. Part of the Detroit Free Press Marathon which I have ran in the past as well as the International Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon. The Motor City Half-Marathon course runs only through Detroit rather than both Detroit and Windsor, Ontario Canada. It is the perfect option if you do not have a passport which is a requirement to have in order to run the Marathon or International Half-Marathon. For the health & fitness expo, we were required to pick up our bib number and t-shirt from Huntington Place, which is the 16th largest convention center in the United States. I never have the interest in staying long because I always just want to tour downtown Detroit sites like Monument to Joe Louis, and Philip A Hart Plaza. And besides, the expo was very congested, and I personally do not do well mingling within congested areas that involve maneuvering around individuals. But moreover, even with that, I did not once stand in any long lines due to how organized everything was. And for that, I thank the volunteers of Detroit Free Press Marathon very much! With the uncertainty of how my legs will perform, I had to dig down going into this run being that I ran the Chicago Marathon the previous weekend. I have been a runner long enough to know that as long as I am mentally strong, there is not anything that can break my spirit. The morning of the event, I had Victory (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes) stuck in my head which I honestly have not listened to in years. It was the perfect hype up song prior to me making my way to the starting line. I had the luxury of sleeping in due to the Motor City Half-Marathon starting at 10:30 AM; three hours after the start of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, and International Half-Marathon, so there was no excuse in getting 7 hours of sleep before the run. The run course, I must say, was relatively flat with only one slight incline on course. The only battle I dealt with mentally was telling myself to keep my pace underneath an 8-minute mile, even while feeling a slight pain in my left ankle and in my left hamstring which went away as I ran along the course. In those times, I eased my run pace and sort of glided because there were still miles ahead. I had to remind myself to be patient and take it mile by mile because I will eventually get to that finish line at some point. I cannot remember any portion of the course that did not have any spectators on it, even with there being a few events attached to the Detroit Free Press Marathon which were identifiable by the color of the bibs. Along the course, each mile was marked, and there were plentiful hydration stations featuring a combination of Gatorade followed by water; both were identifiable by cups given by volunteers. And the volunteers working those hydration stations were cheerful and supportive of all runners. It made my day to hear my runner nickname, "The Gazelle" being cheered at several points along the course by either spectators or volunteers. The cheers gave me a boost in energy as I acknowledged the person in the form of either raising my hands, throwing up the number one or peace sign, or even yelling "Yeah!". Highlights for me along the run course were running downtown Detroit, seeing Comerica Park (Home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) during the earlier portion of the run, and sights of MotorCity Casino Hotel which is such a beauty! Chit Chatting with a run couple around mile 6 took my mind off the run and was yet another thing that kept me on pace. The couple wore matching American flag shorts and off-and-on received cheers of "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" which I totally adored. It is things like that, that make the United States of America such a great place to be born in. As for the swag, the Detroit Free Press t-shirt was gray with the event name written on the left breast and Detroit 13.1 with 24 printed in the image of the Ambassador Bridge. I loved how the bib matched with my orange HOKA Clifton 3 run shoes, and cute donut print ChicknLegs running brand shorts that many could not take their eyes off of, tehehe. The finishers medal featured the Spirit of Detroit monument on it, with the Ambassador Bridge behind it. I am so grateful to add yet another finishers medal to my run medal collection, a collection that goes back to 2007 when I initially started running. With my inactive Garmin 305 GPS watch on my wrist, sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, and donut print run shorts by ChicknLegs on, I took on this half marathon.... and conquered it! Yes, I would surely run the Motor City Half-Marathon again because it is yet another excuse to revisit Detroit. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

Shamrocks and Shenanigans was raising money for a great cause and that's the only reason we decided…read moreto run/walk. The pickup on Saturday afternoon was very quick and organized. We were able to pickup our shirt and bib very quickly. The race on Sunday was a little disappointing. There was a decent size crowd trying to squeeze brought a small starting line. There was nobody with music or telling us the race was starting. The course was up and down hill and repeated itself at the end. There was supposed to be port a pots along the way and there was none. We only saw one water station. You still need to provide water even if it's cold. We were looking forward to the party at the end and that was disappointing too. There was no tent or heaters and everyone stood in line to get into the restaurant. The restaurant would not allow anyone in the front door after the race. We finished and walked to a nearby restaurant for food and drinks. I will look into other runs in the area before signing up for this one again.

