The Manitoba Marathon offers a delightful “runner-approved” beautiful, flat, fast, and shaded course through many of Winnipeg’s loveliest residential neighbourhoods. Fast, flat & friendly… the perfect Boston Qualifier! The Manitoba Marathon course has a great and storied history. Since its design by Fred Dawson in 1980, the 2nd year of …
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The Manitoba Marathon offers a delightful “runner-approved” beautiful, flat, fast, and shaded course through many of Winnipeg’s loveliest residential neighbourhoods.
Fast, flat & friendly… the perfect Boston Qualifier! The Manitoba Marathon course has a great and storied history. Since its design by Fred Dawson in 1980, the 2nd year of the Manitoba Marathon, it has been the site of past Canadian Marathon and Masters Championships as well as the site of the 1999 Pan American Games Marathons. We offer a delightful “runner-approved” beautiful, flat, fast, and shaded course through many of Winnipeg’s loveliest residential neighbourhoods.
The half marathon boasts all the benefits of the Full Marathon and you’ll burn only half the calories! Join over 4,000 runners on the first five miles of our scenic Full Marathon course before breaking off for two miles and then rejoining the Full Marathon course for the last six miles, back to IG Field for a big league finish.
The Manitoba Marathon Relay is one FUN event so grab four family members, friends, co-workers, classmates or anyone you can find for that matter! Create a team and enjoy an amazing race day experience while covering the entire Full Marathon course!
The 10K will have a corral start. This means a more enjoyable race experience for all 10K Participants. As you register choose your fitness challenge, enjoy a leisurely walk or full on run and experience the thrill of participating in the Manitoba Marathon! Enjoy a loop through St Vital park and be back at IG Field in time to see the half marathon, marathon, and relay runners cross the finish line!
The 5K Super Run is a non-competitive event. Join over 3,000 runners – kids, adults, and seniors alike – in a wonderful taste of the Manitoba Marathon experience, complete with a full refreshment station and the excitement of the Marathon Start and Finish lines.
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Flatter than a pancake with maple syrup
I am working on running a half marathon on all 10 Canadian Provinces. I initially had a much more spread out plan but the final provinces just fit in place … MORE
I am working on running a half marathon on all 10 Canadian Provinces. I initially had a much more spread out plan but the final provinces just fit in place in my schedule. I was planning to do Grandma’s in Duluth this Saturday and realized this race was the next day and thought Winnipeg can’t be that far from Duluth. I looked and saw it was a 6.5 hour drive and that you can rent a car in the USA and drop it off in Canada and decided to make it a double. The only thing I was nervous about is if I would make it to packet pickup. I registered for this race as soon as registration open. After filling out my info I clicked forward to the “add on” page and thought please, please, please have the option to add on race day packet pick up. And guess what they decided to give us that option this year. Phew now I had nothing to worry about. For the most part pre race communication was clear but the details are the race day packet pick-up were a little hidden I think so people who didn’t sign up wouldn’t try to do it. The drive from Duluth to Winnipeg was boring but uneventful. Of note, it does cost a lot of money to rent a car in the USA and drop it off in Canada. It was definitely cheaper and more convenient than coming back next year for Winnipeg but it is something to budget for if you want to do this double. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Winnipeg a few miles from the race. We didn’t have a ton of time to explore Winnipeg but I’m not sure we really needed it. The people were very nice but I’ve been to more interesting cities. However I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a flatter city. Race morning was mostly good. My mom just dropped me off. The street was closed so you have to get dropped off about 1/2 Km away from the football stadium where the race starts near and ends in. It was clearly described in the pre race info. While the location of race day packet pick-up was well described there were no signs directing us there and even though I went to the right place I kept having volunteers and people tell me to go other places until finally a really helpful race staff helped me find it. I got my packet which included a cheap drawstring back and a tech tank top that is fine. I was going to do bag check but the line was long so I just threw out the draw string bag and put the tank top in my pouch. I felt kind of bad for the waste but needed to save time to use the restroom as I wanted to finish under 3 hours but needed to avoid my GI issues on course. The race start was mostly organized in corrals. The slight disorganization was the times kept changing slightly when each corral left but it was organized enough and we were well spread out. It was a nice size race and the half has the same time limit as the full so there were a lot of back of packers and I was always running with people. The full marathon went forth and there were sections separating the half and full in the beginning and end so no one would be in the way in the most important sections. The scenery was pretty boring mostly through neighborhoods but a lot was nice and shady. It was beautiful weather but was a bit hot in the unshaded areas but perfect in the shade. There was good spectator support to make up for there not being much else to look at. I did love this courses elevation or lack there of. This race was so flat but not quite perfectly flat. It was one of the fastest half marathon courses I have ever run. I was super happy I was keeping a very steady pace and was on pace to finish under 3 hours and maybe even beat yesterday. Course was well marked with Km markers. I would have liked a mile marker every 5 miles just to help with pacing to see how my watch was matching up as I was trying to beat yesterday but not a big deal they weren’t there (So I don’t seem like an ignorant American who only understands mile markers, I also like it when US races have Km markers every 5 Kms along with the mile markers as I’ve been monitoring my pace with both). Aid stations were a bit infrequent early in the race but plentiful near the end when most needed. They had water and electrolytes and one had the delicious Xact fruit bars most Canadian races use. I was super happy to see the football stadium and was definitely going to finish under 3 hours and with a strong finish beat yesterday. I was happy to reach the finish line under 2:55 giving myself negative splits and my first back to back sub 3 hour half marathon weekend. I do love a finish line in a football stadium. I got my medal which is nice and spins and didn’t break. The only issue with the football stadium finish is the stairs up. There were some snacks including some refreshing fruit pops and I walked back to where my mom could pick me up. Overall this wasn’t the most scenic race I’ve ever done but it was well organized and one of the flattest and fastest. This is probably a one and done for me but I would love to see how I would do on that course with fresh legs. I wouldn’t really consider Winnipeg a vacation destination but I’d recommend this race if you are running the Provinces or looking for a BQ/PR race. Other than potential for hotter weather, this course had the perfect amount of participants and the perfect elevation profile to get a nice PR.
