Detroit Free Press 5K race report

I've done the Free Press marathon four times and the international half once, but I hadn't yet done the 5K. Yesterday was the first time my husband and I got up early(ish) on a Saturday, not marathon Sunday, and headed to the river for a super fun morning.

Race start was 9 a.m. which means I got to get up at a not-ridiculous 6:15 a.m. with plenty of time to take the mutts out, have a small breakfast, make sure we had all of our gear, etc. We didn't leave until close to 8 a.m., which was WAY too late for my peace of mind, but we're only a few miles from the race start so it ended up being OK. I almost blew a gasket when I realized the parking lot filled up only about a dozen cars before we got there, but we were directed into another lot that was actually more convenient. All was well.

We gathered our stuff and headed to the race start, a park on the riverfront. It was low 60s, gray and a bit drizzly, but we were perfectly dressed in capris (me) or shorts (my husband), t-shirts, and hats to shield our faces from any raindrops. We had time to walk around and people watch for a bit before we lined up near the back of the "runner" wave. The DJ was spinning some awesome old-school tunes, so I sang along to Technotronic and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

Before long, we were off! The first leg of the race was north to an east-west corridor, which was completely blocked off for us. It was a decent incline and some of the road was a bit rough, but we were careful to watch where we were going. That first long stretch northeast wasn't very scenic, but people were out cheering for us and the energy was high for the start of the race.

We had some nice park and river views after the first long stretch.

The jog to the Riverwalk was a bit tricky, and the path wasn't as wide, but the race had thinned out by then anyway. We got a few sprinkles here and there, but otherwise it was pretty nice running weather. We managed a steady pace and even descended our miles, which was good to see! Before long, we heard the finish line music and kicked it in to the finish. We grabbed some water and snacks, walked around a bit and took some pics, and headed out.

Swag at this race was top-notch. For a 5K, I was expecting a cotton shirt. Not only did we get a sweet long-sleeved tech tee with an awesome logo on the back, based off the City of Detroit flag, but we got a cool 40th-anniversary buff to wear as a headband, gaiter, etc. I have several buffs and they are handy to have, especially in the winter. AND we got a finisher's medal.

Close up of front and back race tee, finisher's medal, and buff.

My dog wanted to be in the pic too, lol. She did not run the race.

It was a great race and great morning with awesome amenities, toys, swag, and views. I'd definitely do this one again! Even if you're doing the full marathon, this would be a decent shakeout run next year. It was an awesome way to participate in race weekend without training for long distance.

I hope everyone who raced this morning did great!