TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Race Weekend

Schedule

Friday October 13 

Time	Activity	Location
10:00 a.m.	Pre-Race Press Conference	Enercare Centre, Hall D, Main Stage
11:00 a.m.	Race Kit Pickup & Expo Open	Enercare Centre, Hall D
11:00 a.m.	GoIT Program	Enercare Centre, Hall D, Main Stage
12:00 p.m. -7:45 p.m.	Speaker Series Programming	Enercare Centre, Hall D, Main Stage
8:00 p.m.	Race Kit Pickup and Expo Closed for the day	Enercare Centre, Hall D

Saturday October 14

Time	Activity	Location
9:00 a.m.	Friendship Run presented by Running Room and supported by Parkdale Roadrunners	Enercare Centre, Hall D
10:00 a.m.	Race Kit Pickup & Expo Open	Enercare Centre, Hall D
10:00 a.m. -5:45 p.m.	Speaker Series Programming	Enercare Centre, Hall D, Main Stage
6:00 p.m.	Race Kit Pickup and Expo Closed for the day	Enercare Centre, Hall D

Sunday October 15 

Time	Activity	Location
6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.	5K Shuttle Buses	Enter shuttle buses on Richmond St. west of Simcoe (West of University Ave.) and be shuttled to the 5K Start Line at Exhibition Place
8:00 a.m.	5K Start	Exhibition Place, on Lakeshore Blvd West & Ontario Drive
8:43 a.m.	Marathon Wheelchair Start	University Avenue between Armoury and King St.
8:45 a.m.	Marathon and Half Marathon Start	University Avenue between Armoury and King St.  11 waves, 5 minutes apart
9:40 a.m.	5K Course Time Limit	5K Course Closes
12:00 p.m.	Marathon Awards Ceremony	Main Stage, Nathan Phillips Square
12:45 p.m.	Post-Race Press Conference	Sheraton Hotel
1:05 p.m.	Half Marathon Course Time Limit	Half Marathon Course Closes
3:45 p.m.	Marathon Course Time Limit	Marathon Course Closes, Finish Line & Post-Race Area closes
4:00 p.m.	Post-Race Area closes	Nathan Phillips Square

Race Kit Pickup

All participants in the in-person race must pick up their Race Kit at Race Kit Pickup.

Race Kit Pickup is available at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Expo at the Enercare Centre, Hall D, on Oct. 13-14, 2023

Friday October 13, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday October 14, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

There is no race day pickup.

Please note if you are taking part in The Whole Shebang, you will receive your The Whole Shebang medal at race kit pickup.

Picking up for a Friend?

Please bring either their original Race Roster Registration Confirmation Email OR a text, e-mail, or hand-written note that states they allow you to pick up their race kit on their behalf.

3 Kit Maximum 

Please note that each person that enters the expo will only be allowed to pick up 3 kits, including their own. If you plan to pick up more than 3 kits, please plan to bring enough people that will allow you to each pickup 3. 

Registration Policies:

Registration fees are non-refundable and non-deferrable to another year as noted in the registration waiver.
If you purchased RegShield registration protection insurance upon registering, you can file a claim here: https://refundrequest.fanshield.net/#/

Baggage Check

Marathon and Half Marathon Baggage Check will be located in Nathan Phillip Square, just north of Queen St. It will be open from 7:00am – 3:00pm for these distances.

5K Baggage Check will be located in Nathan Phillips Square, just north of Queen St. It will be open from 5:45am – 10:30am. Please note that if you want to check your bag, the last shuttle from Nathan Phillips Square to the 5K start line is at 7:00am sharp.

There will be no Baggage Check at the 5K Start.

Baggage Check Rules:

You must use your clear drawstring kit bag (image at right) for your Baggage! Absolutely no other bags will be accepted. The kit bag will be included in your race kit and is sized appropriately so that all bags checked on race day will fit in the baggage check areas, ensuring efficiency at both check-in and pick-up.

Width = 14 inches
Length = 18 inches

You will receive a sticker in your bib envelope that corresponds to your bib number. You must attach this sticker to your bag in the box marked “PUT BAGGAGE STICKER HERE”.
We strongly recommend that you leave your valuables at home! The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is not responsible for lost or stolen property, including any and all property checked at the Baggage Check.
Baggage Check will close:
- 10:30 a.m. for the 5K
- 3:00 p.m. for the Half Marathon & Full Marathon

Any bags not claimed by this time will be available for pick up at the Canada Running Series warehouse in Etobicoke. Please contact info@canadarunningseries.com to coordinate a time.

Directions and Parking

5K

5K Start Line Location: Lakeshore Blvd., west of Ontario Dr.

5K Start Time: 8:00am

Please give yourself extra travel time on race morning.

We strongly recommend everyone use Shuttle Buses or Go Transit to get to the start of the 5K race and then they can leave directly from Nathan Phillips Square after they have completed their 5K race.

