calendar icon Oct 31, 2024

Marathon Details - Manitoba Marathon

North America Marathons > Canada > MB > Winnipeg > Manitoba Marathon

Manitoba Marathon

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Manitoba Marathon & Half Marathon, Marathon Relay, 10K, 5K

location icon Winnipeg, MB Canada

calendar icon June 15, 2025

calendar icon http://www.manitobamarathon.mb.ca

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Race Details

A flat, fast, and scenic course, with a maximum elevation change of 10 feet, that gives every runner, in every event, the opportunity for an outstanding performance.

Contact Information

Name: Shirley
Address: Manitoba Marathon
500-200 Main St.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada MB R3C 4M2
Phone Number:  011-204-925-5751
Fax Number: 011-204-925-5749
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (81)

Course Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.0 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.9 
 
 
Number of comments: 81 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

 

D. R. from Toronto, Canada (7/23/2017)
"This is one of the best races I've done recently" (about: 2017)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Organization & volunteers were great. The course was fast & very very flat. The finish is inside the Blue Bomber (football) stadium and was well stocked even for those arriving in the last hours. As you exit the stadium, there were refreshment stations along the way to the exit.

Then on top of all this, I came in 2nd in my category and they mailed me the category winner medal.

 

D. H. from Atlanta, GA (6/25/2017)
"Nice selection for a summer marathon" (about: 2017)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I enjoyed my time at the Manitoba Marathon.

The good: Organization & volunteers were great. The course was fast & flat and went through many scenic areas. Medal is beautiful. The finish in the Blue Bomber stadium (a very nice touch) and was well stocked. As an additional touch, as you left the stadium, there were refreshment stations along the path you took to leave. No excuse to not have gotten food after the race.

The bad: Nothing about the race. But if I remember a negative about the overall experience, it's that, it took FOREVER to get to Winnipeg and back again from Atlanta, GA.

The neutral: Not the most inspired shirt. This does not matter to me, but I know it does to others.

 

Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (6/22/2016)
"Green, Flat, and Well-Organized" (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


There is a first time for everything& This marathon was put on by the University of Manitoba or was put on in conjunction with the University. Check-in was on campus, and check-in was a breeze. They had a nice expo too, and there were free samples of different food and drink options that would be of interest to runners. That was a nice choice to have, and it saved money from getting a hotel room, you could park on campus, walk to the start line, and not have to fuss with shuttles. It worked great; it was like being in college again for a day. The event started and finished on the University Of Manitoba campus. The course was basically a closed loop, except the start and finish line were not exactly at the same point - but very close. This event had the 10K, ½ marathon and full marathon people all start at the same time, but they were segregated into different lanes in the (closed) road, then joined up a mile or so down the road, only to be separated again at prescribed point along the course, as the course meandered through the community. The course was on concrete or asphalt. There were about 650 marathon runners, so after the ½ marathoners separated, the runners were really thinned out.
The weather was decent. There was a thunder shower during the middle of the night, so there were puddles, and everything was wet. And the humidity was high, but the sun was obscured by clouds almost until noon. So it never got really hot. Still, the humidity kept the runners pretty soaked. From early in the race, I never had a mental picture of where I was in the town. A lot of that was because I was from out of town and I did not recognize anything. But the course was extremely well marked, and there were volunteers all along the course guiding the runners. The course was flat. It would have been a good race for getting a PR on (though I was not that fortunate). The course was very green, and pleasant. There were adequate water stations, and they were staffed with friendly & helpful workers. There were no gels available on the course and there were no other carb snacks either. So you brought your own gels or you had to make do with Gatorade and water. There was quite a mess of cups along the course, near water stations, but there were always volunteers helping to pick stuff up too. Law enforcement did a great job of controlling the traffic and keeping the runners safe.
The post-race was on the Universitys track field, and the course organizers did a good job of keeping the non-runners out of the recovery area where they had food and drink refreshments  even popsicles! Also, bagels, chips, protein drinks, bananas and chocolate milk come to mind as I write this. The finishers medal was nice; it was robust and solid too.
There are a few unique things I would like to point out. They gave the runners a small bagel in a sealed bag. This was a very good idea. Single serving, it was clean, and fresh. So many races cut up larger bagels and just have them all sitting out in the open air. I have never seen it done like this before, but I liked it. Another thing is that the event T-shirt had the logo in the lower left part of the shirt, almost on the side. I asked one of the officials about it. They chose this option, because some runners, she told me, dont like the logo across the front. This was also something I had never seen before. And this course had a mandatory 6-hour time limit. They had two milestones, or geographical points, that you had to reach by a published time, or you would be removed from the course and taken to the finish-line for re-hydration and refreshments (and receive a DNF!). In having run the course, I can see why they do this. There are lots of road crossings and road closures and law enforcement support only last for 6-hours; it would not be safe to leave anyone out there after the support people leave their positions on the course. When I asked about an early start a year ago, the declined and said, Just train harder and get your time below 6 hours. That is not very accommodating, but that is the way it has to be on this big city course. The other interesting thing is that Canada is all metric now, but this race continues with the mile markers (vs. kilometers). Both Maritime Provinces I have run marathons in used kilometers  so for those races we had to have some idea of unit conversion.
I am glad I made the drive from the States and ran North of the Border. They have a beautiful community, the race is well organized, the University is very accommodating, and the course is runner-friendly. Just be sure to bring your own gels and carb snacks.

