Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a road-running race held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, every year in the second or third Sunday of October. Aside from the actual marathon, the race also includes a half-marathon. Toronto Waterfront Marathon is considered as Canada's most prestigious road race, also acting as the nation's time-trial event during Olympic cycles.

Toronto Waterfront Marathon
2008 Toronto Waterfront Marathon
DateMid-October
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
Primary sponsorTCS
Established2000
Course recordsMen's: 2:05:00 (2019)
Kenya Philemon Rono
Women's: 2:20:44 (2024)
Ethiopia Waganesh Mekasha
Official siteToronto Waterfront Marathon
Participants
  • 3,537 (2018)
  • 3,835 (2019)

The race is one of the elite label marathons in the World Athletics Label Road Races.[1] At the 2013 edition of the race, race winner Deressa Chimsa broke the men's course record with the fastest marathon ever recorded on Canadian soil.[2] In the 2011 edition of the race, race winner Koren Jelela Yal broke the women's course record with the fastest marathon ever recorded on Canadian soil. Canadian runner Ed Whitlock set multiple age group world records at the Waterfront Marathon, including a record in the 75 to 79 age group with a time of 3:08:35 in 2006,[3] and a record in the 85 to 89 age group with a time of 3:56:33 in 2016.[4]

In the 2018 race, Cam Levins broke Jerome Drayton's 43-year-old Canadian men's national record for the marathon, finishing fourth in 2:09:25, a 44-second improvement on the previous mark set by Drayton in 1975.[5]

The 2020 in-person race was cancelled due to concerns surrounding the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic (as was the case for the May 2020 Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon event), although virtual races were to be held instead from October 1 to 31, 2020 instead.[6]

In 2024, organizers announced that the marathon and half-marathon would occur on Sunday, and the 5K race will be held on the Saturday.[7]

Winners

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Russia's Lyubov Morgunova was the women's winner in 2003.

Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
1st 2000   Joseph Nderitu (KEN) 2:19:41.4   Sue Grise (CAN) 3:08:38.2
2nd 2001   Daniel Howat (CAN) 2:45:20.8   Leslie Gold (USA) 3:07:10.1
3rd 2002   Stephane Gamache (CAN) 2:25:24.5   Nicole Stevenson (CAN) 2:37:56.4
4th 2003   Joseph Nderitu (KEN) 2:17:50.0   Lyubov Morgunova (RUS) 2:36:19.5
5th 2004   Danny Kassap (COD) 2:14:50.0   Lioudmila Kortchaguina (RUS) 2:36:31.9
6th 2005   Simon Kipruto (KEN) 2:11:56.5   Anastasia Ndereba (KEN) 2:36:30.8
7th 2006   Daniel Rono (KEN) 2:10:14.6   Małgorzata Sobańska (POL) 2:34:31.7
8th 2007   John Kelai (KEN) 2:09:30.0   Asha Gigi (ETH) 2:33:15.7
9th 2008   Kenneth Mungara (KEN) 2:11:00.9   Mulu Seboka (ETH) 2:29:05.9
10th 2009   Kenneth Mungara (KEN) 2:08:31.9   Amane Gobena (ETH) 2:28:30.4
11th 2010   Kenneth Mungara (KEN) 2:07:57.1   Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:22:42.8
12th 2011[8]   Kenneth Mungara (KEN) 2:09:49.0   Koren Jelela (ETH) 2:22:42.5
13th 2012   Sahle Warga (ETH) 2:10:35.8   Mary Davies (NZL) 2:28:55.4
14th 2013[9]   Deressa Chimsa (ETH) 2:07:04.8   Flomena Cheyech (KEN) 2:25:13.0
15th 2014   Laban Korir (KEN) 2:08:15   Mulu Seboka (ETH) 2:23:15
16th 2015   Ishhimael Chemtan (KEN) 2:09:00   Shure Demise (ETH) 2:23:37
17th 2016[10]   Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:08:26   Shure Demise (ETH) 2:25:16
18th 2017   Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:06:52   Marta Megra (ETH) 2:28:20
19th 2018   Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:07:24   Mimi Belete (BHR) 2:22:28
20th 2019   Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:05:00   Magdalyne Masai (KEN) 2:22:16
2020 Event cancelled due to COVID-19 coronavirus concerns
21st 2022   Yihunilign Adane (ETH) 2:07:18   Antonina Kwambai (KEN) 2:23:20

Multiple wins

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By country

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Country Total Men's Women's
  Kenya 19 15 4
  Ethiopia 10 2 8
  Canada 4 2 2
  Russia 2 0 2
  United States 1 0 1
  Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 1 0
  Poland 1 0 1
  New Zealand 1 0 1
  Bahrain 1 0 1

Charities

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The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has successfully raised millions of dollars for charity since its inception. The largest charity attending the marathon for the past three years has been the Engineers Without Borders organization, which uses donations from the marathon for its Run to End Poverty initiative.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "World Athletics Label Road Races". World Athletics. World Athletics. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  2. ^ Gains, Paul (2013-10-20). Records galore at Toronto Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-10-21.
  3. ^ "DANIEL RONO STORMS TO NEW RACE RECORD IN SCOTIABANK TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON". torontowaterfrontmarathon.com. September 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  4. ^ "Record-busting marathoner Ed Whitlock sets new mark at age 85". The Globe and Mail. October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  5. ^ Harrison, Doug (21 October 2018). "Cam Levins obliterates Canadian men's record in marathon debut". CBC Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Toronto cancels city-permitted events until October, will stage online only Nuit Blanche". 13 July 2020.
  7. ^ Tahir, Nawa (18 April 2024). "Toronto Waterfront Marathon adding another race day this year". Toronto Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  8. ^ Gains, Paul (2011-10-16). Mungara claims fourth Toronto Marathon title. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
  9. ^ Gains, Paul (2013-10-20). Records galore at Toronto Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-10-21.
  10. ^ "RONO OVERCOMES ACCIDENT TO WIN TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON". IAAF. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  11. ^ "There is no event at this location".
List of winners
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