Public Transit

To reduce the impact of your race day, we suggest choosing public transit to get to the event.

Please note, subway service starts at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Visit the TTC Trip Planner to find your transit route to the event.

For the most up-to-date public transit information, please visit www.ttc.ca.

GO Train —

Lakeshore West Train
Union Station to Exhibition Station (7-minute travel time).
Note – The 7:45am train will not leave you enough time to get to the 5k start line on time.
If you would like to get back to Exhibition Place after the race, there are GO trains leaving Union Station to Exhibition that only take 7 minutes.

Lakeshore East Train
The following service adjustments will occur from October 13 to 15:

From 21:30 on Friday October 13th to start of service on Monday October 16th all Lakeshore East train service will be suspended and replaced by shuttle buses
Buses will service Oshawa, Whitby, ajax, and Pickering stations then operating express to Union Station Bus Terminal
For passengers at Rouge Hill, Guildwood, Eglinton, Scarborough, and Danforth customers will need to leverage TTC services for travel downtown
The last “Saturday” departure from Union Station Bus Terminal is at 2:43AM Sunday morning and our first arrival on Sunday is just after 5AM. Please visit gotrainsit.com to plan your trip!

Bike Share

Reduce your environmental impact and get to the start line stress free with Bike Share!

For details on pricing and plans check out Bike Share Toronto.

Find the closest bike to you!

Shuttle Buses — Before the Start of the 5K Race

FREE shuttle buses for 5K PARTICIPANTS ONLY will leave from Richmond St west of Simcoe, taking participants to the 5K start line at Exhibition Place.

Shuttle buses will be running from 6:00am – 7:00am.

Please note the 5K shuttles to the 5K start are for 5K PARTICIPANTS ONLY. No spectators will be allowed access on the 5K Shuttle Buses.

Accessible Shuttles

There will be 2 accessible shuttle buses leaving from Richmond St west of Simcoe to transport participants to the 5K start area. 

5K Parking

Parking is available at Exhibition Place. Please note that you will be responsible for finding your own way back to your vehicle — there will not be a shuttle service available after the race.

Parking

We recommend booking convenient and affordable parking in advance through SpotHero, the nation’s leading parking reservations app.

To reserve your parking spot, visit the
Toronto Waterfront Marathon SpotHero Parking Page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

Driving Directions

Lake Shore Blvd will be closed from Windermere Ave to Parliament St from 4:00am–1:30pm on race day. Please use the following driving directions to access Exhibition Place.

Access Eastbound on Gardiner Expressway

Exit at Lake Shore Blvd
North on Windermere Ave
East on Queensway and continue onto King St
Right onto Strachan
Right onto Manitoba
Left onto Saskatchewan Rd and continue on Princes’ Blvd and park in any of the lots there

Access Westbound on Gardiner Expressway

Exit at Dunn Ave and continue north
East on King St
Right onto Strachan
Right onto Manitoba
Left onto Saskatchewan and continue on Princes’ Blvd and park in any of the lots there

Access from downtown core — west of Bay

South on Bathurst St — please note Bathurst will be closed from 8am–11:30am between Bloor St & Lake Shore Blvd
West on Fort York Blvd
West on Fleet St
Cross Strachan intersection and continue onto Manitoba Dr

Access from downtown core east of Bay 6am–7am

Travel south on Jarvis
Take the westbound Gardiner Expressway
Exit at Dunn Ave and continue north
East on King St
Right onto Strachan
Right onto Manitoba
Left onto Saskatchewan and continue on Princes’ Blvd. and park in any of the lots there

Marathon & Half Marathon

Marathon and Half Marathon Start Line Location: University Ave between Dundas St & Queen St

Marathon and Half Marathon Start Time: 8:45 a.m.

At 8:00am Bay St will close to east/west pedestrian traffic from Lake Shore Blvd to Dundas St. The 5K race will be running up Bay St to the finish line. Marathon and Half Marathon participants and spectators can cross Bay St at Dundas. We strongly recommend that you take public transit to the race.

Public Transit

Please note, subway service starts at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Visit the TTC Trip Planner to find your transit route to the event.

For the most up-to-date public transit information, please visit www.ttc.ca.

GO Train —

15% off GO Transit using the code TWM23, via gotransit.com/en/ until October 15 (tickets purchased through the site are valid for 7 days)

Lakeshore East Train
The following service adjustments will occur from October 13 to 15:

From 21:30 on Friday October 13th to start of service on Monday October 16th all Lakeshore East train service will be suspended and replaced by shuttle buses
Buses will service Oshawa, Whitby, ajax, and Pickering stations then operating express to Union Station Bus Terminal
For passengers at Rouge Hill, Guildwood, Eglinton, Scarborough, and Danforth customers will need to leverage TTC services for travel downtown
The last “Saturday” departure from Union Station Bus Terminal is at 2:43AM Sunday morning and our first arrival on Sunday is just after 5AM. Please visit gotrainsit.com to plan your trip!