 

S. R. from Blumenort, MB (9/18/2015)
"Flat, Fast and Friendly!" (about: 2015)

6-10 previous marathons | 4-5 Manitoba Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


While this is not the most glamorous of marathons I've ran, if you're looking to run a BQ, it's a perfect choice!

The traditional Father's Day race has the potential to be quite warm (like this year) but there is adequate liquids in large cups to keep you hydrated! Finishing on the University Stadium track is always a thrill, and the start in front of the beautiful Investor's Group Field is an added touch.

Definitely take advantage of the park-and-ride shuttles, as parking near the start/finish can be tough.

 

B. M. from MO (6/23/2015)
"Fast, flat, scenic course" (about: 2015)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Well organized with great volunteers. VIP package over rated. Food was excellent, support on course. Would only change they need electrolytes at all aid stations.
km were off but mile markers were spot on.

 

S. h. from Down East (9/8/2013)
"Great Route Great Weather" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


Ran the half this year. Expo was good. Race day was simple, using the remote parking areas and bussing into the university. Scenic, shady, flat course. Really nice medal and shirt was nice looking but the women's was very short. Men's was perfect.
Not sure why a race in Canada would use miles. That was a bit odd.
The only real negative I have is that the distance from finish line to any sort of refreshment was far too great. Especially on a warm day.
Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this race with a big event feel.

 

L. D. from Calgary, Alberta (6/25/2013)
"Nicely organized race" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I really enjoyed the Winnipeg marathon. The shuttle buses to the start ran smoothly and I got there in plenty of time. Despite having many race options at the start (relay, full marathon, half marathon, fun run), the organization was excellent, with very clear, precise announcements getting runners in the right chutes at the right start times (starts were staggered according to race type and finishing times). This is the first time in 16 marathons (including bigger ones like Honolulu and New York) that I could actually hear and understand the announcements beforehand! There were numerous water and aid stations, and the many sponge stations and vaseline were a blessing given the warm weather. Nice volunteers and lots of young people along the course handing out licorice, freezie pops, and ju jubes, or just holding out a hand for you to high five as you ran by. I had many good photos taken along the course as well. The course was flat and fast. I did not mind the numerous relay runners as they did not impede my race, and in fact provided welcome company. My only criticism of this race might be that I did not see regular mile or kilometer markings along the course, but perhaps I just missed them. Thanks for a great race, Winnipeg!

 

B. H. from Winnipeg, Manitoba (6/19/2013)
"Nice race through my home city!" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 2 Manitoba Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


It was nice to run in my home city again. Manitoba marathon 2006 was my first full. The volunteers & spectators were awesome! A joy to know so many of them. It's a beautiful flat course. Much of the first half is shaded. Running through two of the cities parks, along some lovely older treed streets & past a few historical sites. The finish at the U of M had lots of room for us to walk, get food & cool down. The bus shuttle service worked well for getting us back to our cars. Great job organizers!

