The Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will be closed for a few hours this weekend for the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
The sold-out international full and half-marathon races will take place Sunday, October 18, which will see runners leave Detroit and cross over the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor before moving down Riverside Drive and returning to Detroit through the tunnel.
As a result, the tunnel will be closed to all vehicles from 6:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation, Tal Czudner, says anyone heading over for the marathon needs to cross before 6:10 a.m.
“That way you can get over and get set if you’re watching friends and loved ones; that’s the way to do it,” he says. “When you’re returning, realistically, unless your friend is running a 2-minute, 20-second marathon, you’ve probably got enough time to let them finish, and then we’d be opened up for coming back.”
Around 30,000 runners are expected to take part this year, up from 26,000 last year, including 3,000 Canadians, making it the largest race in the marathon’s 49-year history.
Czudner says there are other options to cross during the closure.
“With Gordie Howe open, obviously you have to go down the river a little bit; that’s certainly an option for people to take if they need to get over to Detroit in the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. range,” he says. “Obviously, I’d prefer they stop and have a coffee somewhere and take the tunnel after 10:30 a.m., but there are options for people.”
Earlier this year, the Detroit Free Press Marathon was named the best marathon by the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for a second year in a row.
The Detroit run beat out a field of 20 marathons, including the Chicago, Boston, and New York City marathons.