A Fueling Plan Built Specifically for the Detroit Free Press Marathon

Every aid station on the course, what it serves, and the exact minute you reach it based on your goal time. Then a fueling plan built on this exact course, so every gel is timed to avoid the hills and where there is water to wash it down so you never hit the wall in the last 6 miles.

Build my Detroit plan Start with the course ↓
Detroit Free Press Marathon
Sunday 18 October 2026 · 26.2 miles
Water + Gatorade Endurance 18 Gel depot miles 10.1 and 16.1
Map of the Detroit Free Press Marathon course with the 20 aid tables marked
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Elevation profile drag along the profile to scrub
26.2 miles ▲ 285 ft gain ▼ 279 ft loss +134 ft high -75 ft low
0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi +134 ft 0 mi 10 20 26.2 mi +134 ft

Aid tables from the race's own interactive course map, checked 12 Sep 2026. Detroit publishes street corners, not miles; kilometres are converted. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Why the course changes the plan

Why you need to adapt your fueling plan to the specifics of the course

Most fueling plans are generic: take a gel every 30 minutes, wash it down with water and drink your carb beverage in between.

But, what if your planned time to take a gel comes right in the middle of a hill? What if there’s no aid station close by to grab water from?

Often, where each gel goes on the course matters as much as how many you take

It’s these small, often ignored parts of executing a fueling plan that trip runners up and have them hitting the wall or slowing down because of an upset stomach, despite having a well-rehearsed fueling plan heading into the race.

4

things go wrong when you don’t account for the course in your fueling plan

1A planned gel with no water

You plan a gel at 60 minutes, but the next water station isn’t for another 15. That means you either have to wait, take it without water and have it sit, or take it with your carb beverage and take in too much sugar for your stomach to process.

2You miss a table

Detroit does not publish how many run its marathon, but more than 26,000 registered across its weekend last year and its two half marathons share these tables with you. Tables that busy are easy to misjudge and not get the fuel you need. Without a plan for the next one you either double up later and pay for it, or run the rest of the race short.

3Your plan calls for a gel in the middle of a hill

As intensity increases, your stomach’s ability to process carbohydrates slows down. Couple that with breathing harder up a hill and you’ve got the perfect storm for a gel that can’t be digested fast enough.

4Miscalculating the fluid on the course

The distance between aid stations, the concentration of the carbohydrate drink, and how much you’re actually able to swallow all change how much glycogen you’re actually replacing every hour. Your plan calls for 60 g per hour, but if you only hit 40 g you’ll run out of glycogen before you finish.

So your fueling plan needs to start with one question, and everything after it follows.

Option 1

I am going to use what is on the course

Water at 18 of the 20 tables, Gatorade at 18 of them, gels at miles 10.1 and 16.1.

What that adds up to, and what you still carry.

Fuel off the course ↓
Option 2

I am going to carry all of my own fuel

Your products, your timing, nothing riding on a cup you might miss.

What the course still decides for you.

Fuel from your own kit ↓
Option 1

If you are going to use what the course hands you

Detroit takes more care than most courses to do this on. 2 of the 20 tables have no water, so a gel taken at the wrong one goes down dry. Below is where you’ll find each station, and what is at it.

Detroit Free Press Marathon course strip Elevation relative to the start across 26.2 miles, the 20 aid tables marked by mile with what is at each, and the 12 feeds of the reference plan as numbered dots. +134 ft -75 ft 1.6 4 5.4 6.6 8.5 9.4 10.1 10.2 11.6 12.8 14.2 15.6 16.1 16.5 18.1 19.2 20.5 21.5 23 25.2 mi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Water + Gatorade Endurance No water Gel depot Feed in the 3:45 plan, on a table Feed with no table, water carried

Elevation is stretched to emphasis location. The numbered dots are your recommended fueling options for your 3:45 goal.

Source: the official Detroit Free Press Marathon, checked 12 Sep 2026

1What is on the course

What is provided at Detroit, and where

Water is provided at 18 of the 20 tables, from mile 1.6 to mile 25.2. The other 2, miles 10.1 and 16.1, have none.

