This marathon is not well organised but does flow fine for the first half but alas the later half seems to be where everything just seems to peter out. My positive experiences of it are:

1. Putting the name on the bib number is a nice touch and the supporters call out your name which is great
2. The course itself overall is a lovely course and is more hilly than I thought
3. The start of the coure does have the use of bathrooms which is a great facility
4. Hats off to anywhere there was supporters, because they were great and much appreciated

My negative experiences of this marathon are;

1. At the pick up for the first time ever in a marathon I was handed my bib number, and then my marathon shirt and nothing else! Most marathons provide at least a bag to take the stuff home, usually with a booklet on marathon info, some goodies, blister plasters etc
2. I was visiting from overseas, and my friend who lives in Toronto asked the guy on the information desk at the expo where exactly on the waterfront the marathon finished and he just shrugged his shoulders and said 'I don't know'.. What the hell was he doing on the information desk then????
3. I got a normal commuter bus to near the start, but had to ask several people where the start was. I meet a few people with the same problem.... Some signs would be a good idea
4. In the second half of the marathon the individuals manning the water stations were not interested in what was fundamentally their role of distributing water to the runners... I had to ask at two different stations for water... what on earth were they there for????
5. At one of the water stations near the end they ran out of cups, and on what was a very hot day, I had to ask for water to be poured into my mouth from a pitcher, not ideal in a marathon by any account

Overall my advice is don't bother doing this marathon, you can pay the same amount of money and have a much better experience with a proper well organised marathon. I read all the negative info before I ran it, and it was all true. My main purpose in Toronto was to visit a friend, and I travelled from Europe and took in the marathon as part of that visit. So I would just say don't do this one, enter the October marathon in Toronto which by all accounts is much better organised and is the 'real deal.!

This was my very first ever race, let alone Marathon and a throughly enjoyable experience. True to the description, the course was largely flat or downhill with very few hills to navigate. The end of the race dragged ( it's a marathon, it's supposed to!), but the double loop of Lakeshore added to the monotony . At this portion of the race there were very few marshalls etc and if you were alone, it would be incredibly easy to steer off the course as I did and the marshalls had no idea where to replace me to...so I know I did MORE than 26.2 miles. The crowds weren't exactly massive, but certainly very supportive and uplifting. The water stations were very well stocked, as was the gatorade and bananas, too.

And the finishers medal is HUGE! I'd run this event again without hesitation, but it's a shame that there were 2 marathons happening at the same time (Mississauga was at the same time). Toronto is one of the most wonderful cities in North America and deserves a flagship marathon, and not one that clashes with another on the same day in technically the same city.

My comments really need to be divided into two parts: the first 13.1 miles (or 21.1k) and the second.

The first half of the course is beautiful and fast despite some rolling hills. As you wind through Toronto there is plenty of fan support and ample aid. The police do an EXCELLENT job controlling traffic and cheering you on. There is plenty of shade provided by trees and buildings. Splendid first half!!

Now for the second half...boring and unorganized! It seems that the focus is clearly on the vast number of 1/2ers. After passing by the finish area on an out and back loop using a foot/bike path, the spectators, aid, and organization die off considerably. There were several intersections where there was no indication of which direction to go. At one point, a race volunteer yelled at me that all of us (in the top 10) were going to be disqualified because we missed a turn (we didn't). What great motivation for the second half. The aid stations were sparse and manned by unenthusiastic teens more interested in their cell phones than Gatorade. The 'over 20 acts of entertainment' on the course amounted to two bands next to each other at the 18 mile mark.

Overall a course that can be fast in a city that is great to visit, but it feels like a half-marathon that just happens to throw a full.

This was a nice marathon. There were many negative comments about the previous years race but I entered anyway because I wanted to see Toronto and I was not disappointed. I thought it was well organized, the course allowed a runner to see various parts of the city and you cannot beat a downhill course. A special shout out to the many volunteers because they were all friendly and helpful. There was no shortage of water on the course as mentioned last year (I finished pretty much in the middle) and there was no shortage at the finish line (the variety was somewhat lacking but I don't care about those things). The finishers medal was HUGE! You won't find many people at the beginning of the race to cheer you on but there were plenty at the end. Overall, I was quite satisfied. If you are looking for something big like Chicago, look elsewhere but don't be afraid to try this race, you will enjoy it.

This is a really nice marathon overall. The expo was a decent size, not too packed with vendors, and plenty of room to walk around. Excellent speakers at the Expo, like Katherine Switzer. Packet pick up was organized, but a little slow. Could be because I was there early and they were not completely set up. Nice touch with free 26.2 Marathon Stories book. Nice tech shirt (without sponsors all over it) and gender specific. I stayed at one of the host hotels (Hilton) and it was great there was a bus to transport you to the Expo (free) and to the start of the race ($6).