Bike Share

Reduce your environmental impact and get to the start line stress free with Bike Share!

For details on pricing and plans check out Bike Share Toronto.

Find the closest bike to you!

UP Express

25% off UP Express using the code TWM23 via upexpress.com/ until October 15 (tickets can be activated for 1 year from purchase date)

Coming from the West? Park at Pearson and hop on the UP Express.

UP Express connects Pearson Airport and Downtown Toronto in only 25 minutes. Trains run every 30 minutes. Book your ticket here.

Marathon & Half Marathon Parking

For easier access before and after the race, we encourage you to park north of Dundas St.

Driving Directions

Marathon and Half Marathon

Driving From the West
Gardiner Expressway east
Take Spadina Ave exit and travel north
East on Dundas St to Chestnut – south on Chestnut and into Green P Parking Lot under Nathan Phillips Square — access east of Simcoe will close at 7:45 a.m.

Driving From the East
Don Valley Parkway south
Take Richmond St exit and travel west
Park east of Yonge St.

Bike Parking

If you wish to travel to the race by bicycle, there are a number of FREE bicycle parking locations around Nathan Phillips Square. The locations and number of spots are as follows:

On the West side of City Hall beside the Playground
On the corner of Elizabeth St. and Hagerman St. behind City Hall
On the Southwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square along Osgoode Lane

Please note that these are public bicycle parking spots and are on a first come, first served basis. Any bikes that are parked in these locations will not be monitored by event staff or volunteers. TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will not be responsible for any damage to bicycles while parked in these locations during the event.

Parking

Event parking information can be found here.  

Accessible parking is available in the parking lot under Nathan Phillips Square Carpark 036 – Green P Parking.  The elevators in section H (rabbit) will bring you to the south end of Nathan Phillips Square, where you can access all race day amenities.  These elevators may not be able to accommodate larger adaptive racers, please see drop-off/pick-up location below. 

Lactation Stations

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will offer lactation stations at the following locations for mothers who would like to breastfeed, pump or bottle feed

Pre & Post area located at the Nathan Phillips Square Medical Tent

This area is in close proximity to both the 21K & 42K start line, as well as the finish line for all distances.
This lactation station will offer a private, outdoor tented area for mother’s to breastfeed, pump or bottle feed.
If pumping, mothers are asked to bring their breast pump, which can be stored in this area until after the race, if needed.
Electrical outlets will be available.
We will also offer a changing table for parents outside of the private space for breastfeeding, pumping or bottle feeding.
Please note, we will not be responsible for storing expressed milk.

12K water station located on Lake Shore Blvd near Ellis Ave

This lactation station will offer a private, outdoor tented area for mother’s to breastfeed, pump or bottle feed.
Mother’s can coordinate with their support person to meet them at this location, if necessary.
Electrical outlets will not be available.
Please note, we will not be storing or transporting expressed milk.
We will also provide water, nuun and GU gels at this lactation station to refuel while you pump or breastfeed.

31K water station located on Lake Shore Blvd near Coxwell Ave

This lactation station will offer a private, outdoor tented area for mother’s to breastfeed, pump or bottle feed.
Mother’s can coordinate with their support person to meet them at this location, if necessary.
Electrical outlets will not be available.
Please note, we will not be storing or transporting expressed milk.
We will also provide water, nuun and GU gels at this lactation station to refuel while you pump or breastfeed.

Spot Hero Parking

We recommend booking convenient and affordable parking in advance through SpotHero, the nation's leading parking reservations app.

To reserve your parking spot, visit the Toronto Waterfront Marathon SpotHero Parking Page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

Road Closures

Event Notice
Island Airport Access Information
Ontario Place & HMCS York
Fort York Access

Checkout our interactive course map and use the Road Closure function on the right hand side of the map and toggle the timeline to see roads close and open on the map at their scheduled times with a black line.

Interactive racePoint Map

Event Alert System

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will be using a colour-coded Event Alert System (EAS) at this year’s event to communicate the status of course conditions to event staff and participants leading up to and on race day.

The levels range from Low (GREEN) to Moderate (YELLOW) to High (RED) to Extreme (BLACK) based on a variety of factors, including weather and event conditions. All event staff and participants should familiarize themselves with the Event Alert System colour indicators prior to the race, remain alert for directions from race officials, announcers and staff and take precautions to prepare for varying weather and event conditions on race day.

Event staff and participants should stay tuned to the current Event Alert System status via email, announcements and the colour-coded flags at Information Kiosk at the Expo prior to race day and on Race Day at the Help Desks in the Pre-Race/Post-Race Areas and Water & Aid Stations on course.