 

C. R. from Regina, Sakatchewan (6/19/2012)
"Nicely organized, marathon-oriented race" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I was quite impressed with this event-having read previous years' comments and also spoken to people who had previously run I wasn't sure what to expect.

The plusses for me are that they really emphasize the marathon (unlike some races where the half and other races are given all the attention and the full is left to its own devices). There was a separate gear check tent for marathoners, so no line ups, and there was a separate start lane for marathon runners. That was terrific as there was no fighting with halfers to get to the start line, etc.

Another plus is that there were race officials on bikes riding up and down the course the whole race. I think I saw the same person a dozen times, so I always felt that if something went wrong I would be taken care of quickly. There was also an ambulance that rode along more or less on my paceuntil they were dispatched to help someone elsewhere. Great medical support overall. The cooldown tent, with ice-cube cooled chairs was great too.

Water stations were ample and all of them had plenty of water, Gatorade, and sponges (yeah, sponges!), and the volunteers were terrific. There were also 4-5 shower stations around the course. It was warm, but not hot, but it was easy to stay cool on race day. They were prepared for much worse, which was nice.

I really liked the course, especially the stretches in the more beautiful parts of the city.

On the cons side: there were three stretches where we ran in one lane and cars drove on the other (well separated by pilons). As an asthmatic, the exhaust caught up to me by mile 22 and I had to slow up and walk quite a bit to avoid a full on asthma attack. As an asthmatic, I am very sensitive to these kinds of things and I don't think I would have cared at all about the cars were I not an asthmatic, so it shouldn't dissuade people from choosing this fine race. It's just an issue specific to me and others who might have breathing-related issues. I wasn't at all sore for the days following the race, so I know I had lots more to give...

Food choices were a bit spartan at the finish. One other negative is that though the shuttle bus from the parking areas worked for me (the race operates continuous shuttles from 4-5 parking spots around the city to avoid race area congestion), I spoke to a few people who missed the start due to there not being enough buses. My own observation was that though there were two buses waiting to pick up, and hundreds of people waiting, the dispatcher on the ground refused to load more than one bus at a time. Our bus driver implored the dispatcher to load the other bus, and even told him that he had been told to tell the dispatcher to load all the buses at the same time, yet it didn't happen. I'm not sure what can be done to fix this issue as clearly the race organizers have worked really hard to respond to the criticism of their race to put on a great event. It's possible that all the other shuttle locations operated much better.

Overall, then, this is a terrific race for a marathon, with a nice flat and fast course. I'll run it again despite my concerns about exhaust, though maybe just as a training run.

 

C. M. from Minnesota (6/19/2012)
"Should be called Manitoba Relay" (about: 2012)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


I thought I'd try a Canada race, for a change. While overall, it was a decent experience, I don't think I'll go back.
CONS: Mostly relayers run the race - out of 14000 advertised participants, only 659 ran the full marathon. I got pretty tired of relay runners zipping by me by mile 20.
I know I'm in the back of the pack, but the spectators seemed few and often quiet (calm Canadians?) This felt more like a small town race, rather than a big city race.
Yes to KM's comments earlier - the volunteers did appear to re-use the sponges! I avoided them.
I did not like sharing the streets with cars the last 3 miles, with just orange cones separating me from errant drivers (yes, one drove outside the cones toward runners).
I also did not like being funneled through a maze at the end to get to the recovery tent.
PROS: It is a flat course, as advertised.
The volunteers were AWESOME!! They were enthusiastic and supportive throughout.
Volunteers and law enforcement did manage traffic well (except at the near end).
Plenty of water stops and porta-potties.
I did enjoy the course as it wound through Assiniboine Park and lovely neighborhoods.
In summary, if you want a calm, flat course, this is for you. If you want the comaraderie of other marathoners or more spectators, this is not for you.

 

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

 
 
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