The Detroit Free Press Chemical Bank Marathon could mean some headaches for drivers crossing the border Sunday morning.
The Ambassador Bridge will remain open during Sunday's race, although there will be lane restrictions between 5:45am and 9am. The Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will shut down at 6:45am and reopen to traffic at 10am.
Courtesy of the Detroit Free Press Chemical Bank Marathon.
The race will also shut down Riverside Dr. W between 5:45am and 10am, along with Goyeau St. between Riverside Dr. E and Park St.
An estimated 26,500 runners will take part in the 40th annual marathon, the only one in the world where runners cross the border twice. The only other international marathon is Niagara Falls International Marathon which is also taking place Sunday, October 15.
Executive Race Director, Barbara Bennage says registrations are up from last year but are slightly below what they were in 2015 when 26,700 runners signed up, which was a record for the marathon.
Bennage is not surprised the marathon has not since been able to match its record.
"There seemed to be a novelty run all the time," she says. "Those numbers have gone down. The marathon as a whole, 26.2 miles, it takes a lot of training to do that. Those numbers are down also. As our baby boomers are aging -- the millennials are not into the long-distance endurance races right now."
Runners enter the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Plaza during the Detroit Free Press Marathon, 2014. (Photo by Adelle Loiselle.)
On Saturday, there is the American Home Fitness 5K and the Meijer Kids Fun Run along the Detroit Riverwalk.
So far, the record time for the Boston Marathon qualifying race is held by Greg Meyer of Boston who ran the course in 2:13:07 in 1980. The record for a female athlete is held by Elena Orlova of Russia who finished with a time of 2:34:16.