This was my 9th marathon, and my first time running Toronto. I was so impressed with the organization, numerous water stations and awesome volunteers. This was a great race. The course is nothing spectacular, but the cheering stations and friendly volunteers make up for it. The expo was a little light on booths, but that's not why i run a race. I would highly recommend this marathon, especially for a destination marathon. Toronto is such a great city; throw in a great marathon, and you have an amazing, memorable weekend. DO IT!

This was my 3rd marathon (Chicago and Portland were the others) and I chose Toronto Waterfront because of the date (October/November marathons force you to do morning training runs in the dark with unpredictable weather in Colorado), the flat course, and the attractive destination of Toronto. Overall, I was thrilled with my performance (3:59:30, shaving 23 minutes off of my PR) and the organization of the course. The weather seems consistently good for this race. Be sure to turn on your GPS watch before you get into the corral, otherwise you will have difficulty locking up due to being between some tall buildings. Also, the race is run on streets that do have some sharp crowns and potholes. In particular, the stretch between 20K and 25K is run in a single right lane of traffic. The irregular slope led to cramping in my legs at the end of the race.

On the good side, there were plenty of aid stations with water and Gatorade. I understand the other reviewer's comment that there were too many. I chose to stop at each one, but this is a personal choice, and you can skip a few if you want. The aid stations are fairly accurately marked on the course map so you can plan ahead. The final turn on Bay Street leaves you about a kilometer left, with the old City Hall in sight. It's a great visual to reel in, and the crowds were very supportive at the finish. Go for the optional massage. It was only a 10-minute wait, as long as you pre-pay. The post-race spread includes only water, Gatorade, bananas, and bagels, so stuff some extra snacks into your checked bag if you need more than that. Lines for port-o-lets were never bad. Pace groups are plentiful and well marked. There were some good speakers at the pre-race expo. Thank you, Toronto, for a great experience.

This was my first Waterfront Marathon and this is far and away the better of Toronto's two marathons (foolishly held a few weeks apart). The course was great and organization was excellent. The expo was one of the better ones I have been to. I ran the half and there were plenty of spectators cheering us on (unlike the hostility directed at us from people in the other Toronto marathon). Although this was not as big or intense as Ottawa, this is definitely number two for Canadian marathons.

This was my third marathon, and I came all the way from Florida because I heard great things about Toronto and the race. They had lots of water stations and a great first 15 miles, but I thought the last 10 were not as great with scenery and crowd support. Overall, a very positive experience!

Toronto's Waterfront Marathon is well organized and has a nice expo. Good start organization with well marked corrals. The course is quite flat and scenic, with well marked kilometers. Water and Gatorade stations were plentiful. The crowd support was minimal, but those who showed up were quite supportive. The race includes a half-marathon with more then twice as many runners as the full marathon. Putting your first name on the race bib was a nice feature, but the nicest features of all were the shiny, heavy, gold medal at the finish and the great massages available to runners who signed up in advance.

This was my 15th marathon. I thought they had too many water stations from 20K to 30K. I also had a beef with them telling me at 40K there would be no more water stations - and then finding one at 41K! Great volunteers and the bands were fun. More spectators would be nice.

- Sanjay

Very well organized, down to the details of having enough toilets, enough food at the end, etc....

Very flat course, nice view of the lake most of the time, including a six-mile stretch through a park surrounded by the lake on three sides. Great finish line, but not many spectators along the route.

Overall, very good. But I don't have much experience.

This race normally has nice weather. Well organized, and I love the website and the newsletters with all the updates. The course is nice, although they seem to change it often. The course volunteers are more than great, but not many spectators in between. The worst part was between miles 20-24, running under the Gardiner Expressway with few runners and fewer spectators. The last couple of miles were good.

Have run Scotia twice and both times the weather has been excellent. Good weather and a fast course. What is there to complain about?!?!

There is a good quality running expo, and a real attempt by the organizers to make this first-class. The record for the fastest marathon on Canadian soil was set in 2007 - proof of this effort. Also, the effort to put it live on CBC Country Canada and on the internet was a good idea. There are good groupings of people along the way (in the neighborhood cheering sections where mini-parties are going on) mixed with long stretches of loneliness (just you and the other runners). The mass start with the half marathoners make for a crowded first 5K, but the road widens to make the running masses less of an issue after that. Great to see the lead runners at several spots along the way as the course loops back (boy, are they fast and quiet). Next year there is a slight course change. The start and finish will be at Nathan Phillips Square (city hall by the Eaton Centre), which will mean more room at the start and finish line... but also a bit more of an incline on the final stretch (still not as far north as the finish for the Toronto Marathon later in October).

All in all, a good marathon... working to be better.

I came to this race with high hopes, having heard there would be bands on the course and other entertainment. I was also lured by the idea of running by the water in a beautiful waterside city. Well, toronto is indeed a beautiful city but I was a touch disappointed with the lack of musical support along the way. As I ran by most of the bands seemed to be taking a break, the Cossack dancers were taking a break, and even the cheerleaders were not very active. I would say I was running in the densest part of the field at 4 hours to 4.30 pace.

The route does follow the water quite bit but the only really special part is between kms 28 to 31 when you are out on the promontory in the national park area. The rest of the time you are on wide roads and not all that close to the water.