They have an expo the day before the race. The expo is free (part of the registration fee). You can pick up your packets race day, but I like to pick up my packet beforehand. They have a lot of booths for other races, running gear, additional swag for the race, and packet pickup.

On race day, it snowed, I should be used to it, living in Michigan. The course is nice, the majority of it is on the road. There are points where you run on some paved trails. The only part that scared me was running on the bridge with others I could feel the bridge shake a little. They have inflatable aliens at all the mile markers. A lot of runners wear crazy alien costumes and tutu's. The 10K and 5K start together and all the runners go at the same time. There are no corrals and its chip timed. The 5K splits off pretty quickly and the 10K goes in a different direction. There are photographers during the race so you should be able to get a good photo of yourself. They had water and aid stations and a ton of volunteers if you needed any help. The course is marked clearly with arrows and signs. All the different race distances end at the same finish line and everyone gets a finisher's medal. They have age group awards with glass stamped medallions. I had a lot of fun and even got a new PR for my 10K distance. After the race you can print out your finisher's certificate too!

They have a kids run (1.2 miles), 5K, 10K, Milky 26K Combo, Half & Full Marathon. Kids can log 25 miles and run the last 1.2 miles in front of people.

This was the first time I ran the Paczki Run. They always have the race before Fat Tuesday. The course is flat and if you have a dog, they can race with you! I wanted to bring my dog with me but I was sick a week before the race so I didn't get to take my dog running with me. The race is timed. Before the race they had yoga in a tent to stretch out before running. They play the Polish national anthem and U.S. national anthem right before the race. The race is all on roads. I was able to run the whole time and had a lot of fun! Once you make it to the finish line you get a paczek and a beer. I got a custard filled paczek. After the race using your bib there are a lot of places that offer discounts in the city. After the race we stopped in the Hamtramck Historical Museum which was really cool.

They have a packet pickup for a couple days before the race and you can register the day of the race. For parking, you can park in the shopping center by the start line or there is a parking lot only a few blocks away. Just make sure to get there early before they close the streets down for the race.

A paczek is a polish pastry and super tasty. Hamtramck makes the best paczki in the area!

This was the second time I ran the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon. The majority of the course is flat. The ramp going onto the Ambassador Bridge is a little bit of an incline. While running on the bridge the incline isn't bad, its a slow incline. I usually just run on an incline a week before the race and I feel prepared for the small hills. The sunrise at the Ambassador bridge is my favorite view of the race, I attached a photo of it. Once you enter Canada the course is a nice view. You can see the Detroit buildings and there are a few hills but the incline isn't that bad. The Canadians always have cute signs such as "Go Random Stranger" and "I've been training for months to hold this sign". You even pass a Tim Hortons. At Mile 7 (Underwater Mile) you are coming back into the U.S./ Michigan in the Windsor Tunnel. The air is a little stale so take a deep breath before you enter the tunnel. It's best to take hats/headbands and jackets off because you go into the tunnel. You will sweat in the tunnel and don't want to get too cold once you exit the tunnel. A lot of people stop to take runner selfies at the U.S./ Canada border in the Windsor tunnel. At the Canadian and U.S. borders make sure your bib is in front so they can see it and then you won't be pulled to get a bib check. Some of the border patrol people will let you high five them as you pass the borders. Once your back in the U.S. you get to pass the Joe Louis Arena (Home of the Detroit Red Wings). I'm a huge Red Wings fan so another reason why I love the course. As you get closer to the finish line you pass the American & Lafayette Coney Island restaurants (Detroit coney dogs, so good!). There are brick roads at the end of the course, so I go a little slower so I don't fall. They updated the medal this year. At the health and fitness expo where you pick up your packet they made some changes to make it quicker. Instead of going to a separate line to have your passport checked they had customs right there to check your passport where you pick up your bib and shirt. Also, they gave you the option to walk straight to packet pickup if you just wanted to get your shirt and bib. After I went to packet pickup then I walked through the expo to get some last minute running items for the race. At the expo they have a ton of options (running belt, roo sport, etc) that can hold your passport. At the start line they have people with signs with the corral letter so its really easy to find your corral. There are a ton of porter potties/ aid stations/ stops for snacks. I remember one stop they gave our m&m's. They offer Gatorade and water at the stations. This is definitely a unique race, you get to cross the international border between the U.S. and Canada twice which I love. I do put my smartphone in airplane mode so my phone doesn't go onto a Canadian tower and saves the battery life too. Overall, fun race and you get to see great areas in Detroit. As long as you keep an 18 minute per mile pace you can finish the race in the time limit. They give you a few warnings if you start to fall behind, they want you to finish the race. They have to open the tunnel back at 10AM so if you just have to get through the tunnel by then. Since MGM offers free parking, that is usually a mess so I park in one of the lots they designate and it was only $5. The first year I ran the race it took over 2 hours to get out of MGM's parking garage so this year I parked at the Fox parking garage. (There was a Lions home game both years so that was why parking was a bit crowded). I was able to improve my time by about 5 minutes, new PR. I hope to get faster and will definitely run this race again.

