Runners spread across a city avenue during a marathon

Around the Bay Road Race

First run in 1894, it is North America's oldest road race, and its 30K remains the signature distance.

Prepare for Around the Bay Road Race

A plan built from your answers and your race date.

The race takes place in Hamilton, at the western end of Lake Ontario. The route loops around Burlington Bay: a downtown start, a long waterfront stretch, then a noticeably hillier northern section before the run back to the finish. In early April the weather stays cold and wind off the lake is part of the equation.

Older than the Boston Marathon, the event is billed as the oldest road race in North America. The 30K is the historic format and is widely used as a tune-up before a spring marathon.

The formats

4 formats on the program.

Format	Distance
30 km	19 mi
16 km	10 mi
10 km	6 mi
5 km	3 mi

Organizer information, checked on September 21, 2026 · bayrace.com

When to start

A build for this distance usually runs 10 to 16 weeks. Counted back from race day, that puts the start somewhere between December 7, 2026 and January 18, 2027.

These ranges are working conventions, not a research finding — no trial has compared plan lengths against each other. What matters more is that the plan was built for the weeks you actually have, rather than shrunk down from a longer one.

How to choose your start date

When to start

December 7, 2026

→ January 18, 2027

Worth reading before you enter

Races and distances 10K, half, marathon: what each one really asks They are all running. They are not the same event. What limits you, how long you need, and how the race falls apart — all three change with the distance. Read Races and distances The big marathons: what each one actually demands A marathon is 42.195 km everywhere. What changes is the profile, the crowd, the weather you are likely to get — and so what your training should emphasise. Read Training Eating and drinking: what’s proven, what isn’t This is where confident advice most often runs ahead of the evidence. Some of it is well tested. Some is opinion wearing a number. And one common habit can kill you. Read

Questions

What is the date of Around the Bay Road Race in 2027?

Around the Bay Road Race is run on Sunday, April 4, 2027 in Hamilton. Date published by the organizer, checked on September 21, 2026.

What distances does Around the Bay offer?

The 30K is the event's historic race, and the distance line-up has been changed for this edition.

Is the Around the Bay course hard?

The opening kilometres are fast, but the second half of the 30K rolls through sustained hills on the north side of the bay. The challenge comes from those late climbs more than from the distance.

Other races

This list keeps growing; it draws no line. A race that is missing is prepared for in exactly the same way.

Banff · CanadaHalf marathon Banff Half Marathon Jun 20 1K half marathon and a 10K in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Vancouver · CanadaHalf marathon Beneva Vancouver Half Marathon & 5K Jun 27 1K half marathon and a 5K on the Canada Running Series calendar. Toronto · Canada10K Beneva Spring Run-Off 8K Apr 3 Part of the Canada Running Series, it offers a hilly 8K and 5K and marks its 50th edition. Your race is not here? Tell us about your race You can prepare for it all the same. Any race, anywhere, and even a goal without a race.

Your race is on the calendar. Your plan should be too.

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