A St. Patrick's Day 5k hosted by Running Fit (great running store) and starting and ending at Conor…read moreO'Neill's? What could be more fun? As it turns out, a lot of things. I found the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5k to have a relatively poorly planned course, and would hesitate to run it again. The course is 2 laps of a 1.55 mile loop through downtown Ann Arbor. This means that the faster runners are lapping the slower runners and walkers after the halfway point. And this creates congestion on the course. Ugh. The course also includes a hairpin turnaround on Main Street that adds additional congestion. Finally, even though race organizers stand at the triage point to direct first lappers to continue on and second lappers toward the finish, that last little bit of the course before the finish line gets confusing and jammed. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans t-shirts are in that rare group where they are so ugly and of such poor quality that I'd rather they hadn't bothered. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans would be a fun race to do with a group of friends before spending the afternoon at Conor's with a pint, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a serious running experience. This course probably isn't conducive to setting a PR. On the plus side, your money will go to a good cause (Mott Children's Hospital at U of Michigan).

My first 10k! And one of my favoritest races I've ever run…read more The course was awesome--it winds through the streets of Dearborn, through Henry Ford Community College, DOWN A HIGHWAY ON-RAMP (how bad-ass!), and through some beautiful wooded paths. There were definitely some slightly hilly portions, but nothing that I was going to let stop me. The race shirt was also awesome--an ugly-as-sin technical tee that's become one of my go-to running shirts. I have to admit I also fell for the goofy, poorly executed Martian theme. Random dudes in black suits a la Agent Smith would pace the edges of the course at points. Once, someone in a terrible $3 alien costume popped out of some bushes. The mile markers were Martian-themed. All in all, it was charmingly kitschy and delivered some laughs during the race. I'll be missing this race this year since I moved away from Michigan, but if I ever have a return visit that coincides, I'd happy run the Martian 10k again! (Pro tip: There's a 5k, half marathon, and full marathon course as well, so you can choose your poison based on your combined insanity and fitness level.)

I ran the 2011 version of this race yesterday. This is my second time for this race. I also ran…read morethe 2008 version. My wife, and her friend , ran the 1/2 marathon. We all had a good time. This is a good race series to get the cob webs off after a winter of being cooped up in a state of semi-inactivity. The course is relatively flat and fast (although no records were in danger of falling from our group yesterday). There were about 5000 people by my guesstimate participating. The martian theme is always fun. We all got a nice technical tee shirt. The expo was well done the day before. There was lots of running stuff and the expo seemed to be well attended both by patrons and vendors. The after race food and water was plentiful. There were more than enough portable toilets at the start/finish area. Now for some things that weren't so well done. This was our first time at this race location. We were unfamiliar with the area and relied on the website for guidance. It said there was plenty of parking at Ford Field (not the one downtown). We followed the directions only to find the road to the designated parking was blocked off. We had to do a U-turn (along with everybody else on the street) and find parking in downtown Dearborn. This proved to be several blocks away in a parking lot that we had to pay for. OK, it was only 50 cents/hour but still.... The announcers lost power at the start of the 10K. I just saw the masses moving forward and figured this must be it. The website advertised drink stations every two miles. This was not an exact science. The first one was shortly after the 1st mile. The next one was shortly after the 4th mile. My wife was disappointed that she didn't bring some water for herself. Bathrooms were supposed to be every 5 miles along the race course. They seemed to be further than this and some were closed. Still, even though it wasn't perfect, we all had a great experience. We'll be back again next year.

Had a blast at the Tough Mudder 5K this weekend. Very well run event and I am looking forward to…read morenext year. I highly recommend taking on this challenge.

Night nation run in Detroit happened last night at ford field. Lots of neon runners sprinting…read moreinside and out of the football field. Interesting experience running from start to the finish line. Dj's and selfie booth in strategic corners of the stadium. The biggest gathering and noise maker was at the finish line with the stage dj'ed by the likes of Chris schambacher. Runners danced to the tune of techno and remix music. The event was a success for a great cause (stand up against cancer). We hope to join this kind of fun-race-ing event next year!

i have mixed feelings about the heart of the hills race. while on the one hand this is a small,…read morecommunity race, i think that i still had higher expectations for it based on the fact that it is a certified race and course. the 10k course is beautiful and scenic passing the kirk in the hills church, various little lakes, and gorgeous homes. my sister walked the 5k and said that course was a little bit uninspiring. i found the on site registration and packet pick up pretty good, but i was surprised that as a pre-registered runner i received no race day information in advance. the race website is also pretty bare bones. **i strongly suggest that they add an elevation map since while it is the "heart of the hills" it was not really clear in advance how hilly the course was going to be.** and for the record, none of the hills is super intense, but there are quite a few of them. so definitely if you train on the typical flat michigan terrain it might be very challenging, luckily for me i have been training the climb from the sd harbor to balboa park. =) overall it was a really good tune up race in prep for my half, but i don't know if i'll rush back to run it again. but, as my first 10k i get to now say: 10K PR: 57:14 (although that's another thing--the start line was not all that coordinated so i think that technically i could shave some seconds off of that).