Gatorade Endurance at every fluid station, so there is carbohydrate in the cup each time you drink. The two course-nutrition tables, at miles 10.1 and 16.1, are the exception: they hand out a gel and carry no water and no drink at all. Detroit has not named its 2026 gel supplier, so what is in that packet is not something you can plan around.

The course climbs 285 ft in total, and 2 climbs are steeper than 3%: the Ambassador Bridge from mile 2.75 to mile 3.5 and the climb back up out of the tunnel at mile 7.5. CarbRate keeps your feeds off those climbs and on the water tables either side.

The Detroit course, table by table
Water stations
18

18 of 20 tables, mile 1.6 to mile 25.2

Gatorade Endurance
18

miles 1.6, 4, 5.4, 6.6, 8.5, 9.4, 10.2, 11.6, 12.8, 14.2, 15.6, 16.5, 18.1, 19.2, 20.5, 21.5, 23 and 25.2

gel
2

miles 10.1 and 16.1, water at both

2Your goal time

Every table, and the minute you reach it

Put your goal time in and when you arrive at every aid station on the course recalculates. This is the list to put in your pocket, and the one CarbRate builds your feeds on.

Arrival times assume even pace, which is a rough guide on a course with this much climbing. At 3:45 you reach the first gel station at 1:27.
Build my Detroit plan
All 20 tables at 3:45
mikmTableWhat’s at the tableYou arrive
1.62.5Fort Street & 24th StreetwaterGatorade Endurance0:13
46.4Huron Church Rd & Donnelly St, WindsorwaterGatorade Endurance0:34
5.48.7Riverside Dr & Curry Ave, WindsorwaterGatorade Endurance0:46
6.610.6University Ave & Goyeau St, WindsorwaterGatorade Endurance0:57
8.513.6E Jefferson Ave & Woodward (Joe Louis Fist)waterGatorade Endurance1:13
9.415.2Woodward Ave & Grand Circus ParkwaterGatorade Endurance1:21
10.116.32nd Ave & Henry Stgel1:27
10.216.42nd Ave & Ledyard StwaterGatorade Endurance1:27
11.618.7Lincoln St & W Forest AvewaterGatorade Endurance1:39
12.820.6Avery St & Lysander StwaterGatorade Endurance1:50
14.222.8Cass Ave & W Canfield StwaterGatorade Endurance2:02
15.625.2John R St & Winder StwaterGatorade Endurance2:14
16.126.0Wilkins St & St Antoine Stgel2:19
16.526.6Russell St & Alfred St (Eastern Market)waterGatorade Endurance2:22
18.129.1Dequindre Cut, Gratiot entrancewaterGatorade Endurance2:35
19.230.9E Lafayette St & St Maron PlwaterGatorade Endurance2:45
20.533.0Agnes St & Townsend StwaterGatorade Endurance2:56
21.534.6Seminole St & Charlevoix (Centennial Garden, Indian Village)waterGatorade Endurance3:04
2337.0Lafayette St & Parker StwaterGatorade Endurance3:17
25.240.6Lafayette St at Lafayette Park (1300)waterGatorade Endurance3:36
3The course drink

How much glycogen does the Gatorade on the course provide

Gatorade Endurance is 6.1 g of carbohydrate per 100 mL. A typical cup contains about 200 mL.

But, you likely won’t actually drink that much. Volunteers typically fill cups about half way to prevent water from splashing and you’ll lose a good amount as you run with the cup and what spills as you drink.

On average, you can expect a net intake of about 60 to 90 mL per cup

This is the part most runners don’t account for in their fueling plan, so CarbRate builds it directly in your plan.

We’ll tell you exactly how many cups at each aid station to drink based on how much glycogen you need and how much you’ll be able to supplement with gels.

What the drink is worth per hour
Glycogen left
200 → 60–90 mL

A cup holds about 200 mL. Half-filled, spilled and sipped on the run, 60 to 90 mL of it actually goes down.

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you run out here Planned full cups Real 60–90 mL a cup full empty start finish
Glycogen left across the race, a plan built on full cups against what a cup actually delivers. Illustrative, not your plan.
4What you carry

How many gels you still carry

After you’ve calculated how much of the course drink you’ll likely take at each aid station, you’ll need to fill in your glycogen needs with gels along the course.

