May 4, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Toronto Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Toronto Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 3.8 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 160 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
|
A. M. from New York
(5/8/2016)
 "Embarassing for Toronto" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Toronto Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I wish marathonguide.com would give other options to evaluate the Organization besides 1 to 5 stars, like N/A . It felt like there was no organization at the 2016 Toronto Marathon. So I gave them two stars - one for a great medal and one for someone blowing a horn at the start, or otherwise we would be still standing there and waiting. At the (unimpressive) expo volunteers giving us numbers instructed each and every runner that we should bring your own zippered bag and no plastic bags . Most questions about the race were met with the same response Sorry, we dont know . The only person at the whole expo who looked like she knew something told us that there was no way to buy at the Expo the $15 shuttle tickets to the start which is 14 km away from the center. So how do we get there? Take a taxi or Uber . The weather on the Marathon day was quite miserable rainy, 8 degrees C (46F), with a strong wind of 32km/hr (20 miles/hr). At the finish we found our totally wet bags ( no plastic bags ) lying on asphalt without any cover under or above. I dont know if faster finishers got any wraps and/or foil sheets but when I crossed the finish line at 4:28 I didn't get any. Very cold and very wet, I asked volunteers if there were any sheets somewhere - sorry, we dont know . I can safely assume that the other runners who finished after me (33% of the finishers) didn't get any sheets as well. Most runners were shivering in the cold rain trying to find free shuttles to Central Toronto, as promised on their website. There were no shuttles. We asked volunteers - sorry, we dont know . We asked those volunteers whether there were any organizers anywhere in the finish area - sorry, we dont know . We asked the production company announcing finishers at the finish line no, there are no organizers here, we have nothing to do with them, and we have no idea where they are . Most finishers ended up walking to the nearest commuter bus stop, waiting for the next bus, then begging the driver to let us ride for free as most of us had no money with us. Then we had to transfer to a tram line to the city center, and beg for a free ride again. I guess we all looked so bad that no one would even think of asking us to pay. Toronto is a beautiful city. I think it was worth it for me to travel to Canada just to spend a few days there. But if I were a Mayor of Toronto, I would insist that the organizers of the Toronto Marathon change the name to something like Lakeview Run so as not to embarrass this great city! | |
|
A. O. from New Jersey, US
(5/2/2016)
 "Need to fix course markers!!" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Toronto Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Small-ish marathon, pretty much all very focused runners, not great for middle-of-the-pack runners. Poor course marking - there was no directional marking in the waterfront park, plus the marshals didn't know the route, with the result I ran an extra 1.5 miles. Not fun on a cold, wet and windy day! Several of the mile/km markers were wrongly placed. Also, horrible turnaround that seemed to never end. Very few spectators but that could have been because it was windy and raining. One big plus was that the volunteers were great - well, apart from a couple of the marshals not knowing the course. Very basic t-shirt and the finish food was a pita bread plus bottle of water. | |
|
M. C. from Toronto, Ontario
(5/2/2016)
"Understaffed and disorganized in 2016" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Toronto Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I ran this race a few times and this year's definitely took a nosedive in terms of organization. To start, not enough volunteers at water stations, and I often had to ask what was in the cup, water or Gatorade. They were just standing there saying nothing. At some stations you had to grab the cup from the table yourself. A lonely guy handing out the gels. Good thing for me there wasn't much traffic at the time and I got mine alright. No heat blankets at the finish! A couple more people handing out medals at the finish would be nice too. The checked bags were just left soaking in the rain, and you had to search through them to find yours. Green bananas at the finish, I can't even eat the one I got the day after. And their website was down so you couldn't look up your results. I know the weather was miserable on the race day but the organizers didn't do a very good job preparing for it. | |
|
B. V. from Markham, Ontario, Canada
(6/14/2015)
"Great Experience" (about: 2015)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My first marathon; I picked Toronto only because I'm local. First half was great; mostly downhill resulting in a really good split time. I expected more runners though; by the time I got to the lakeshore, it felt like a training run (by myself, hard to keep mental focus, pedestrians/cyclists unaware there was a race going on). Finished the race, but quite wobbly-legged; I received immediate assistance and they were fantastic in the medical tent; thank you so much. I thought the water stations were too sparse in the last 10 to 15K, otherwise great organization. And awesome medal. This was to be my first and last marathon; I just wanted to see if I could do it at my age (57), but I qualified for Boston so I might have to do one more race. | |
