Marathon weekend kicks off city’s busy season
19,000 participants will make their way through downtown
Get ready for a little more traffic, Toronto.
The Toronto Marathon will see tens of thousands of runners snake through the city Sunday — down Yonge Street, looping to the Don Valley, through downtown and along Lakeshore Boulevard. All along the route, traffic will be stopped and buses will be gently guided through gaps in the race, while police line the route.
It will be just the beginning of a barrage of spring and summer events that will bring people, money and energy downtown and, to varying degrees, clog the core.
Those events include:
■ Meagan’s Hug Signature Event, 5K Walk — May 11
■ Sporting Life 10K Run — May 12 World Partnership Walk — May 26
■ Bike for Brain Health — June 2
■ Run for Women/Shoppers Run for Women — June 8
■ Portugal Day Parade — June 8
■ Ride to Conquer Cancer — June 8
■ Do West Festival — June 7 to 9
■ Taste of Little Italy — June 14
■ Under Armour Toronto Waterfront 10K — June 15
These events come this year amid Toronto’s heavy traffic challenges, as the city contends with a threeyear-long reduction of lanes on the Gardiner.
“The city is taking a proactive approach to traffic congestion to support the Toronto Marathon and reduce the traffic impacts as much as possible,” spokesperson Laura McQuillan told the Star.
“To avoid traffic congestion, the city encourages everyone travelling downtown to plan their travel in advance, allow for extra time, consider taking public transit or other travel methods such as walking or cycling, and following area signage.”
Last year, the marathon drew criticism from participants for a lack of organization. This year, race director Jay Glassman told the Star, it will be different for the 19,000 runners from 72 different countries who will be participating in the full marathon, half marathon, 10 km run, 5 km run, or 5 km and 10 km walk.
They’ve organized for more security, a new route to better accommodate downtown residents and additional fences at the finish line.
Every one of the intersections the course goes through will be monitored by police, Glassman said, and he hopes, “Toronto drivers will obey Toronto police when they’re told to stop.”
The marathon will also be staffed by more than 1,500 volunteers, many of them high school students hoping to fulfil their volunteer hours.
The marathon route, posted on the Toronto Marathon website, starts at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue, continues down Yonge into downtown, detouring to pass Casa Loma, toward the Don River, cutting along Front Street, then onto Lake Shore Boulevard and ending at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
“TTC vehicles will be assisted through gaps in the run where possible and when it is safe to do so,” Toronto police said in an advisory for the marathon. “Every attempt will be made to minimize service interruptions. Motorists are advised to avoid the areas identified as part of the routes and consider road closures when planning their travels.”
What will the Toronto Marathon road closures look like?
Coming out of the pandemic, construction has been contributing to the gridlock in the downtown core. The city has a number of traffic headaches to contend with, from the Ontario Line construction to the constant construction on King Street.
On top of the marathon, the Lakeshore West GO service will be modified for the next six weeks for track work, with changes to service between the Union and Oakville Go stations and the Oakville and West Harbour stations.
“Traffic has been a real cause for concern,” Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto, told the Star.
“It’s been a frustration for a long time. Toronto has now been ranked, as having among the worst congestion in the world.”
Toronto won that dubious honour in January, when a report from geolocation firm Tomtom found the average Toronto driver loses around 255 hours to commuting every year.
Adding a spark to the city
Even as iconic Toronto festivals, such as Taste of the Danforth, have faced post-pandemic financial difficulties, experts, and the city, say these events are vital to the lifeblood of Toronto.
The city benefits from the economic and cultural aspects of events such as the Toronto Marathon.
“They are a major contributor to the local economy, bringing millions of visitors to Toronto each year and are an important means of conveying Toronto’s diverse culture, heritage and opportunities,” Laura McQuillan said.
Even though it can be a headache for drivers, David Roberts, the director of the urban studies program at U of T told the Star, spring and summer events such as the marathon bring life to the city.
“It’s easy to be stuck in a car and be annoyed at an event that isn’t really for you or isn’t really an interest of yours,” Roberts said, “but I think it’s also very easy to reflect on many of the things that we enjoy about living downtown.”
Concerts, marathons, walks and festivals are essential parts of city living, he added.
The week Taylor Swift lands in Toronto in November “will be a nightmare” but, Roberts qualified, “that comes with the reality of living in a vibrant place.”