A typical gel contains about 25 g of carbohydrate, so use the chart here to calculate how many you’ll need.

If you’ve practiced fueling in training, you can target 75 to 90 g per hour. If you haven’t trained your stomach, err closer to 60 g per hour.

Here’s more on how to practice your fueling schedule to maximize your gut tolerance.

25 g gels to carry, after the course
Finish60 g/h75 g/h90 g/h
3:45 your goal
3:002to24to46to6
3:303to45to67to8
4:003to56to78to10
4:304to67to99to11
5:004to77to1010to13
5The products

The 2 products Detroit hands you

The drink is Gatorade Endurance and it is at every fluid station, which is the one thing about Detroit's fuelling you can count on. The gel is not: the race says its 2026 nutrition brand has not been announced yet, so carry gels you have already practised with rather than planning around whatever is on the two tables.

If the course gel does not sit well with you, the closest matches are Maurten Gel 100, Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel and SiS Beta Fuel Gel. Pick one before race week and train on it.

On the Detroit course
Sodium
not published
Caffeine
not published
Glucose : fructose
not published
Sodium
310 mg / 12 oz
Caffeine
0 mg
Glucose : fructose
sucrose and dextrose

Get a Fueling Plan Built for Detroit

CarbRate builds you a personalized race fueling plan from your own sweat rate, how your stomach handles gels, and then it coaches you through every feed, live, while you run.

It also customizes every gel and every drink placement to align with the actual elevation profile and aid station on your course.

Build my Detroit plan
Option 2

If you are going to carry all of your own fuel

Even carrying your own fuel, the Detroit course influences 4 things about your fueling plan: the timing of your gels, fluid intake, the hills, and caffeine.

1Timing

Set your feed times to Detroit’s tables, unless you carry water

The common advice is to take your gels every 30 to 45 minutes, but that might not coincide with when you hit an aid station.

If you’re not carrying your own water with you, you’ll need those aid stations to wash down your gel.

For a 3:45 finisher, Detroit’s tables arrive 13, 34, 46, 57 and 73 minutes in, then every 7 to 19 minutes.

So, you need to factor this into your fueling plan.

Enter your goal time in the input box below and we’ll show you when each aid station will arrive for your given pace.

If you want a fueling plan with all of these built in, CarbRate does this for you. Start building your plan here.

Feed times assume even pace, which is a rough guide on a course with this much climbing. Everything below recalculates from 3:45.
Your watch against Detroit’s tables
Gel alarms with water
4 of 11 alarms

For a 3:45 finisher, 4 of 11 twenty-minute alarms land within 2 minutes of a table. Highlighted tables take a gel in a 75 g an hour plan; the first goes down before mile 1.6 from a bottle you carry.

Gel alarm every 20 min Detroit tables, 3:45 pace 1.6 5.4 10.2 11.6 14.2 16.5 18.1 20.5 23 25.2 start 1:00 2:00 3:00 finish
alarm within 2 min of wateralarm with no watertable taking a geltable not taking a gel
How many 25 g gels that is, carrying everything
Finish60 g/h75 g/h90 g/h
3:45 your goal91214
3:008911
3:3091113
4:00101215
4:30111417
5:00121518
2Water

A gel needs more water than a cup holds

Research has shown that the optimal carbohydrate concentration is 6 to 8 percent carbohydrate to water.

That means you’ll want about 100 mL (3.5 oz) of water for every 8 grams of carbohydrate you take in. A typical gel contains 25 g of carbohydrate, so you’ll want to aim for about 300 mL (10 oz) of water with each gel.

A good estimate is that each cup of water will provide you 100 mL (3.5 oz) of water. That’s because volunteers typically fill cups about half way to prevent water from splashing and you’ll lose a good amount as you run with the cup and what spills as you drink.

So, if you’re not carrying your own water, have your gel open and prepared to take at the start of the aid station so you can take it early with a cup of water and still have time to grab another cup or two.

What a gel needs and what a cup delivers
One 25 g gel needs
300 mL
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cupsempties fast, no sloshing8%concentration300 mL+2 cupsstill too thick to empty13%concentration200 mL+1 cupsits in your stomach25%concentration100 mL
3Hills

The hills change where your fuel goes, not how much

The carbohydrate you need per hour is the same on a hilly course as on a flat one. What changes is which aid stations you can take it at, when you reach them, and where your caffeine goes.

