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Oct 17, 2027
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The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a road race through downtown Toronto and along the city's waterfront, held on a Sunday in mid-October. Its organisers, Canada Running Series, call it Canada's largest marathon. The race weekend began in 1990 as a half marathon and a 5K, and the full marathon was added in 2000, when about 600 runners lined up. The marathon and half marathon start together at 8:00 am on Yonge Street north of Gerrard Street, facing north, and the marathon finishes on Bay Street just north of Queen Street. The 5K runs on the Saturday. The organisers describe the course as running through the downtown core and along the waterfront, and a move to Lake Shore Boulevard gave the race its waterfront identity. Since 2017 the race has been Athletics Canada's national marathon championship, and it holds a World Athletics Elite Label. The marathon is capped at 9,500 runners and has a six-hour time limit. The men's course record is 2:05:00, set by Philemon Rono of Kenya in 2019, and the women's is 2:20:44, set by Ethiopia's Waganesh Mekasha in 2024.
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
Mid-October in Toronto is cool: afternoon highs average about 15°C and mornings about 8°C, with measurable rain on around eleven days of the month.
The Race
Toronto
The race began in 1990 as the grand finale of the Coors Light Running Series, offering a half marathon and a 5K. Race director Alan Brookes wanted Toronto to have a major international running event of its own, and the marathon distance was added in 2000. The course was later moved to Lake Shore Boulevard, which gave the race its waterfront identity, and since 2017 it has served as the national marathon championship.
In 2018 Cam Levins finished fourth in 2:09:25, a 44-second improvement on Jerome Drayton's Canadian marathon record from 1975. In 2019 Philemon Rono won in 2:05:00, a course record that still stands, and in 2024 Waganesh Mekasha set the women's course record of 2:20:44.
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02:05:00
Philemon Rono (2019)
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