Toronto Marathon

Toronto Marathon
Toronto Marathon
Date	May
Location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Event type	Road
Distance	Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
Beneficiary	Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
Established	1977
Course records	Men's: 2:15:17 (2000); ; Women's: 2:31:47 (2004);
Official site	Toronto Marathon
Participants	8,486 (2019)

The Toronto Marathon, held annually on the first Sunday of May, is a race from Yonge and Sheppard, in the north end of Toronto, to . The race was initially called the Canadian International Marathon, and was first held in 1995 under its current organizer, Running First Ltd. Jay Glassman has been the Race Director since 1995. The origins of the event trace back to 1977. In 2003, its name was changed to the Toronto Marathon. In 2008, it was again renamed for a new Title sponsor, GoodLife Fitness. It was held previously on the third Sunday in October, the first Sunday after Canadian Thanksgiving, for 16 consecutive years. Because of concerns that another event was being held three weeks prior and led to too many road closures, as well as pressure from a major financial institution, the Toronto Marathon was moved to the first Sunday of May in 2012.

"Toronto Marathon moving 2011 event to May, run organizer confirms to 680News". 680 News. February 19, 2010. Archived from the original on February 23, 2011.</ref> The event was temporarily held mid-May in 2011, due to other events in the City of Toronto that year.

In addition to a full marathon, the event also includes a half marathon, a 10K run, a 5K run, and an eight-person relay across the marathon course. The marathon meets international standards and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The event is a member of AIMs and Athletics Ontario and meets their criteria.

The course covers much of the city from north to south with a large portion of the race using Yonge Street (the longest street in the world). The route also takes advantage of Toronto's subway with much of the course accessible for spectators to easily follow participants from start to finish. It's generally a fast downhill course that flattens out as it moves further south towards the lake. Runners will pass through North Toronto, and into Forest Hill, an upscale residential area with large homes, private schools, and even a castle, before heading down into a beautiful ravine known as the Rosedale Valley. Participants will run past and through many diverse neighbourhoods from commercial to residential to parks and lakefront trails. For 16 years, the event finished at Queen's Park (home of the Ontario Legislature) before moving to Ontario Place and then relocating to its present location at Exhibition Place in 2019. With the move to the Exhibition Grounds and use of the Queen Elizabeth building, the Toronto Marathon makes use of a large building to house the bag check, participant food, massage, medical, and other essential race requirements.

The course is the best big race in the city to take advantage of the many diverse neighbourhoods and historical areas of Toronto. As they say, "it provides a great tour of Toronto on foot".

Regularly attracting 8,000 to 10,000 participants from over 55 countries, and every Province and Territory in Canada, the event is also a major fundraiser for many charities. A Runners Expo is held on the Friday and Saturday at the Queen Elizabeth building on the Exhibition Grounds immediately prior to race day and features over 60 vendors as well as the race kit pick-up for event participants. The event is well known for providing one of the best technical shirts of any marathon and runners look forward to a new trending colour with each year. They also provide medals for every finisher, and participants are attracted to the Marathon medal as this heavy piece of hardware is one of the largest in the marathon world.

The Toronto Marathon has built the worlds largest Psyching Team. The world famous team of sport psychologists are available during the expo and on race day to help runners meet their goals and get them to the finish line. Comprising as many as 50 Phd's, the team has attracted from, and successfully trained many other teams from around the world. There is lots of support on race day all along the course, but very visible in the final 10k of the marathon course along the Lakeshore. Members of the Psyching team, marshals including bike marshals, and spectators help to motivate and inspire participants in their final push to the finish line.

COVID-19[]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the race was cancelled,^[1] while the 2021 edition of the race was virtualized, as organizers stated that COVID-19 vaccine distribution will not be wide enough by May 2021 in order to allow the live in-person racing event to be safely held by that spring.^[2]^[3]

Criticism[]

In 2018 the Toronto Marathon was accused of having an incorrect distance. Participants using GPS's believed that the marathon course was 43km even though it was supposed to be 42.2km. The organizers claim that this is not true and that "the distance is 100 per cent correct" ^[4] The course was proven to be measured correctly and km points designated accurate. It is known that when using a GPS, the signal can be inaccurate, especially around tall structures like those found in the downtown core, and that it caused an inaccurate reading for some runners using this technology. The course is certified by AIMS and Athletics Canada meeting their measurement criteria and is re-surveyed every 5 to 10 years as required by these respective organizations.

List of Marathon winners[]

Year	Winner men	Nationality	Time	Winner women	Nationality	Time
2021	Race cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020	Race cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019		Canada	2:28:52		Canada	2:54:00
2018		Canada	2:33:57		Canada	2:52:10
2017		Canada	2:41:06		Canada	3:00:30
2016		Canada	2:35:54		Canada	2:56:04
2015		Canada	2:21:54		Finland	3:00:45
2014		Canada	2:26:25		Canada	2:55:18
2013		Canada	2:37:31		Canada	2:58:22
2012		Canada	2:27:57		Canada	2:47:17
2011		Canada	2:27:19.2		United States	2:54:50.9
2010		Canada	2:23:38.1		Canada	2:52:50.5
2009		Kenya	2:26:08.6		United States	2:57:53.8
2008		Kenya	2:29:00.0		Bermuda	2:57:46.8
2007		Canada	2:21:58.8	Leslie Black	Canada	2:58:47.0
2006		Canada	2:34.10		Canada	2:47.09
2005		Kenya	2:17.12	Lioudmila Kortchaguina	Canada	2:37.17
2004		Mexico	2:16.42		Russia	2:31.47
2003		Ethiopia	2:25.55		Canada	2:55.04
2002	Michal Kapral	Canada	2:30.40		Canada	2:56.13
2001		Kenya	2:22.22		Canada	2:56.02
2000		Morocco	2:15.17		Canada	2:59.04
1999		Canada	2:28.25		Canada	2:59.50
1998		Canada	2:41.49	Carolyn Walker	Canada	3:07.57
1997	Peter Fonseca	Canada	2:28.26		Canada	2:58.24
1996		Kenya	2:20.33		Canada	2:37.52
1995		United States	2:23.15		Canada	2:49.19