Detroit Free Press Chemical Bank Half Marathon Expo
October 13, 2017
Detroit, Michigan
Have I ever mentioned how excited I get when it is finally EXPO day?!?!? A huge room filled with all things running is exactly where I want to be!!!
Luckily, the boys both go in the morning for school. Therefore, we were able to eat lunch and then hit the road North to Detroit from Cincinnati. I was pumped to hit up Detroit in October! We have spent some October days in Detroit for postseason baseball before. However, this trip was all for my sport!
As we crossed the bridge coming into the city, goosebumps ran down my arms. There it was, right in front of us; The Ambassador Bridge stretched across the water before our eyes. Such a beauty. I informed them, “I’m going to run across that bridge”!!! The boys were stoked to finally see the ‘tall buildings’.
We arrived at the COBO center before the end of the work day. As expected, there were runners everywhere. While we thought we had beat the rush, we still had to wait in line to enter the parking garage. I had not realized exactly how big of a race the Detroit Free Press Marathon was. I quickly learned.
The Detroit Free Press Chemical Bank Marathon celebrated it’s 40th year. It has become Michigan’s largest road race. Here’s to running number 40 at the age of 35.
The event reminded me a lot of The Flying Pig expos. It was very well organized. Packet pick-up was easy as can be. Because Ohio does not have an option for an enhanced driver’s license yet, I was required to show my passport to receive my race bib. There were a plethora of volunteers everywhere to answer questions and help runners get the information they needed.
After passing through the apparel section (yes, it got me for a shirt and tank top), I came up to the oversized race route. There were several races being run that weekend. I followed the dotted line for the international half marathon to see exactly where I was going to be running. Canada, I would see you in a couple days!
As we wound through the aisles, the boys picked up candy at every single booth that offered it. I checked out all of the new running gear and gadgets that were on display. I chatted with people from The Flying Pig half marathon, Queen Bee half marathon, Toledo half marathon (on my watch list), and other 5K/10K races in Michigan. We spun a wheel for a free jump rope, stress relieving strawberry balls, and sunglasses. C and I tried a new granola bar; we were not the biggest fans. The boys were handed a couple cowbells to use on race day. At the end, we watched the course preview as it took us through all 13.1 miles of the race.
My bucket list item of running across the Ambassador Bridge was less than 40 hours away! In the past, I had looked up to see if I could run across this bridge during one of my Detroit long runs (Tigers opening day = Flying Pig training). If you are wondering, you cannot. Unless you would like to get arrested, that is. This race was my ticket to another unbelievable experience!
With the weather forecast looking pretty unfavorable, it was no mistake that when I registered I had put my two main inspirations on my bib for this one. I was going to need every bit of mental help that I could get. Bib number 20443 was excited and ready for Half Marathon number eight!
Final thought: N was completely elated about his new green sunglasses! Thank you, Detroit Free Press Chemical Bank Half Marathon Expo, for making my kiddo’s day!
As for us, we headed 90 minutes northwest of Detroit for some Michigan family time until race morning. More about race day to come…
