Race is in town, easy walk from all hotels or easy parking at train station if you are not in town. Races were staggered well so the Full, Half and … MORE
Race is in town, easy walk from all hotels or easy parking at train station if you are not in town. Races were staggered well so the Full, Half and 10K don’t conflict. There were a decent amount of Porta Potties and a real public bathroom at start (nothing on course) but LOTS of woods. Course has no cars, either closed off road or paved path in/along the woods, rolling hills the whole way. Water stops were good and well volunteered. Almost no spectators, so cheering only at beginning and end. Shirt was fine, medal ok. The food at the end was bottom of the barrel, the bananas were hard, the granola bar was nasty and so was the electrolyte juice. About a 5 minute walk from great restaurants tho… just go out to eat. I was assuming Banff would be packed this time of the year and the Parks as well… they were not. DO THIS RACE.
It was 35F and light rain the whole time. This was 15 degrees below “normal” but “Will, it be cold, hot, rainy in Banff today? Yes!”
There were bears on the course and some stoppages due to them (for the Marathon this year).
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Easy course with incredible scenery
Race is in town, easy walk from all hotels or easy parking at train station if you are not in town. Races were staggered well so the Full, Half and … MORE
Race is in town, easy walk from all hotels or easy parking at train station if you are not in town. Races were staggered well so the Full, Half and 10K don’t conflict. There were a decent amount of Porta Potties and a real public bathroom at start (nothing on course) but LOTS of woods. Course has no cars, either closed off road or paved path in/along the woods, rolling hills the whole way. Water stops were good and well volunteered. Almost no spectators, so cheering only at beginning and end. Shirt was fine, medal ok. The food at the end was bottom of the barrel, the bananas were hard, the granola bar was nasty and so was the electrolyte juice. About a 5 minute walk from great restaurants tho… just go out to eat. I was assuming Banff would be packed this time of the year and the Parks as well… they were not. DO THIS RACE.
It was 35F and light rain the whole time. This was 15 degrees below “normal” but “Will, it be cold, hot, rainy in Banff today? Yes!”
There were bears on the course and some stoppages due to them (for the Marathon this year).
Beautiful destination marathon
The Banff marathon is a beautiful “holiday destination” marathon. It is an out and back course that starts in the town of Banff at ~4500ft and runners gain 900+ft of … MORE
The Banff marathon is a beautiful “holiday destination” marathon. It is an out and back course that starts in the town of Banff at ~4500ft and runners gain 900+ft of elevation over the course. There were enough hydration stations on the course if you also carried some of your own water (which I always do). Volunteers were great. Course was well marked, tho I hated the double loop runners had to do at the 11-13mile mark (painful!). The course wasn’t quite as scenic as I had hoped; yes it’s all out in the Banff National Park but much of it is going through forested areas with not as many views of lakes as I had hoped. This is nit picking as I’m comparing to the Big Sur Marathon. Compared to so many marathons, Banff is a gem. Oh and I had a bear sighting crossing the road ahead of me so there was a bit of walking which slowed my time.
The race shirt was fine; I will certainly wear it. I have 3 fundamental criticisms of the production. One is the medal is the same whether you ran the 10k, 1/2 marathon, or marathon. The second is that the after-race nutrition was the weakest I’ve ever encountered in my 17 marathons to date. They offered the tiny cups of water or gatorade that you got on the course (of course could be refilled), a granola bar, a small cookie, half banana, and a juice box. That’s it. Given the price of admission, offering pizza, or chocolate milk, or (non-alc) beer, or chips, or hot dogs, or some things of more substance would have been better. The other thing is there were few porta potties out on the course so you had to be lucky to not have to wait to use one. Doubling up porta potties would be a help.
Amazing Views
This course is very beautiful, but challenging. The altitude is another aspect that difficult if you are not use to it. The hills are non stop rolling, false flats, and … MORE
This course is very beautiful, but challenging. The altitude is another aspect that difficult if you are not use to it. The hills are non stop rolling, false flats, and short punchy climbs. The road is closed to traffic while in the park so it is very quite and scenic. There is a chance to see a bear and some runners did run with bear spray. The race starts very late at 9am for the marathon. So I found that to be difficult to plan nutrition. But all in all a tough but great race.
I ran the marathon distance
Although one may expect this race to be incredibly scenic, the truth is that most of the breathtaking views are limited to only a few spots. Overall, I would rate … MORE
Although one may expect this race to be incredibly scenic, the truth is that most of the breathtaking views are limited to only a few spots. Overall, I would rate the race as average, especially considering that it appears they only offer a half-marathon distance now.
Favourite Marathon to Date
This run is challenging as it's run in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The elevation may be tough for some but give I live nearby I train at this altitude. The … MORE
This run is challenging as it’s run in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The elevation may be tough for some but give I live nearby I train at this altitude. The course is uphill until the turnaround then down back to the start. The old highway this race is run on is closed to all traffic in both directions so feels like you are running for the most part alone in the mountains. This race is green, and organizers & volunteers do a really great job of ensuring everyone adheres to this principle. Gorgeous to hang out for awards and prizes along the beautiful Bow River in downtown Banff. COuldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting for a race!