|
A. M. from Ecuador
(5/15/2015)
 "Go, run and enjoy a great marathon." (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Toronto Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 After reading some reviews from past years I was doubtful to choose this event as BQ. And those reviews were right: I did not receive a bag at the expo; during the marathon I saw other people running and cycling around without noticing that we´re in a marathon; and I did not really like the color of the shirt. And these are the reasons that prevented me to get my BQ... Probably that high percentage of runners that in fact BQed did like the shirt. The marathon is very well organized and, from my perspective, the organizers did everything at their reach to make things easy for the runners: very convenient pick-up bib and it was not a problem to bring my own back pack (as I have done in my previous 4 marathons); fantastic transportation to and from the start and finish; huge facilities to wait before the start; more than adequate aid stations; very nice attitude and support of the volunteers; appropriate directions and assistance during the course. After finishing the race (PR by the way) I payed a visit to the medical tent due to dehydration and high temperature (nothing to do with aid stations) and that allowed me to verify again a fantastic organization. Congratulations to all involved in putting into place this marathon. | |
|
R. C. from Toronto
(5/12/2015)
 "Ok course. Terrible organization." (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Toronto Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Medal is big but that's about it. This year all the full marathon marker signs prior to 35k were misplaced. They were 300m earlier than they should have been. As far as I can tell, the markers were placed according to the 2013 marathon course which was different then the route they used this year. The obvious example of this, was that the 21k marker was 400m prior to the 21.1k half marathon mark. Whomever was responsible for placing the marker signs did a terrible job. Please race director, there are only a few things that racers need in marathon and accurate marker signs is probably one of the most important. Complete fail. | |
|
C. B. from Florida
(5/5/2015)
 "Really good experience - do it!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Toronto Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had some concerns about based on prior comments (water stations, course directions) but the organization for 2015 was superb. Packet pickup at the expos was a breeze. Nice race shirts that aren't covered with sponsors names on the back. Shuttles to start were timely and plentiful. Wonderful to be able to wait inside at the start (and use real bathrooms!). Multiple water stations as described that had ample volunteers. Course has more rolling ups and downs than you would expect from looking at course map and the downhills beat me up a bit. The second half of the marathon is a bit dull on the lakeshore path but those miles aren't usually very fun anyway. Spectators were enthusiastic. Weather was a touch warmer than ideal towards the end but I ran a PR all the same and enjoyed a lovely day in the sun at the finish. Really nothing negative to say about this race. Wonderful job by everyone involved! | |
|
J. L. from Fort Frances, ON, Canada
(5/5/2015)
"Getting Better..." (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Toronto Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have run this since '11. Participant shirts are MUCH better than those ill-fitting Karbon shirts that always felt two sizes too small...there aren't many spectators at this one but the teen volunteers, medical staff, etc more than make up for that in enthusiasm. Other runners are very friendly and courteous. Plenty of porta-potties and water stops. Shuttles back downtown from finish. Weather was terrific! This time of year in Toronto you can either have freezing off-lake winds with snowflakes and ice pellets or sun-kissed perfect days like this one. MANY more half marathoners than marathon runners. Was a little worried at the start when I saw hardly anyone lining up for the marathon! All 14,000 must've done the half! Great times. Thanks GoodLife & see you in '16! | |
|
F. M. from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
(10/26/2014)
"Solid race with huge medals!" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Toronto Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought this race was well organized, had adequate water/gatorade stops and solid fan support. Although windy in 2014, this race serves as an excellent Boston Qualifier opportunity. Highlight of the event had to be the medals, which were absolutely huge. Would definetely recommend this event. | |
|
J. H. from Toronto
(5/8/2014)
"Not Doing This One Again" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Toronto Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This is my 4th Toronto marathon in a row and each year has gotten progressively worse. The shirt is awful, there were no other 'giveaways' and no bag for your stuff. The expo gets worse each year but kudos to the volunteers who were great. The course isn't too bad but pretty deserted second half |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