This is the first time I ran the BTN Big 10K race and my first destination race too. A college friend actually ran it so that's how I found out about it. I am a Michigan State alum so it was was running with rivals and former Spartans. They give you an option to have a basic Big 10 shirt or a shirt of the college that you choose. You can purchase additional shirts too at a cost. They offer packet pickup (Fleet Feet Sports) the week before the race. There was no expo. Since I came from out of town, I picked up my packet on Friday (which almost everyone else wanted to do). The wait in line wasn't too bad, I talked with a lot of the runners so that was cool! Friends or family can pick up your packet too, you just have to email stating who is picking it up for you. A third option is they offer a race day will call packet pickup with an additional charge. I like getting my items the day before the race so I can have everything ready for the morning of the race. You don't have to be a Big 10 alum to run the race, The course is fairly flat, I only remember a few slight inclines and you run in a few tunnels that aren't too bad. The temperature was a little hot so they advised multiple times to go a little slower and hydrate. They had a few water and aid stations on the course. They had a color system for the temperature so runners could adjust their speed. Near the end of the race if you want to cool off, they have a Slip N Slide you can go through. There was a bit of a line so I decided just to finish the race. They had a clock at the 5K mark so you could keep track of your time if you didn't have a smartphone or gps watch. The time limit is 1 hour and 35 minutes (15 minute pace per mile). I admit when I saw a runner with a rival school it motivated me to run a little faster and pass them. The BTN website offered a free online stream so my parents who couldn't come to Chicago got to see me finish the race by watching it online. They also offered blocks at hotels which had a discounted rate for the runners too. I ended up finding a good deal on hotels.com that was nearby the race. They recommend walking to the race. They had a taxi stand so you could get dropped off right by the race too. At the finish line they have a Fan Fest where they have a ton of fun activities and you can get your photo with the Big 10 Football championship trophy. They give you a free beer and they had sausages too for the runners. The Big 10 mascots are there too! They give out awards for the top finishers. The finisher medal has all the Big 10 schools on the ribbon. It was a fun race and nice views!

They also offer a 5K if you don't want to run a 10K for the race. (60 minute time limit, 19 minute pace per mile)

I was doing a lot of timed races and needed to add a fun run in. For most color runs I do, I don't care about my time, I just wanted to enjoy running again and I did. It's definitely more fun when you go as a group and you can walk the entire 5K if you prefer. I was able to run the whole time and I had a blast. When I get to a color station, I try to be at the left or right side to get more color on me. It's best to wear as much white as possible so the color shows up. At the end of the race they have blowers to get extra color powder off you. I always bring a change of clothes and towels if you don't want your car all colorful. If you want more color, go by the stage they do color bombs every 10-15 minutes.