Keep your gels off the climbs

Your stomach slows down digestion as your effort increases running uphill. This happens because blood moves from your gut to your legs, so a gel taken on a hard climb sits there instead of being absorbed.

So, keep your gels off any climb steeper than about 3 percent, and take them on the flat before it or the flat after it.

Detroit has 2 climbs like that: the Ambassador Bridge from mile 2.75 to mile 3.5 and the climb back up out of the tunnel at mile 7.5.

Long, steep descents are no better. Below about 7 percent your quads are doing the braking and everything in your stomach is bouncing, so wait for the grade to ease before you take anything.

If you want a fueling plan with your gel and drink timing customized to the course, CarbRate does this for you. Start building your plan here.

Where the climbs are
Climbs steeper than 3%
2 on the course

The Ambassador Bridge from mile 2.75 to mile 3.5 is the climb that decides your race, so your caffeine goes in about an hour before it.

Detroit Free Press Marathon course strip Elevation relative to the start across 26.2 miles, the 20 aid tables marked by mile with what is at each, and the 12 feeds of the reference plan as numbered dots. +134 ft -75 ft 1.6 4 5.4 6.6 8.5 9.4 10.1 10.2 11.6 12.8 14.2 15.6 16.1 16.5 18.1 19.2 20.5 21.5 23 25.2 mi
climb steeper than 3%, no gel heretable with water, a gel lands here
4Caffeine

Time your caffeine so it helps you when you need it the most

If you plan to use caffeine, it’s best to time it so the benefits kick in when you need them the most.

Caffeine peaks in your blood about an hour after you swallow it, then it slowly falls.

In that analysis of 4.2 million marathon results, the runners who slowed sharply began to do so just before mile 18.6 (30 km).

With a goal finish time of 3:45 that would place your caffeine at mile 15.6 (25 km).

This should provide you with peak benefits from the caffeine right when you need it the most.

When the caffeine is working
Caffeine table, hilly course
mile 15.6
2 hours 14 minutes into a 3:45

Blood caffeine peaks about an hour after the dose, so a mile 15.6 gel peaks near mile 23 for a 3:45 finisher, after the wall has started. In 4.2 million marathon results, the late slowdown began near mile 18.6.

the climb starts the Ambassador Bridge, from mile 2.75 to mile 3.5 dose at the start mile 15.6 table · 2:14 peak ≈ mile 23 0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi peaknone
dose at the mile 15.6 tabledose at the startwhere the decisive climb startscurve shape illustrative, timings from your goal time

Get a Fueling Plan Built for Detroit

CarbRate builds you a personalized race fueling plan from your own sweat rate, how your stomach handles gels, and then it coaches you through every feed, live, while you run.

It also customizes every gel and every drink placement to align with the actual elevation profile and aid station on your course.

Build my Detroit plan
Built for your exact course

What a finished Detroit plan looks like

This is a real CarbRate plan rather than an example we wrote out: a 68 kg runner, 3:45 goal, trained stomach, drinking the Gatorade and taking the course gel, 14 °C at the start. Adjusted finish 3:48. Target 81 g an hour, 307 g in total, as 12 feeds of 25 g.

10 of the 12 feeds land on a real Detroit aid table, so there is water in your hand for every one of them.

#ClockmiWhereWhat
10:121.4Fort Street & 24th Street · mile 1.6One 25 g gel, your own
20:283.2No table here · mile 3.2 (water in hand)One 25 g gel, your own
30:475.5Riverside Dr & Curry Ave, Windsor · mile 5.4One 25 g gel, your own
41:057.5No table here · mile 7.5 (water in hand)One 25 g gel, your own
51:2810.12nd Ave & Ledyard St · mile 10.2One 25 g gel, your own
61:4211.7Lincoln St & W Forest Ave · mile 11.6One 25 g gel, your own
72:0314.2Cass Ave & W Canfield St · mile 14.2One 25 g gel, your own
82:2316.4Russell St & Alfred St (Eastern Market) · mile 16.5One 25 g gel, your own
92:3818.2Dequindre Cut, Gratiot entrance · mile 18.1One 25 g gel, your own
102:5920.6Agnes St & Townsend St · mile 20.5One 25 g gel, your own
113:1922.9Lafayette St & Parker St · mile 23One 25 g gel, your own
123:3825.1Lafayette St at Lafayette Park (1300) · mile 25.2One 25 g gel, your own

The first feed comes before the first table on purpose: CarbRate starts you early, with the water you carry from the start line. Say you are carrying your own instead and it rebuilds this same timeline with your products and more feeds, on the same tables. On race day the app calls each feed by voice as you reach it.