Mel Lastman Square at the start is open so you can use the restrooms inside and stay warm. The bag drop was immediately outside the building with the start line right around the corner.

I'm a flat lander from Florida, so I would say the course isn't flat. Althoug I believe it's a net downhill. At least the 'tougher' hills are near the begining and they are rolling. I think all of this contributes to good finish times. I did have a PR here by 5 min. The course is nice. You run through some interesting neighbor hoods and the second half of the course is ran along Lake Ontario. Not a ton of spectators along the course, but enough. My biggest problem was the course isn't completely closed to traffic. Parts are ran on a park path, with bicyclist, walkers, runners. Also, as you are running into downtown there are streets closed off and the police do a good job of controlling the traffic. But drivers take advantage and try to get through intersections where there are runners. I saw runners almost hit, including myself. Another issue is there were at least 2 support stations in the second half of the course that ran out of cups, but the volunteer offered to pour the water from the pitchers. There are plenty of support stations on the course. But it is important especially for the later stations to be well stocked late in the race as it warms up. For these last few reasons is why I gave the course a 3 and organization a 4.

The finish was nice. Very large medal is put around your neck at the finish. Variety of food, bagels, apples, bananas, protein drinks. There was food for purchase as well. Plenty of massage therapists, I didn't have to wait. Tents set up to change out of your running clothes and bus back to hotel. From the expo to the finish line this race has great volunteersThank You!

I really enjoyed the course!! Really nice neighborhoods and finishing by the lake was great!
You would expect more spectators for such a large city.. There appeared to be more people who were out for a stroll on the weekend going the opposite direction! I found this bizarre. I didn't have any issues with water stations- found there was lots of water! People were friendly- LOVED my pace leader!
Would probably do this race again!:)

Good:
-they had left-over shirts from last years race that they gave away at the expo
-finishers medal was huge!
-shuttle bus to the start worked well, and being able to hang-out inside with real toilets before the race was great
-Bill Rodgers starting the race off
-course was varied, and finishing by running along the lake was nice
-this is a small marathon, so I wasn't fighting crowds and was able to find my pace and stick with it for the entire race

Cons:
-the shuttle to the start was only for participants, so my family couldn't watch the start (public transport wasn't operating that early on a Sunday morning)
-I printed a course map before we left Houston and gave it to my family so they could see me at the finish line in Queens Park...only problem is they changed the finish line without updating their website. Needless to say my family missed me at the finish line.
-post race area was a confusing mess. I needed to take the shuttle bus back to downtown and there were absolutely no signs anywhere. there's nothing quite like wandering around looking for something after just finishing a marathon and not seeing any signs or volunteers around.
-the race shirt was the ugliest one I've ever gotten (this was my 32nd marathon). As soon as I got home it went straight to the donation pile.

It's a shame that a city like Toronto doesn't have a good marathon. The Waterfront Marathon doesn't get good comments either. Maybe instead of having two marathons they should have just one so they can focus all their energy on making it worth travelling to. My advice for anyone looking for a good destination marathon is to skip Toronto.

I was so happy to finally be back in Toronto after the miserable weather and circumstances surrounding the 2011 race. There was a more enthusiastic crowd this year. Yes, there was a shortage of water this year, but that's why I bring gum. Having fractured my ribs four months ago, I knew I was going to be an end-of-the-line runner anyway, so I used this marathon to see how well I do after an injury. I was actually able to work out the next day - having walked so much took the impact off my body and I felt great. Slow? Yea. But who cares? I walk away with the same medal and shirt as everyone else.
Two things: I've participated in many races and this one needs to do a little re-think regarding how to weave the half-marathoners in with the marathoners. It can be done, but look at events such as Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN - perfect timing of both half and full, perfect starting points for both...Toronto '12 the half and full kind of came together at an awkward time.

Third time running this marathon and it seems to get a little worst each time.

- no water at all (ran out of cups) after 26kms
- worst finish line ever - changed it recently (in 2011 I think) and it was completely uneventful
confusing course in the last 10 K with 120 kms traffic beside you with only pylons to protect you?

- will not run it again - there are far better runs for me to spend my hard earned $$ on!

The course is generally gorgeous with a nice mix of urban, neighborhood and park settings. There was one pretty ugly stretch, but it wasn't awful. The streets were not totally closed to traffic and I was concerned about this, but the police did a great job with the traffic so it really wasn't a problem. I've seen some comments about poor organization, but this was my 4th race and I found everything ran very smoothly (some people complain no matter what, I've found). I LOVED the fact that the half-marathon started an hour later, so the congestion that you get at some races with half and full marathons was not a factor.

The crowds were typical Canadian - very, very nice, very supportive (honestly, very attractive, too) but just a bit reserved. I will probably do this race again - it was well run and gorgeous.