Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half Marathon
Toronto, Canada
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
A World Athletics Elite Label Road Race, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5K is Canada’s premier running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the Canada Running Series. The flat and fast course leads runners through the heart of downtown Toronto, out and back … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Flat, fast course with few turns
Good course to get a PR. Although I was recovering from an injury so I took it easy. Well managed and lots of Cheer sections. The course was along the … MORE
Good course to get a PR. Although I was recovering from an injury so I took it easy. Well managed and lots of Cheer sections. The course was along the street and trail by the lake, but I did not find it particularly scenic.
The Whole Shebang in Toronto
TCS took on title sponsorship of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2022, and in full disclosure I am an employee of TCS so I got to benefit from their hospitality … MORE
TCS took on title sponsorship of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2022, and in full disclosure I am an employee of TCS so I got to benefit from their hospitality at the start/finish. This took the race to the next level for me, but from my observation it was great for other participants just the same.
I enjoyed the downtown start and finish centered around a main park and that the marathon took me past much of the city and along Lake Ontario. There was great support along the way. One thing I hadn’t counted on was needing to do some mental calculations coming down the stretch since there were no mile markers on the course (in Canada, of course, they measure with KM). Being a half mile away from the finish line and not knowing exactly how far it was behind the last curve, I found a second gear and made my BQ with a few seconds to spare. Goal met–time to celebrate!
The race also had a virtual option to do the whole shebang in the month of October–a 5K, a half marathon, and the marathon, which I did in person.
decent 5k
Point to point 5k ending at Toronto city hall. Maybe for out of city people it might be scenic but not much and you run on an underpass at a … MORE
Point to point 5k ending at Toronto city hall. Maybe for out of city people it
might be scenic but not much and you run on an underpass at a certain part. Course has one part where pedestrians try to cross and may distupt the race. Overall not doing it again.
Perfect race day
October weather in Toronto can be anything - but this year it was sunny, no wind and 8 Celsius at the start line. I also ran this race in 2016 … MORE
October weather in Toronto can be anything – but this year it was sunny, no wind and 8 Celsius at the start line. I also ran this race in 2016 when it was muggy and humid. The course is flat – a few hills in the second half but nothing difficult.
This is a well organized race – lots of volunteers – water tables were long enough to avoid crashing into people – great cheering stations – well set up finish area etc. I stayed at a hotel right on the start line which obviously makes for a stress free pre race experience.
The half and full marathon start together so it is crowded for the first couple of km, although the spaced out corral start times help. You do notice the decrease in energy when the half marathoners turn off at the 20 km mark.
My only issue was that there was a section where we ran underneath the Gardiner’s expressway for a few hundred meters. My Garmin GPS went crazy (my map after the race shows the signal bouncing all over the place). Bottom line, my watch suddenly recorded more than an extra km which really messed up my pace. Fortunately I attached myself to a pace bunny shortly after that and ran with him until close to the end of the race when I was too tired to care about my pace anyway!
All in all this is great race. I would definitely recommend it.
excellent event all around
This race is extremely well put together. It had more porta potties than i had ever seen. The course was really nice, the toughest part was the cable car tracks … MORE
This race is extremely well put together. It had more porta potties than i had ever seen. The course was really nice, the toughest part was the cable car tracks were slippery due to the rain. The crowd at the finish was amazing. Since the 1/2 and full finish at the same place, there were lines of people cheering you on, calling your name and encouraging you. Great after race snacks. I wish the 1/2 shirt wasn’t white. My watch also measured the course at 13.58, if it was really that far over, then my time was really great for me.
Well Done Canadian Run
Do you want to see the best of Toronto? Fun flat and fast run of Lake Ontario waterfront and downtown. Enthusiastic Crowd. Well organized. Crisp experience. The best of Canada. MORE
Do you want to see the best of Toronto? Fun flat and fast run of Lake Ontario waterfront and downtown. Enthusiastic Crowd. Well organized. Crisp experience. The best of Canada.
very organized production
This event is the biggest race in Canada and a very well organized production with hundreds of volunteers. Packet pick-up was quick and there were some good deals at the … MORE
This event is the biggest race in Canada and a very well organized production with hundreds of volunteers.