This is one runner. Yours will look different.

CarbRate builds yours from your weight, your sweat rate, your goal time, the gels you already train with, and the race-day forecast. Answer a few quick questions and it is built, with the Detroit course already loaded.

Build my Detroit plan
What CarbRate says about Detroit

What CarbRate flags on a Detroit plan

These are the warnings CarbRate attaches to a Detroit plan, word for word, for the 3:45 runner above.

Plan to carry

Detroit hands out gels at 2 points. You need about 12 feeds, so that covers roughly 16% of your carbohydrate. Take them if you want them, and carry the other 10.

Not every table has water

2 of Detroit's 20 stations have no water — they pour sports drink or hand out gels only. Your plan already skips them for anything you need to wash down.

In your favour

Detroit has Gatorade Endurance Formula, Lemon Lime at 6.1 g per 100 ml, which is strong. Drinking 500 ml an hour covers about 31 g/h of your 81 g/h target, and your plan has already taken that off your gels.

Only at 5:00 pace

The longest stretch without water on Detroit runs 2.5 miles, from mile 1.6 to mile 4. At your pace that is about 28 minutes. Carry fluid through it rather than waiting for the next table. Under 5 hours that stretch takes less than 27 minutes, and CarbRate stays quiet.

Quiet on purpose

The first table is at mile 1.6. CarbRate allows 45 minutes for the opening stretch instead of the usual 27, because you start hydrated and fed. So Detroit’s first 1.6 miles never trigger a warning.

Sodium: on the course

Gatorade Endurance carries about 860 mg of sodium per litre as mixed, above the 600 mg per litre target. The race does not publish its own dilution, so that figure is the maker’s standard mix.

Drink it at the tables and your sodium is covered. Carry your own water instead and CarbRate works out how much you need from your sweat rate and the forecast, and puts it on the same schedule as your gels.

Shows inside 10 days
36 days to go

From 8 October the start-line forecast appears here, with what it changes in your plan. On a warm day: more fluid and more sodium.

The short answers

Detroit Free Press Marathon fueling at a glance

Every fact on this page in one block, for the runner who wants the answer and nothing else.

Race
Detroit Free Press Marathon, 18 October 2026
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Aid tables on the course
20
First table
mile 1.6 (km 2.5)
Spacing after the first table
every 0.1 to 2.5 miles
Water
at 18 of the 20 tables
Sports drink
Gatorade Endurance Formula, Lemon Lime, at mile 1.6, mile 4, mile 5.4, mile 6.6, mile 8.5, mile 9.4, mile 10.2, mile 11.6, mile 12.8, mile 14.2, mile 15.6, mile 16.5, mile 18.1, mile 19.2, mile 20.5, mile 21.5, mile 23, mile 25.2
Drink strength
6.1 g carbohydrate per 100 ml
Gel handout
GU Energy Labs gel, mile 10.1 (km 16.3) and mile 16.1 (km 26), 2 points
Food on course
none published
Personal refreshment
not accepted for the mass field
Published sodium
860 mg per litre in the course drink, maker’s mix
Total climb
285 ft, steepest grade 4.0%
Typical carbohydrate target
60 to 90 g an hour
Gels to carry, 3:45 at 75 g/h
5 to 6 using the course drink, 12 carrying everything

Detroit fueling questions, answered

Is there Gatorade on the Detroit Free Press Marathon course?

Yes. Gatorade Endurance Formula, Lemon Lime is at miles 1.6, 4, 5.4, 6.6, 8.5, 9.4, 10.2, 11.6, 12.8, 14.2, 15.6, 16.5, 18.1, 19.2, 20.5, 21.5, 23 and 25.2, alongside water. GU Energy Labs gel is handed out at miles 10.1 and 16.1.

