Schedule
Sunday October 15
| Time | Activity | Location |
| 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 5K Shuttle Buses | Enter shuttle buses on University Avenue and Queen Street (Finish Line) and be shuttled to the 5K Start Line at Ontario Place |
| 8:00 a.m. | 5K Start | Ontario Place – Lake Shore Blvd W and Ontario Dr. |
| 8:45 a.m. | Marathon and Half Marathon Start | University Avenue between Queen and King St. |
| 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 | TBC |
| 12:45 p.m. | Half Marathon Course Time Limit | Half Marathon Course Closes |
| 3:15 p.m. | Marathon Course Time Limit | Marathon Course Closes, Finish Line & Post-Race Area closes |
| 3:30 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.
Shuttle Buses — Before the Start of the 5K Race
FREE shuttle buses for 5K PARTICIPANTS ONLY will leave from Queen St, taking participants to the 5K start line at Exhibition Place.
The buses will load at Queen and University and 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.
Shuttle to 5K Start
Shuttle information can be found here
There will be 2 accessible shuttle buses leaving from University Ave & Queen St 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.
To get back to Exhibition Place after the race, take a GO train from Union Station to Exhibition.
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
- South on Dufferin St
- East 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
- South on Dufferin St
- East onto Saskatchewan Rd 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
- South on Dufferin St.
- East onto Saskatchewan Rd. 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 — 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.
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.
Road Closures
More info coming closer to the event.
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.
