Toronto Marathon - Race Reviews

My son has run this marathon for the last 2 years and we have gone to support him. This year was disappointing in that for the last few miles the marathon runners had to run on a path that also had strollers, walkers, skateboarders, cyclists, and recreational runners. After running for over 3 hours and entering the hardest part of the course it must be very frustrating for the runners to have to run around people who are totally oblivious to the marathon runners. Also, when the run was finished the racers were corralled into a building to pick up their food. The building was very humid, stuffy and chaotic. In the past they have had this outside. Just wondering why it was changed. My son also commented that at one point he almost went the wrong way because the course was not clearly marked. It is unfortunate because there is quite a few people running in this race and I am sure the local businesses profit from all the people in attendance.

The marathon organizers are unfriendly, clueless and don't take pride into the organization and experience of the race for the runners! The course is incredibly poorly marked leaving those especially running the marathon, exposed to potentially taking wrong turns! The water/Gatorade situation is very chaotic with many stretches of neither available, and last but not least, the road closure situation is potentially dangerous, and in some spots that traffic is not closed off at all, or during the long and super boring stretch along a bike path, where runners literally have to negotiate space with walkers/cyclists and even parked cars in a residential building!

I've run 19 marathons, large and small. This was by far the least inspiring, most poorly organized, least-friendly. Getting information was like pulling teeth, begrudgingly given. Sad expo, sad race start in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of people were misdirected on the course (read the write-up about it on marathonguide), 9 miles on a bike path dealing with cyclists and recreational runners, no mylar blankets at the finish, an hour wait for a shuttle bus. Oh, and if you stay at the host hotel don't expect them to help you or know anything either. Plus, you have to pay for the shuttle to the start even if you're paying $300+ a night to be at the host hotel. Never again.

I ran this Marathon May 2018. When I registered, I bought a ticket for the shuttle to the start line and stayed at the Hilton. The expo, hotel, shuttle were has to do with the aid stations. There weren't enough water stations and most were poorly managed. There advertised gels but I didn't see anybody handing them out and the banana they gave out was hard, green and inedible. A lot of runners were having to stop at the last few miles because there were no water stations during a long stretch of 4 miles. A cyclist got me a cup of water, which was the only reason I was able to finish without passing out. I would consider running this marathon again but making sure I brought my own fluids, especially for the second half when you will need it the most.

After having read a lot of negative comments related to the previous editions, I was not sure what to expect from this race. Well I must say that I second every comment of Beth Ordman. The race was well marshalled, the aid stations were numerous with a good supply and efficient volunteers. As for the out and back section at the end of the race, well I suggest you have a look at the map on the website when you register... I agree that this part was tough, especially with the wind, but it was perfectly announced on the website and should not come as a surprise... The medal is the biggest I have ever seen for a marathon (and I have run 212)... The only minus point would be the lack of indications on how to reach the shuttle bus at the end of the race. That should be easy to sort out. Congratulations to the organizers for a very well organized and super nice marathon.Thanks Toronto.

Medium sized expo with everything you could need. Easy package pickup. One thing that could be better is the maps they have of start and finish set-ups to help people plan - esp. out-of-towners. Lots of us runners on the wrong side (east) of the square arriving at the start with no idea where to go (couldn't see the start on the west). Great access to a warm building and washrooms before the race. A bag check if you use that (to drive your clothes to the finish on this point to point course). Great volunteers at every turn - I was looking for them because of some previous feedback about wrong turns on previous races, but they were obvious and loud enough. Course has one significant climb relatively early, not a tough course overall for me - lots of downhill in the first half, train for that. Lots of police stopping traffic. Basic food at the finish, but enough. Ran my BQ minus 8+ mins, so I am happy. Was running it to redeem myself after that hypothermic Boston disaster I had 3 weeks ago. Thanks Toronto Marathon - I will be at Boston 2019 now.

