I live in Toronto. I don't live in North York (through which the first half of the marathon was routed) because the architectural scenery is bland, repetive, and boring. I would have preferred to run a more interesting route during those first 12 miles or so. Experiencing Bathurst and Steeles on a Sunday morning, with all the irate drivers (run a mile in OUR shoes, and then dare to honk!) does little to encourage a first-time marathoner. (Kudos the police for managing them as well as they did!)

However, if crossing the finish line wasn't enough reward for my efforts, receiving my medal from a tall, statuesque blonde with a bobbing Adam's apple was a curiously appropriate ending to an epic journey.

It was an good time had by all. Really great volunteers and friendly people.It was very well organized and the perfect weather conditions made this my most enjoyable marathon yet. Toronto drivers are suprisingly rude, but the police and bike marshals did a great job protecting runners. The city needs to give more support and close the street. I will be back for the next edition!

The course was much more scenic than I anticipated. Unfortunately there was no entertainment along the course as promised. Our entertainment was dodging cars and watching traffic enforcement being yelled at by Torontonian drivers. There was absolutely nothing to eat or drink at the finish line. Glad to have done this race but wouldn't go back.

First Half was in industrial/faceless part of city. Second Half thru much of midtown and downtown. For this marathon to be put on the map, we need to shut down the heart of the city like NYC, and make the first half as good as the second. No wonder there are so few spectators.

I chose the CIM in Toronto for my first marathon over the Casino Niagara due to scheduling restrictions. After reading several mixed reviews about last year's, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the course, organization, support and traffic control, though I didn't partake in the Expo/carb dinner.

A beautiful day, clear, light breeze, mid 40's.

Rookie mistake, I started out way too fast, there are a couple of serious hills in the first half, and really struggled 2nd half. Finished in 3:48.

I would definitely recommend the race, and if the start is in the same spot (Mel Lastman Square in North York) stay at the Novatel which is right upstairs. Reasonable, nice, convenient accomodations.

It was great!!! Loved the course, the water stations and entertainment. Even in the rain, it was a great great time.
The people are the best. This one you gotta run.

Had a great time running this one last weekend. I ran with a pace rabbit....that was great! There were few fans though....those present were enthusiastic but would have liked to see more. Will be doing it again next year.

Good organization and the logistics of transporation and bag check worked very well, but the organizers have got to find a new route for the first 21 km. We runners get a lot of encouragement from the spectators, and there were close to none in the first half. Also the scenery in this first half is very dreary as we run mostly through commercial parks. There's got to be more to Toronto than what we experienced in the second half of the race.

The CIM was my third marathon and my best so far in that long road to Boston. I'm 54 and struggled to come in at 3:30 due to an earlier injury and an interupted training schedule. Every aspect of this event worked...excellent water stations, course, crowd support and the marathon marshals helped bring me in. At around 32-33K, the people at the medical station quickly took care of my left foot and got me back on the course after a 4 min 'pit stop' and a marshal even ran with me for about a mile to make sure I was ok. This is a good organization and deserves more respect for the outstanding job they do. My only other marathons; NY and Chicago were great too, but it would be unfair to compare since they are much larger and have 50 times the budget. I would recomend the CIM to anyone, especially those who have never visited Toronto, one of the greatest cities I've ever visited.

CIM was my first and probably one of my best marathon experiences. I felt that the crowds were great. I am a mid-pack runner and for most of the course there was someone cheering me on. In fact when I was feeling a bit 'out of sorts' with about 5 km to go, a friendly lady shouted words of encouragement to me- I guess I didn't look too good. Traffic control was fine- the cops took the heat from some of the angry Torontonians, so that we could focus on our run. At one point, traffic was held up at 4-intersections just for me. As far as the course goes- I found it uplifting to be running through the heart of Toronto, especially University Ave. at the end. The course is a bit challenging at points- but definitely doable. I found the organization of the marathon excellent. We started the race on time, the km and mile markers were accurate and the water stations were fully supplied. Also, our results were posted almost immediatley after we finished and we received a postcard soon after the run with our official results. All in all, my first effort brought me in, within 2 minutes of my qualifying time for Boston- not bad! CIM is definitely on my list of upcoming marathons.

Congrats to the staff and volunteers of CIM for a job well done!