Detroit Free Press Marathon named best marathon in the U.S. for second year a row

The Detroit Free Press Marathon returned after a two-year hiatus in Detroit, Mich. and Windsor, Ont. on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. (Melanie Borrelli/CTV News Windsor)

The Detroit Free Press Marathon, which has runners cross into Windsor as part of the route, has been named the best marathon in America for a second year in a row.

The Detroit Free Press Marathon was named the best marathon by the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, announced April 1.

Vice President and Race Director Aaron Velthoven says it’s a tremendous honour.

“To be the first race to win this award back-to-back is truly special. It speaks to what an amazing race we have here in Detroit and in Windsor, this great binational region that celebrates running,” he says.

The Detroit run beat out a field of 20 marathons, including the Chicago, Boston, and New York City marathons.

The 2025 marathon held the weekend of October 19 saw more than 26,000 runners from across the world, including 4,000 Canadians, cross over the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, moving down Riverside Drive before returning to Detroit through the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.

Velthoven says we have something unique here in Detroit and Windsor as one of the largest truly international marathons in the world.

“It’s such a unique course; it’s such a unique aspect of road racing across the world. It’s right here in our region where we get to showcase the great communities between Detroit and Windsor,” he says.

Velthoven says when they won the award last time, the 2025 race ended up selling out by March.

“Just this year when our registration opened on January 1, it took us about a week before it was sold out, and that was after adding capacity this year,” he says. “We’re going to be the largest race in our history, our 49-year history, this year with just about 30,000 participants. So, people are taking notice of what we have here.”

While all the Sunday races sold out, Velthoven says some shorter races on Saturday, such as the 5K and the Kids Marathon, still have some space.

The 2026 Detroit Free Press marathon is set for October 16-18.