I ran the event in 2018. I have run 5 marathons previously and I will not run this marathon again. The course: The first 20 miles are very nice. Wide open streets, downhill and through beautiful areas of Toronto. The last 10k are out and back along a mostly paved path. There are lots of turns, potholes and slight dips and rises until you turn around and head back to the finish line. While on the path, there were people walking dogs, a skateboarder and many cyclists; almost all oblivious to the fact we were running a marathon. Looking at my splits, I ran the last half 3 minutes slower than my first half and still passed over 50 runners. The last 10k of a marathon are rarely enjoyable, that is particularly true for this event. Organization: Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this event. You have to purchase a ticket for the shuttle bus by April 15th. 3 weeks before the deadline to sign up for the mararhon. This isn't immediately clear on the website and resulted in me having to find alternate arrangements to the start line. On the course the water stations are poorly staffed and managed. The first 2-3 have no Gatorade. Some of the stations had less than 5 people working at them. The cups were different sizes. There are no gel stations and the banana station had the greenest looking bananas I have ever seen. The bottom line is be prepared to carry your own fuel. Spectators: This does not have the feel of other events where the city comes out to watch and support participants. Despite being a beautiful morning, I felt like the only spectators were those who had a family member or friend in the event. This event seems to have the suppport of very few local running clubs, does not seem to have many repeat participants, nor does it seem to appeal to many as a destination marathon. I just feel like there are better options both locally (Mississauga) or a relatively short drive away (Pittsburgh) on the same day.

After the 5K race, none of the volunteers could tell me what was next - where to go to find results, how to claim award (I came first in my category), etc. I asked at every booth and security people - no one knew anything. So I went home. Looked at the Website for the run and tried to open up the awards and medals page - these pages would not open (other pages did but not these two). So I am stil in the dark about whether I get an award or medal and how to claim it.

Ran the marathon in 2017. Definitely a PR course, and overall a nice route in and around Toronto. Race organization was good, and although the expo was pretty basic, it had good representation from local running stores. People were very nice and helpful. Hilton host hotel was fantastic, highly recommend it. Great that the race organized a shuttle to the expo and also the start - that worked out great. Only criticism is that some parts of the race course aren't marked very well and some of it (on the lakefront) is on paved pathway. A couple times I had to ask a course marshal to point which way to go. This could be easily solved by a few more cones with a directional arrow on them. Other than that, it is a nice event that I'd be willing to do again. Weather can be tricky, and it was windy today but fortunately nice and cool.

I was really looking forward to running this marathon. Loved the layout of running through the city. I know the weather was awful and there's nothing you can do about that. I don't blame spectators for not being out there. I was shocked how uneventful the expo was. The one thing I just couldn't understand was that our bags we checked in at the start were waiting for us in a wet parking lot. Everything in my bag was wet. Not good under the weather conditions. Why would you take bags of dry/warm clothes and throw them in the cold/rainy parking lot to just get wet. I don't get it.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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

This was my second time running this marathon and I will not be running it again. The first time that i ran this race was back in 2010 when it was still held in the fall and it was a great first marathon experience for me. That was not the case today. As people from previous years have said, the race kit consists of only a bib and shirt, no other swag or goodies, and they don't even give you a bag to put it in. The expo was small and uneventful. The first half of the course was great and a fantastic tour of the city, the second half runs along the waterfront on open trails where you literally are dodging pedestrians and bikers who seem completely unaware that a marathon was happening. There were no Marshals on course at that point and people seemed lost and didn't know where to go or what direction the route was going. Again you would never have known there was a marathon going on as there was virtually no crowd support and barely any entertainment on course. No one cheered you on until probably 200 metres from the finish line. The worst part was that not once, but Twice I was asked by a volunteer to stop so that a car could pass by. Seriously, are you kidding me?? This might be good for a half which it pretty much caters to but not for a full. One positive is that the medal is amazing, its huge.

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.

The weather made the day this year. Temps getting up around 60, sunny, and a cool breeze. Past comments about crowd participation had me wondering what to expect. Wow, was I blown away! The people of Toronto were out in full force. My group's pacer Julian had us rolling through the 1/2 within 30 seconds of pace, and the finish within 60 seconds. My hat goes of to him for doing a fantastic job. Only two minor negatives on the day. First you pass the finish line with over 10 miles to go. This was somewhat demoralizing knowing you were getting farther away. However, the scenery along the shoreline made up for this part. And finally, there was not enough water at the finish. With all of the 1/2 and full marathon runners finishing together it was hard to find a drink. Overall I had a fantastic experience in Toronto, and would recommend this marathon to anyone.