Packet pick-up was quick and there were some good deals at the expo, plus lots to see.
On race day itself, there were two minor annoyances:
– no matter where you park or alight, there is a very long walk (30-40 minutes) to your corral as the entire road is gated off with no access to the sidewalk except for narrow openings for each corral, and with over 26,000 runners plus spectators, the walk is slow and very crowded
– after the race, you are herded into a chute (again, entirely gated with no sidewalk access) to enter the food area – parts of the chute get very narrow and you come to frequent standstills as you shuffle ever so slowly with the crowd, tightly packed elbow to elbow.
Things I appreciated:
– accurate markers at every kilometre
– water/Gatorade stations every 2-3 kms
– gel station at the half-way point
– heated waiting area and indoor bathrooms inside the City Hall building
Tip: the tall buildings will play havoc with your GPS watch, so an old-fashioned pace band (free at the expo) is very useful.
another Canada Running Series success
As a newbie in my first year of running, I ran the 5k just to see what a big, international race is like. I'm happy to report that it was … MORE
As a newbie in my first year of running, I ran the 5k just to see what a big, international race is like. I’m happy to report that it was exciting and flawless. From race kit pick-up at the expo to the actual race itself, everything ran smoothly.
The race kit was only the Brooks shirt, bib and the fabric cinch-bag, but there were lots of free samples at the expo. I picked up free magazines, nutrition bars, a rain poncho, and one exhibitor was giving out cinch-bags that included a tech shirt. There was a variety of discounted merchandise for sale from Brooks, Garmin, Running Free, Running Room, etc., so I was able to do some shopping for major items. The only complaint I had about kit pick-up is the location. The venue was the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto, which is not easily accessible by public transportation, and if driving, parking was $14. There is slightly less expensive parking if you’re willing to walk a half kilometre or more, and much less costly parking if you’re willing to walk 1-2 km, but most out-of-towners would not know that.
On race day, there was lots of parking near the start line at Exhibition Place (but expensive – $20!), very short porta-potty lines that were only 1-2 deep, free McDonalds coffee, a flat course, lots of music and cheering, enthusiastic volunteers, chip time results available immediately at the Sportstats booth, and very well-organized post-race food pick up, again with short lines only 2-3 deep.
Caution: the tall buildings in the downtown core will play havoc with your GPS, so the pace showing on your watch might not be correct! Thankfully, there are timer-signs along the course so a pace band for the longer distances is a good idea.
The only logistical problem was getting from the 5k finish at City Hall back to the parking lot at Exhibition Place – the subway was open by 9:00 AM which gets you from Queen station to Union station for $3, but the 509 streetcar from Union went only as far as Spadina Avenue because of the street closures. It’s a 2 km walk from Spadina/Lakeshore along Lakeshore Drive to the Exhibition grounds, but you could see the half and full marathon runners along Lakeshore so at least it was not a boring walk. The drive home was also not optimal, as the Gardiner Expressway going east to the Don Valley Parkway was a crawl due to the usual density of downtown weekends, street closures from the race, and the sheer number of race participants.
Recommended if you want to experience the spectacle of an international race, but keep in mind that there are 26,000+ runners, so one must be patient getting to and from the race.
Fast Course
Home of famed marathoner - Mr. Ed Whitlock. It was just recently that I heard the sad news on Mr. Whitlock, and the running world has lost a legend - … MORE
Home of famed marathoner – Mr. Ed Whitlock. It was just recently that I heard the sad news on Mr. Whitlock, and the running world has lost a legend – RIP Mr. Whitlock. I was hoping for a chance to meet Mr. Whitlock when in Toronto, but did not get the chance. The course is fast, so anyone looking for a BQ – consider this one. Those staying at the Official Race Hotel had to take a bus to the Expo, but the running organization took care of the bus rides – once you checked into your room, just needed to go out front of the hotel and get in line and board the bus(es) – round trip was also arranged. The Expo was large. Crowd support was plenty, and plenty of fluids along the course. I would do this one again, and I highly recommend this one.