A Tale of Two Halves - 2024 Toronto Waterfront Marathon RACE RECAP

[@topoisomerace]

I agree with you about the first 7 km. They could reroute the race so that more of it resembled this opening part, but instead they have stubbornly stuck with a mundane second half out and back and a poor finishing chicane. It's a very good event that just needs some clever route adjustments to be phenomenal.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Totally agree. I'm not familiar with Toronto, so I'm not sure what could be done differently, but the Detroit Marathon recently rerouted one of the most miserable parts of its course (a long bridge to an island in the middle if a windy river) to a much better route, so it can happen!

[@kevinjohnston3901]

Dang, I kept showing up just in front of you in the videos at the 2 turnarounds. Had I known at the 33 k turnaround, I could have yelled some encouraging words. Congrats on the PB!!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thank you!

[@rjw705]

You've completely summed up my thoughts on this race. First half was fantastic. I felt great. That second half was absolutely brutal. Never felt anything like that before.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

It was rough! And I had no idea what I was in for

[@morningcoach]

WOW thanks for the tip of writing down the 5K times! I am trying to break 3:30 in Indy in 2 days and was worrying about pace and gps - one less think to think about that rocks! WOW - thanks man!

[@runwithbritters]

Came here for the cat ending 😂 Great recap. It's always nice to see someone on the sidelines you recognize when you feel like you need a boost.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Haha a classic cat outtake. There's several minutes of ruined footage due to feline antics

[@11Sporky]

Ran this race for the first time this year and felt the same about the second half. Sun & hills ended up being brutal for me. Congrats on the PR!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thank you! Those sneaky hills almost completely got the best of me

[@ovelmo]

As I commented in your race weekend video, this is my local marathon and I've run it four times now--but god help me if I don't overcome that second half someday! I always have to walk-run for a bit between 36k and 40k. The finish area wasn't so bad for me, it had thinned out by the time I got there since I was in a later corral and finished a little over 4 hours. I haven't run any other marathons to compare it to, but I'm glad to have this one in my city. Hoping to get sub-4 next year! I'm glad you had a positive time overall; I like it when people come here and enjoy their time, I'm sure other Torontonians feel the same way. Great recap, congrats on the PR and I'll make sure to keep following your journey!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching, really appreciate the kind words! Based on your experience and a lot of other comments, I'm glad I wasn't the only one that had a tough time with the second half. Appreciate all the love from the spectators in Toronto!

[@justskawt1796]

Man, the start and finish being chaotic is a bummer. I had a heck of a time finding my way to my family after finishing the Detroit International. Turns out they were on the half marathon side of the road, and we kept crossing over each other. Congrats on the PR, that's amazing! You'll nail that 3:10 next time!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

All good, I eventually made it out of there! Detroit can be tricky, but I do like how they let you out into the city faster, instead of corralling you in one area. Hoping to run there again soon!

[@Ason426]

Congrats on the race. I ran toronto marathon this year as well. Im from Toronto and youre right Toronto traffic is absolutely the worst. I know you mentioned driving into downtown on race day as being risky, but i drove and didnt have any issues. Absolutely agree that on race day they should make an exception to open the subway earlier. It would probably help to reduce traffic. I got a hotel about 30 mins away from downtown. I left at about 630am and got downtown to a parking garage about 2 blocks away from the race at around 7am. I had lots of time to get ready before the race and wasnt rushed at all. And i was travelling with my girlfriend and 2 year old. You just gotta make sure you plan ahead and leave yourself more than enough time for unforseen delays. I was in the red corral too and couldnt find my pace group either so i basically paced myself the entire race. Totally agree with your assesment of the race, espeically the second half. I was surprised with the hills and it was a grind. Pro tip: stop at a hotel or shop to use the bathroom instead of the portapotty.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching! I'm not at all familar with Toronto (except a Blue Jays game when was like 10), so I was pretty hesitant with the traffic/parking situation. Hotels were somwhat affordable downtown, so I just went that direction, but it's good to know that its possible to drive in. Those hills looked deceptively manageable on the course map, but reality was very different! A learning experience for sure. I really appreciated the fan support in the downtown portions, Toronto really came out with energy that morning!

[@SherryOram72]

Thank you for your honest opinion. Looking forward to following the rest of your journey 😊🇨🇦

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching! I will say, Toronto was wonderful, from the fan support to the vibe of the city when I had a chance to explore a little but.

[@647Anna]

Fan support is the best part of Toronto runs🎉

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Loved the energy, especially in that fist 7KM portion and under the expressway.