Finish in the CFL Stadium
Ok, I don't know squat about CFL (or really the NFL but...) but the Blue Bombers is where it all ends! Pay for parking at one of the shuttle lots … MORE
Ok, I don’t know squat about CFL (or really the NFL but…) but the Blue Bombers is where it all ends! Pay for parking at one of the shuttle lots if you’re from out of town and save the panic in the morning. These were big lots and they had a huge bus to drive you to the start. It was nice to talk to people from all over the place (most of whom were very confused by the rando American who came to Manitoba…). The race starts on the campus of the the University of Manitoba and is relatively flat with some uphills here and there. When you come into the finish line, you enter the stadium and run on the turf which was challenging because you’re really trying to sprint and you don’t have cleats. They had plastic mats to run on but that was actually harder because they shifted. You were on the jumbotron as you crossed and then got your medal. Then you get to walk up from field level ALL THE WAY UP to the top level of the stadium (brutal!). Nice thing is, there were real bathrooms to use since it is a stadium, both before and after. Really great food after, super eco friendly (they had people at the trash cans making sure you got it right!). You could hang out before you shuttled back to the car. They mailed AG awards which I thought was nice so you didn’t have to stand around forever (it was a big field so waiting would have been quite a production). Free pics. Nice city, friendly people.
Flat course through prairie city
I previously lived in Winnipeg and was proud to finally get a chance to run this race. The course was very flat and wound through several Winnipeg neighborhoods. There was … MORE
I previously lived in Winnipeg and was proud to finally get a chance to run this race. The course was very flat and wound through several Winnipeg neighborhoods. There was a lot of crowd support as it is a big event in the city. There were a ton of water stations, but what I really loved was that there were several stations that included ice-cold sponges soaked with icy water. It made a huge difference for me. It wasn’t a terribly warm day but it definitely helped cool me off at various points along the course. I loved the finish area inside the football stadium.
Well designed flat, fast course
I've run 30+ marathons, but this was the first time running the Manitoba Marathon. The course is flat and fast with enough turns to keep it interesting, but not slow … MORE
I’ve run 30+ marathons, but this was the first time running the Manitoba Marathon. The course is flat and fast with enough turns to keep it interesting, but not slow you down. On the right day this can be a PB course. The limiting factor being the weather, which I suspect tends to be on the warmer side. This year was quite good; starting out cool and foggy and burning off after about an hour and no wind.
The organizers do an excellent job running both the marathon and 1/2 marathon at the same time; keeping the races separate at key times as not to interfere with faster runners.
There were plenty of aid stations equipped with the standard water and electrolyte drinks, as well as sponges. The organizers were well prepared for heat. They also appeared well prepared for medical emergencies. I saw someone collapsed at a later point with EMS attending and a fire engine coming from the other way close behind.
The volunteers were excellent and were well organized.
The runners fair was quite small, but for me not that important. The T-shirts were nice (simple); you don’t feel like a billboard with sponsor logos plastered all over like some races.
My one complaint was getting to the race. We purchased a parking pass prior to the race as we were from out of town. It seemed like everyone also drove creating a chaotic traffic jam converging at IG Field. In hindsight we should have arrived an hour earlier. I’m not sure if it’s like this for CFL football games? At any rate I think dispersed parking lots with shuttles may be more effective.
Overall I enjoyed the race and would do it again if in the area.
Give this marathon a try.
This is my hometown marathon and I invite you to give it a try. The course is flat, but the weather is often quite warm on Father's Day. The route … MORE
This is my hometown marathon and I invite you to give it a try. The course is flat, but the weather is often quite warm on Father’s Day. The route is well-marked and the volunteers are exceptional. The finish line is in a stadium – so that makes it a bit more exciting. Participant shirts are very nice colours and style – but manufacture and sizing changes each year – so good luck with a size that fits. The relay adds to the fun – as there are more runners along the way. It is a Greener marathon – I volunteer after the marathon to sort our compost/ recycle/garbage waster. Over 80% of the waste is diverted from the landfill. Vehicle access is restricted on-site, and park and ride shuttles are offered.