Why not run 1.091 loops around a community park for 24 hours and see how far you can go near…read moreToledo, Ohio? That's what I did on September 1, 2019. It was the 2nd time I was in Ohio for these crazy endurance running events. First time was In Cincinnati for the Flying Pig marathon in 2014. I was back again. This time at the Orlander 24 hr ultra event in Sylvania. The venue is at the Orlander Community Park, named after the Sylvania Township Park District commissioner in 1962. This event is a low key affair where many of the competitors are generally veterans to the ultra scene. Some of us are first timers to the event or ultra distances in general. I was a first timer to the event itself. I found this race on the website runningintheusa.com, the master website that houses the largest race directory online. It was held on Labor Day weekend, which made it perfect for me to fly in and out for the race. Race registration happens mostly online leading up to the race, but they have race weekend registration too at packet pick up, assuming they're not full up. There was no fancy expo to pick up your packet. Just show up on race morning about an hour or so before the official start and grab your packet, do what you need to do to get race ready, and you're off clicking off those miles. That was the skinny of race morning. 24 hours of running, walking, and do what you gotta do to get in your desired race goals or BQ time. The overall experience here at the 2019 Orlander 24 hour ultra event was enjoyable, scenic, friendly, and sociable, although a bout of acute gout had forced me to quit just after making 27.75 miles. It was still good for the marathon distance, but I wanted at least 50km. Unfortunately for me, the inflammation was too great for me to suck it up and go onwards. I got Ohio for my 2nd time 50 states marathons quest here, but the gout flare up had to be dealt with. Orlander Park was the perfect venue for the race and they have on course bathrooms just in case you need them. The Nederhouser Community Hall on the eastern part of the course provided the packet pick up and meals that were served on scheduled times. The race start and finish timing station was next to the Community Hall as well. The laps were done on a flat paved road that circled the interior of the park. It made great scenic views of the lake. It was nice to see the ducks having fun and splashing around while we humans did our running walking thing. The race staff here is friendly and very encouraging. Too bad that my gout episode had to flare up at that moment. Lesson learned not to down so much soda and not chase it down with water. We were told to park next to the Tam-O-Shanter parking area outside the park across the street. For the most part though, the experience here at the Orlander 24 hour ultra event was awesome and was glad to book the trip to knock off Ohio for my 50 states marathon quest - 2nd round. This was state 22 and plenty more to go. I felt like the registration prices were rather on the cheaper side for a 24 hour race. Best bet would be to register early to get those lower prices before procrastinating, when you know you're going to do it. The ambiance of race day was electric even though there wasn't screaming crowds of people like they have in Chicago or New York City. It was nice to have family members of participants cheering us racers along regardless of pace. I met a 67 year old lady who was doing her first 50 miler and that was totally inspiring. I haven't reach that milestone yet but trying to in the next 5 years, hopefully sooner. Endurance races like Orlander 24 hour ultra teaches us that the human spirit can go as far as you want it to. Just got to train your body and believe you can do such amazing things. Sky's the limit! If you are someone who wants to dabble in the ultra marathon world, this event In sylvania, Ohio is the one to do it. If you are a 50 state marathon club or half marathon club member who needs Ohio, consider running this race. Whether it's your first marathon or running your first 100 miler, this flat course would help you get there. You got this! 5.0 stars for the overall experience. 5.0 stars for the race day ambiance. 5.0 stars for having restroom facilities! If you race often, you know what I am talking about! 4.5 stars for the finisher medal. Run More! Support local! A++

I signed up for this event for the expensive price of $420 for myself and my nieces. A week after…read moreregistering, Tough Mudder changed the date of the event to a different week and refuses to offer a refund. My only option is to transfer the registration to next year, on a date and location that hasn't even been decided yet. The smug customer support manager, Mitchell Kenigsberg, signed off his smug email "See you in the mud!"

I signed myself up and a couple of my friends. I was overcharged due to my son being in the…read moreMarines. With constant back and forth (via email) with one of Tough Mudders associates I was finally told that my discount was being processed and a refund of $75.00 was being issued. I received a email and all with the totals and how much was going to be refunded in my account. I have yet to see the refund hit my account after participating in the event months ago. I continue to email and has yet to get a respond. Very bad business and I am recommending that all of my friends don't participate in this event until they get this right.