[@Vicshade]

That last 90 degree turn sounds like a real heartbreaker. “I’m almost done! Oh…no I’m not”

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

My brain was so foggy, I forgot how far the last stretch was haha

[@jkc877]

@@FreshBrewRunClub after the turn, i think it's about 1 more km

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Just measured it, and it’s about 630 meters. Definitely a bad time for me to start sprinting 😂

[@mc603]

Great breakdown!! This type video is incredibly useful. Thanks.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching!

[@SenaLee]

I am @10:25 Blue ribbon pigtail! Congrats to PB. I had a great experience from my first race as well!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching!

[@Jbbbbb282]

Great recap and Congrats on your PR! I was on red corral too, but like you, i couldn’t find my pace bunny due to so many people and the pacer banner was tough to find. But for some reason, I was still able to perform well on the last half. Negative splits all throughout. I think I was too locked in to even notice the unpleasant points you’ve mentioned about the last half. But still, this race is far way better than the toronto marathon in spring. My experience there was horrendous.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thank you! Glad you had a good race. I probably needed a little more mileage in my training to handle the second half. I read a lot of nightmare stories from the May marathon... I don't think I'll be trying that one anytime soon!

[@Zvanunhoft]

Great recap Aaron. Makes me thankful that I ran the half! 😃

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks! I think the half marathon course might be worth returning in the future. Very fun and energetic!

[@SteveMcRae-zn9fh]

Still a decent day. Saw myself running ahead of you about 16:25 into the video. 👍

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Nice! All things considered, it was a solid day!

[@annemarieholohan]

Never run Toronto marathon in the spring. It is horribly run. I didn’t get water for an hour. The only good thing about it is the course is more scenic than the waterfront. And it’s downhill and flat.

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Yeah, everything I read about it seemed like an absolute disaster lol

[@young-spark]

As a local who have run this marathon the last 2 years, your observations are spot on! 2nd half is a bit of a bore and like you, I did not notice the elevation in the beginning. The finishing shute def can be overwhelming and sad to say that the Toronto Marathon in May is 10x worse. You are shuffled into an indoor area, near where you picked up your bib, and you are in a long line before you get any nutrition. Hope you enjoyed Toronto and shout out to Carlos Delgado for real!

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching! I have read some horror stories from the May race, so I'm glad nothing got that bad. Glad I ran here, though!

[@kerry_runs]

Ran Toronto earlier this year definitely shared some same issues around logistics around the end of the race. Toronto marathon was deceptively hilly as well. Nice recap👍

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks for watching! Did you run the spring race? I saw that was far more chaotic

[@kerry_runs]

@@FreshBrewRunClubyeah it was a good race just a bit more technical than I anticipated. The finisher area was a bit of a mess.

[@matthiassventoest6800]

great job…

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thank you!

[@trema12345]

I am guessing they chose the out and back for the second half to save money on the impact of potential road closures in key areas

[@SenaLee]

I enjoyed the second half as I could start playing my music without interruption. But I agree with the last part, Bay/King-Queen. I hate that part, too.😅

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Good point about the music, although I was so tired that I forgot to turn mine on until way later haha

[@timtrenholm3698]

So you were probably dehydrated, which probably contributed to your result. Not sure if you mostly use gels/chews for fuel, but even 1 handheld with heavy carb/electrolyte mix to get you to the halfway point where the aid stations start to get less chaotic might help you. The added weight is more than compensated by dialed in hydration/nutrition. That classic marathon fade at 32k is the real killer, especially if you are forced to run/walk...even if just through the aid stations.

[@Justinbpierson]

Were you happy with the AF3’s?

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Outside of the rock that got stuck in the bottom, I was happy with them. Much better than the AF2s, which really got uncomfortable after 20 miles

[@niclai3779]

just an fyi since you asked, we do pronounce it "Gar-din-ner express way"

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks! I definitely overthought the pronunciation haha

[@htiek12]

Scale of 1-10, how do you rate the overall experience? (The race, organization, ease etc) Plan on running this one next year and would like to hear opinion! Also, I might have missed it, but are you doing same marathon in 25?

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

I’d say 7/10. If I ran the half, I’d probably give it a 10/10 because the first 21K was awesome, but that second half was tough and not so fun. There’s better courses to run a PR, but overall this was pretty good. Not sure what I’m going to do next year, might run the hometown Detroit Marathon

[@LaROSE248]

Heartbreaker run got deleted 😡😡😡🤬

[@jkc877]

It's pronounced Gardener

[@FreshBrewRunClub]

Thanks! Here in Detroit, we absolutly mangle the pronunciation of French-named streets, like Gratiot for example