Ran the half as preparing for Ottawa but here are my comments; 1. Loved the new route and the finishing location 2. Exiting the finish area was way too congested - one exit, narrow and right onto the marathon course 3. No water in finish area 4. Lack of water at water stations  had to stop and wait to get water twice 5. Great finishers medals for the 1/2 6. No t-shirt specific for the 1/2  why not!!!??? 7. Spectators were sparse but those that were there were great  especially at the finish line This has the opportinity to be a great race but needs to take care of everyone and iron out the kinks.

The good: a scenic tour through the streets of central Toronto, perfect weather. The bad: stunningly inept course measurement after 15km mark; very poor course markings after 28km mark (signs telling runners left or right would have helped); no water at finish!! How the heck does this happen? Wow, what a colossal mess. I have participated in over 30 marathons and this was by the far the worst experience I've had. Avoid this race.

I've run this marathon twice and supported friends mutiple times. Writing this today after getting home from the event frusatrated and spending the afternoon listening to dissapointment of others. The organizers of this event didn't get it in the past and though they have made changes, the marathon portion still doesn't work. I think this shows in that out of the '15,000' participants they brag of on their website, less than 1600 were marathoners and few - if any - professionals attended at the marathon level. Just local heroes. The Course: Much has been debated about it's undulations.Not worth repeating. What does need to be pointed out is that the logistics of the day will leave yourself, friends and family frustrated and in tears. My friends and I *live* here and our day was difficult, confusing and angering. The race starts in the far north end of the city which is difficult to get too and from the morning of. If you have friends or family with you, they will be stuck there until the subway opens, or forced to pay an expensive taxi ride to a more southern part of the course. If they choose to stay in the start area, there is nothing in the area at 8:00 other than closed Korean restaurants and dollar stores. They will also have a very difficult time catching up with you before the finish, because the weaving course layout is practically impossible to follow by public transit. Since all the streets are close, following by car is a nightmare. Start/Finish Area: Read all the negative comments about the Start. They are all true and haven't changed. The Finish this year was at Ontario Place. Still extremely difficult to get to and a long walk from the streetcars -especially with kids or elder parents in tow. You'll walk at least 1/2 hour to Finish from closest streetcar stop. Though there's the promise of parking at the Ex, don't even try taking your car. The Finish area is disorganized, with no signage and few volunteers. From there it is an excercise in 'follow the lost' and intuiting your way to where the shuttle busses are back to the city. Again, no volunteers, signage, announcements or other wayfinding direction to guide you to the bus and no indication of which bus to take once you are there. The walk from race Finish to bus and from bus to parking upon downtown arrival was ridiculously far and gruelling after running a marathon - and particularly torturous for those runners in our party who were cramping. After all that we faced another long public transit trip to get back north to the start area, where we were forced to leave our car in the morning. Just a ridiculous and contrived journey, all in all. Crowds: There are none. The number of the people at the Marathon start was literally a sprinkling. Like, I've never seen so few people. This is partially because there were so few marathoners. More likely because the logistics mean most suppporters choose to pick the race up elsewhere. Likewise, the difficulty of following the race throughout the city mean many supporters just give up. Crowds at the Finish were thicker, but my sense is that most were there for the huge 5K, which starts near the marathon finish, around the 4:00 hour mark. My point for this posting? Please come to our city, but don't come for this event. As a local, this was not worth participating in and turned what was supposed to be fun into a challenging, frustrating, fruitless day for my friends - and they *know* how to get around the city. I can't imagine what this would be like for a tourist. I'd be absolutely kicking and screaming...

I ran this year last year, the weather was brutal, rainy windy and cold but I had a really great time, and felt it was all done really really well. This year is was glorious, but very sunny and quite warm. There were just simply not enough water stops, AND when I got to the finish line they had RUN OUT OF WATER!!!! People were upset, very few of my friends were able to run as fast as they had hoped, and most of us were seriously dehydrated at the end. SO DISSAPOINTED! I loved this race last year!!

What can I say? I got a BQ in less than ideal weather conditions. I think the weather may have caused a shortage of volunteers at times, but they always had water ready and an enthusiastic cheer. I LOVE the course - a true tour of some of the best parts of the city. I miss the fall colors on the course, though!