r/firstmarathon • u/tree-oat-rock • 2d ago
Pacing Toronto Waterfront
Hey all!
On track to run the Toronto Waterfront October 18th in 5hours, but I'm getting nervous and hoping for shared experience.
While the time cut off is 6hours, there is a coral group for walkers. Has anyone run/walked this course and completed after the time cut off? What has your experince been like in general?
My goal is to have fun and not injure myself, so I'd ratjwr miss my time goal but still complete the full distance.
Open to all feedback.
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u/polkafin 2d ago
I did it a few years ago and there were pacers who ran at eta finish times. Not sure what times they run, but maybe look it up and see if any pacers align with your goal pace
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u/zephiebee 2d ago
The Toronto Waterfront is my usual fall race! I finally got the courage to do the full last year instead of the half and there's a few things I took away from it:
The moment the route splits from the half (and the finish line) under the Gardiner is EMOTIONAL. I'm sure it caused more mental damage than I expected and it affected the rest of the route.
There's way fewer cheer stations on the second half, especially on Lakeshore between Carlaw and Woodbine where it's just a straight shot on a wide boulevard with nothing but the sky, your footsteps and your thoughts as company. It was the hardest stretch I've ever done and it's a very familiar section in my long runs.
Plan your energy and hydration for humid weather. It's your first go at it, make sure it's at least somewhat enjoyable and not a health risk. The lakefront is lovely and beautiful but if it's anything like this coming week, it can be pretty rough at 80% humidity.
Overall, I really liked the Waterfront Marathon and there was plenty of support along the way, especially for the back of the pack people. I think there's also a few East end run clubs who set up unofficial spots in the east end to keep the hype up too.