Like I did for Beach to Beacon vs Falmouth Road Race, I'll have a comparison for the two Half Marathons I did this fall. While they do have some similarities- colder fall cities, lots of turns, reasonably large and competitive half marathons they aren't that much alike especially when compared to B2B/Falmouth's many similarities. But I thought it was worth comparing as they were the two biggest and most serious events as I had on the schedule the last 6 months and represented my return to the Half Marathon distance.
Basic info on each:
Detroit Half Marathon- October 16th, 2022 at 7AM
-Detroit, MI (and Windsor, ON, Canada)
-Winning Time- 1:06:24 (5:04 pace)
My Result- 1:15:10 (5:44 pace), 17th of 6,377
# of 90 degree+ turns: 20
Approximate elevation gain: 500ft
Philadelphia Half Marathon- November 19th, 2022 at 7AM
-Philadelphia, PA
-Winning Time- 1:03:44 (4:52 pace)
My Results- 1:11:18 (5:26 pace), 33rd of 10,123
# of 90 degree+ turns: 28
Approximate elevation gain: 500ft
Pre-race navigation/logistics- Detroit by a landslide. Absolute night and day difference between the two. Detroit was the easiest I've found pre-race logistics for a large event to be. Jogged over to the gear check- no lines. Bathrooms- no lines. Getting to the start was slightly crowded but not an issue at all. Philadelphia was the worst I've ever experienced before a race. Took about 30 minutes to simply get through to the start area after waiting in three different lines, running around to get to those lines and ending up cutting the lines anyway so I wouldn't miss the race. Skipped gear check entirely as I didn't have the time and I had no clue where it was. Plenty of time/room for strides in Detroit, none in Philly. Detroit started promptly at 7AM like it was supposed to, Philly started 13 minutes late as everyone stood around getting cold.
Course- Philadelphia by a lot. Detroit's course was fine but the crossing into Canada is more of a gimmick for slower runners rather than being some epic mid-race event. In reality it makes the course a lot tougher with several turns that are very tight and awkward going on the bridge/tunnel into and away from the border. The entire lead up and bridge itself into Canada is cement which had my legs getting heavy very quickly. While the rest of the course is flat, going up the bridge is a tough hill and makes it difficult to maintain pace/rhythm that early in the race. And there's a mile+ long tunnel to run through back to the U.S. While the tunnel didn't especially bother me, it doesn't really belong in a race either. Even ignoring the challenges that going into Canada creates, there's very little on this course that is great to race on. Neither the start nor finish are remarkable. Much of the course is on boring Detroit roads with boarded up buildings in the background. Except for brief nice downtown sections of Detroit and the two mile long riverside drive in Windsor, the course is nothing exciting.
Philadelphia's course on the other hand is both more enjoyable and easier to get into a rhythm. The start line is epic going down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the first mile passing many historical attractions and buildings and going right past the awesome City Hall. Wide open smooth roads for the next several miles. There's enough turns and rollers to be challenging but never brutal. The second half is arguably even better as it goes through Fairmount Park system on excellent, well paved park roads along the river. Great finish on Kelly drive and just past the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Half the course is iconic or pretty. The other half is at least good roads to run on. Only exception being is one or two fairly tight turns and a brief cobblestone section past Independence Hall.
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| Philadelphia also has a better course map |
Competition- Philadelphia. This one isn't close either. While the competition at Detroit is solid, Philadelphia's is very good. Easy proof of that is I ran 4 minutes slower at Detroit yet finished much better place wise. Detroit I ran in no man's land for most of it, only a few miles shared with other people. Philadelphia I had company the entire first half and had targets to pick off through the race.
Course Support- Philadelphia. Honestly neither were that great and Falmouth certainly had a much better atmosphere. But with the exception of the few miles in Windsor, Detroit's course felt quite empty and lonely whereas Philadelphia had some spectators here and there. It didn't feel lively but never felt empty like Detroit either. Not quite as good as I'd hoped for given the Marathon support was really good last year.
Post Race Food- Tie. I don't even remember because the post-race food was horrendous for both. Philadelphia I got a cup of chicken broth, a bar and maybe some other snack? Detroit you got a bag of pre-packaged snacks. Yeah, not exactly what you'd want to dig into after an exhausting effort in the cold. And I know that all larger races aren't terrible at this because Hartford had hot chowder, donuts and some really good bread in addition to the pre-packaged stuff.
Finish area- Detroit. Detroit was comfortable to get through the chute, volunteers were friendly and it was easy enough to navigate around with much of the area set aside for the runners. Philadelphia I got out of there immediately it was a less welcoming environment and I got yelled for trying to go back into the runner area through the wrong entrance.
Race Venue/City- Philadelphia. Not much to say as both are among the worst and most dangerous cities in the United States. But Detroit has an argument for the worst city in the U.S. where as Philadelphia is more of a top 10 contender. Sure, downtown Detroit is fine but there aren't too many appealing areas. Philadelphia you could at least pick a few places to visit and make a weekend out of it, but I really don't know what you'd do for Detroit.
Overall I liked Philadelphia much better. It is a far superior race with a significantly better course and competition. I had a lot more fun during the race as well. The major caveat with that is that Detroit did a great job making the pre race logistics easy and stress free where as Philadelphia's was a disaster. But in the end, it's mostly about the experience during the race and that's what you go for and Philadelphia's was top notch. Another note is that while starting at the same time in the same time zone, Detroit was dark for half the race. I didn't like that at all. While the organizers clearly have no control on when the sun rises, I think it would have been reasonable to start at 8AM to avoid running the dark. Just a much better and more enjoyable atmosphere in the light.
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