Detroit Free Press Marathon
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Detroit Free Press Marathon, Oct. 16 to 18, 2026
The Detroit Free Press Marathon, presented by MSUFCU, is organized as a multi-day running weekend in Detroit. The program includes full and partial marathon events, shorter distance races, an expo, family activities, and related race services.
The event weekend features these race distances and formats:
- Marathon
- International Half-Marathon
- Motor City Half-Marathon
- Marathon Relay
- 5K
- 1-Mile
- Kids Marathon
The Kia Health & Fitness Expo takes place on Friday and Saturday. Saturday programming includes family-focused activities such as the 1-Mile, 5K, Kids Marathon, and the Meijer Little Detroit Dash. Sunday hosts the marathon, half-marathons, marathon relay, an Adaptive Athletes Division, and the Kia Conquered Afterparty.
The Detroit Challenge Series offers three combinations of events: The Temptation pairs the 1-Mile and 5K; The Wonder combines the 1-Mile, 5K, International Half-Marathon, and Motor City Half-Marathon; The Supreme combines the 1-Mile, 5K, and Marathon.
Support and logistics information available for the weekend includes official merchandise (for example jackets and winter caps), a partner hotel booking portal, volunteer opportunities, course maps (the 2025 course map is shown, and the 2026 course map is noted as coming soon), a downloadable marathon course map PDF, and a marathon app. Sponsors listed include Detroit Free Press, MSUFCU, and Kia. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
