Runners spread across a city avenue during a marathon

TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a road race held in Toronto along the Lake Ontario shoreline. It is the largest marathon in Canada, holds a World Athletics Elite Label, and also offers a half marathon and 5K.

Prepare for TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

A plan built from your answers and your race date.

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is run through Toronto on a flat urban route that follows much of the Lake Ontario shoreline. The course passes through the downtown core and the waterfront neighbourhoods on closed roads, with crowds lining most of the distance.

195 km every year. The official caps for the previous edition added up to 31,000 entries across all races.

The formats

3 formats on the program.

Format	Distance
Marathon	26.2 mi
Demi-marathon	13.1 mi
5 km	3 mi

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

When to start

At this distance, a build usually runs 12 to 20 weeks. The 2027 date is not published, so counting back from October puts the start around May 24, 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

May 24, 2027

→ July 19, 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 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2027?

The organizer has not published the 2027 date for TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon yet. The race is usually held in October, in Toronto.

Is the Toronto Waterfront Marathon course fast?

Yes. The route is flat, paved and largely along the Lake Ontario waterfront on closed roads. It carries a World Athletics Elite Label and attracts an international field chasing fast marathon times.

Other races

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

Mississauga · CanadaMarathon Beneva Mississauga Marathon Apr 25 Its marathon is known for a net downhill profile and serves as a Boston qualifier. Vancouver · CanadaMarathon BMO Vancouver Marathon May 2 The race is run in Vancouver, between the Pacific and the Coast Mountains. Halifax · CanadaMarathon Medavie Blue Nose Marathon May 21 It features a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and team relay starting at the Emera Oval. 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.

Build my plan

Secure payment with Stripe. Then allow about 30 minutes for your profile, in several sittings if you like.