Race Weekend

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 —

• 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!

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.  

Driving Directions 

Lake Shore Blvd will be closed from Windermere Ave to Parliament St from 4:00am–1:00pm 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  
• South on Dufferin St 
• 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–10:45am 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 —

• 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!

UP Express 

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 8:15 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.

Road Closures

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.

Results and Photos

Register

THE WEEKEND

• Schedule
• Baggage Check
• Directions & Parking
• Lactation Stations
• Road Closures
• Event Alert System
• Results & Photos