Putting aside my feelings about the weather that day (snow flurries- after the hot summer/fall the Midwest had I was not mentally or physically prepared for cold weather running), and the fact that I hit the wall pretty hard, the Detroit Free Press Marathon was just an average race.

Pros:
- Running into Canada, it's unique
- Long sleeve tech shirt
- Expo: While it was small, there was a variety of vendors. One had a fun photo booth with a free print off of your goofy pictures. They set it up so you had to weave through the whole thing- while some people hate this I liked getting to see all the vendors.

Con:
- Sparse fans outside of downtown Detroit and Canada
- You run the first ~40 minutes of the race before the sun rises. The ~2 mile stretch along the main road is done in the dark and the street is VERY poorly lit. Lots of people were bumping into each other and tripping, plus the road isn't well maintained so in addition to watching out for people you have to look down and watch for uneven pavement.
- They have photographers perched 50 yards in front of the start on an overhang so they can get pictures of everyone starting. HOWEVER they are shining floodlights right in the runners' eyes. Runners are blinded and then plunged into darkness as they start the race. Very disorienting.
- The course is ok, but pretty boring. (Mile by mile recap http://rabbitfoodrunner.com/race-report-detroit-free-press-marathon/)

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it for a fall race. There are much better options.