Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon or Detroit Free Press Marathon — which comes out ahead?

Detroit Free Press Marathon has the stronger available profile on scenery score.

Route comparison snapshot

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Not held

Detroit Free Press Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Not held
Head-to-head comparison
MetricDetroit Free Press Marathon Half MarathonDetroit Free Press Marathon
Scenic score77/10099/100
Conditions76/10076/100

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Same-distance comparisons are most meaningful; cross-distance metrics are contextual.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactDetroit Free Press Marathon Half MarathonDetroit Free Press Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

LocationDetroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Actual distance21.1 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldNot heldNot held
Course typeUnavailablePoint To Point
SurfaceUnavailableRoad
Elevation characterUnavailableFlat
TerrainRoadRoad
SceneryCity, Riverside, Waterfront, Historic, Parkland, IslandCity, Waterfront, Riverside, Historic, Parkland, Island
AtmosphereBig City, Destination, Scenic TourBig City, Destination, Scenic Tour
TechnicalityUnavailableNon Technical
Total ascentUnavailable118 m
Total descentUnavailable121 m
Net elevationUnavailable-3 m
Cutoff4:45:006:30:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

Detroit Free Press Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Detroit, Michigan

Actual distance

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km
Detroit Free Press Marathon
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Not held
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Not held

Course type

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Point To Point

Surface

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Road

Elevation character

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Flat

Terrain

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Road
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Road

Scenery

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
City, Riverside, Waterfront, Historic, Parkland, Island
Detroit Free Press Marathon
City, Waterfront, Riverside, Historic, Parkland, Island

Atmosphere

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Big City, Destination, Scenic Tour
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Big City, Destination, Scenic Tour

Technicality

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Non Technical

Total ascent

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
118 m

Total descent

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
121 m

Net elevation

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Detroit Free Press Marathon
-3 m

Cutoff

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
4:45:00
Detroit Free Press Marathon
6:30:00

Entry model

Detroit Free Press Marathon Half Marathon
Open
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Open

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

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