Where are the gel stations at the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

Miles 10.1 and 16.1, which is km 16.3 and km 26. There is water at each of them. Plan to carry the rest of your own.

How many gels do I need for the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

It depends on your carbohydrate target and how much of the course drink you take. At 75 g an hour a 3:45 finish needs about 280 g. Drinking one cup of Gatorade at every other table covers roughly 80 g of that, which leaves about 8 gels of 25 g, 2 of them handed out on the course, so carry 6. Drinking half a litre of Gatorade an hour, carry 5. The grid above works this out for any finish time.

Is the Detroit Free Press Marathon hilly?

Yes. Our course profile shows 285 ft of climbing across 26.2 miles with 2 climbs steeper than 3%: the Ambassador Bridge from mile 2.75 to mile 3.5 and the climb back up out of the tunnel at mile 7.5. CarbRate keeps your gels off those climbs and on the tables either side of them, and arrival times assume even pace only as a rough guide.

Does Detroit have electrolytes or sodium on the course?

Yes. Gatorade Endurance carries about 860 mg of sodium per litre as the maker mixes it, which is above the 600 mg per litre target. The race does not publish its own dilution. If you carry your own water instead, bring your own sodium plan.

Is there food on the Detroit Free Press Marathon course?

Detroit publishes none. The tables carry water and Gatorade Endurance and nothing else.

How far apart are the water stations at Detroit?

The first table is at mile 1.6. After that they come every 0.1 to 2.5 miles. The longest gap after the start is mile 1.6 to mile 4, about 3.9 km, which is 23 minutes at 4:00 pace and 29 minutes at 5:00 pace.

When will I reach the gel station at mile 10.1?

At even pace: 1:21 into a 3:30 race, 1:27 into a 3:45, 1:33 into a 4:00, and 1:56 into a 5:00. Enter your own goal time in the station table above to see every table.

Where are the aid stations at the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

There are 20, at miles 1.6, 4, 5.4, 6.6, 8.5, 9.4, 10.1, 10.2, 11.6, 12.8, 14.2, 15.6, 16.1, 16.5, 18.1, 19.2, 20.5, 21.5, 23 and 25.2. 18 of them have water; miles 10.1 and 16.1 do not. 18 of them, miles 1.6, 4, 5.4, 6.6, 8.5, 9.4, 10.2, 11.6, 12.8, 14.2, 15.6, 16.5, 18.1, 19.2, 20.5, 21.5, 23 and 25.2, also have Gatorade Endurance Formula, Lemon Lime.

Can I carry all of my own fuel at the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

Yes. Detroit does not take personal bottles from the mass field, so everything you carry starts on you at the gun. Carrying everything at 75 g an hour is 12 gels of 25 g for a 3:45 finish, or 10 if you take the course gels.

How much carbohydrate should I take during the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

60 to 90 grams an hour, set by your body size and by how much your stomach has practised absorbing. Start at the rate you have already trained at rather than the rate you want: 90 g an hour is a target to build toward over a training cycle before you race on it.

Do I need to carry water at the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

Only for the opening 1.6 miles. The first table is at mile 1.6, about 13 minutes into a 3:45 race, and after that tables come every 0.1 to 2.5 miles. If your first feed comes before mile 1.6, carry the fluid for it from the start line.

What should I eat before the Detroit Free Press Marathon?

1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight in the 1 to 4 hours before the start, from food you have already eaten before long runs. A 68 kg runner eating 3 hours before the start needs roughly 130 to 200 g of carbohydrate. Detroit sets off in waves, so work backwards from your own wave time rather than from the elite start.

Your Detroit plan

Build your Detroit plan with the course already loaded

The tables, the Gatorade and the course profile above are already in. Add your weight, goal time, sweat rate and the gels you like, and CarbRate builds your feed-by-feed plan for Detroit, then calls each feed by voice on race day.

Build my Detroit plan

The plan is free. Live race-day guidance and the practice schedule are in the app, $9.95 a month or a one-time $49.95 Race Pass that expires after your race.

Fueling guides for the other courses

Detroit, 18 Oct 2026
Free plan, course loadedBuild my Detroit plan