Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon is here. Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s races downtown.

All the details

What: 39th Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon.

When: 6:58 a.m. Sunday.

Where: Streets of Detroit and Windsor. Marathon starts and ends downtown on Fort near First.

Races and sponsors: Marathon, Priority Health Half Marathons (international and U.S.-only), five-person marathon relay, American Home Fitness 5K, Meijer Kids Fun Run (0.85 of a mile).

Schedule:Saturday, 9 a.m. — 5K (start and finish on Atwater near St. Aubin). 10:30 a.m. — Kids fun run (start and finish at the DNR center). Next Sunday, 6:58 a.m. — Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America and Fusion Medical Disabilities Division. 7 a.m. — Marathon, international half marathon, five-person relay (wave start in which 14 groups go off in 2-minute intervals). 10:30 a.m. — U.S.-only half marathon (start on Cadillac Square near Bates).

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Afterparty: Conquered, on Lafayette between Cass and Washington (one block north and two blocks east from finish), 8 a.m.-2 p.m. No charge. Open to all entrants and the general public. Music, food trucks, games and massage tent. Official race merchandise tent. Beer sales start at 9 a.m. The food trucks include Delectabowl, Nick’s Concessions and The Truck Culinary Comfort.

Gear check: Same location as Conquered. It opens at 5:30 a.m. You must use your clear plastic bag that you get at packet pickup.

Field: More than 26,000 registered runners, walkers, wheelers and handcyclists.

Information: Click on freepmarathon.com. Follow the latest updates on the race’s Facebook page and through Twitter.

Track your runner

Want to keep tabs on your favorite runner next Sunday? It’s easy if you have downloaded the Detroit Free Press app. On race day, you will see the Track Your Runner link there. The app is free and available for Apple and Android devices.

Be smart: If you intend to do your tracking from along the race course in Detroit, download the app BEFORE the event. Because of the large volume of cellular usage in downtown you may experience delays in using this service.

►►► Download the Detroit Free Press app on iOS (iPhone or iPad)

►►► Download the Detroit Free Press app on Google Play (Android)

Where to park?

With thousands of runners, volunteers and spectators rushing downtown in the dark, life can turn into a mad dash to the start. And next Sunday will be another perfect storm for parking issues: The Lions play the Rams at 1 p.m. at Ford Field. That means parking lots that would have welcomed runners (and for only a couple bucks) have been guaranteed to Lions tailgaters or will raise rates.

Runners should try to get downtown by 5:30 a.m., or 90 minutes before the starting gun. Many streets start to close by 3 a.m. and will be closed by 6 a.m, Most lots open by 5 a.m., which also is when the People Mover will start operating. Its closest open stations to the start area are Michigan Avenue, Cobo Center, Financial District and the Fort/Cass station, right next to the start-finish area. Update: The Fort/Cass and Michigan Avenue stations will only be open from 5-7 a.m. Sunday and will close from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Lodge again will be closed south of I-75 starting in the wee hours. That means exits for Bagley and Howard and Jefferson will be closed.

Race organizers recommend parking outside the course route to ease congestion before the races and to provide an easier exit afterward. Detailed maps can be found under the Parking tab at the race website (freepmarathon.com).

►Race2Rebuild group rebuilding homes one day, running in marathon next

(Click here to view a larger version of the course map.)

What’s new?

■ The start-finish line will stay on West Fort Street but move about one block west to the west side of Cass near the Anchor Bar to give racers more room to line up.

■ Racers will get off the Ambassador Bridge on the Canadian side by using an unused ramp, instead of going through the active immigration plaza. This will make the course safer by reducing the interaction between racers and vehicles by a quarter mile.

■ At about the 12-mile mark, Brooklyn Street will be used instead of 8th Street for the Corktown final jog to Michigan Avenue. This will help residents around Trumbull and Brooklyn to get out of the area.

■ In Corktown, the course now will go from the Lodge Freeway to West Jefferson, then to Rosa Parks, instead of going from the Lodge, up the service drive by the bus station and then down West Lafayette.

The warm-up lap

What: Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Health & Fitness Expo, home for runner packet pickup and featuring scores of exhibitors with the latest in running apparel, footwear, technology and nutrition.

When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Cobo Center, downtown Detroit.

Admission: Free.

Packet pickup:For next Sunday’s races — All packets must be picked up at the expo. Race-day pickup is not available. You need to know your bib number (or will need to find it on the computers at the expo). All entrants who will cross the U.S.-Canada border must pick up their own race packets for security reasons. If crossing the border — that’s everybody in the marathon, international half marathon and relay legs Nos.1 and 2 — you cannot pick up your race packet without a passport, passport card or enhanced driver’s license. Runners for the U.S.-only half and relay legs Nos.3-5 need only photo identification. A runner who does not cross the border can have someone pick up a packet, if that person provides a copy of the runner’s confirmation e-mail. For Saturday’s races — Race packets can be picked up Saturday at Milliken State Park on the RiverWalk from 7-8:45 a.m. Packets can be picked up by a person other than the runner provided he or she has a copy of the runner’s confirmation e-mail.