The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has three different races on the same day, the 5km which starts at 8am, whilst the half and full marathons start together in waves from 8.45 onwards.

I will comment on my experience of the full marathon.

The race expo was a pleasant experience, however my wife commented on the difficulty of getting to the loos as you had to leave the expo and go back through the swipe in process again. The stalls were all really good with other races, kit suppliers and charities all present.

Due to other commitments we weren't able to go to the friendship run or torch ceremony.

Race day started off really well, the baggage check was easy, with the race providing a clear bag and sticker corresponding to your bib which was then stored in a number of tents at the finish. The marshalling into the corrals was easy and not excessively crowded and each corral was set off at 5min intervals allowing runners to spread out quickly. We decided to run with the 4:10 run/walk pacer who set off at a pace I'd usually use for 5km for ten minutes then walked slowly for one. This ended up being unsustainable and we dropped off the back of this group at the halfway point. 

As the title says this was a race of two halves, the first 20km had both full and half together and saw large amounts of support along the route which helped us along, there were a few impatient spectators who tried to run across the route colliding with runners, but this happens everywhere. Water stations were every 2km and had Gatorade and water, having never had Gatorade before I didn't want to risk a gut bomb, and I asked for water at each station.

The first half of the race went through central Toronto before making it's way west past the BMO field and along a long straight stretch of road before turning back on itself and heading back into the city. At 20km the half marathon peeled off and the remaining runners made their way on the remaining 22km. 

This was where things changed, the local support fizzled out quickly as did the course interest, we proceeded into what appeared to be an industrial area where the smell from one factory made me nauseous, then we started looping around onto highway a highway then onto a long out and back section.

At 27km I had to drop back from my wife after a bolt on a manhole jabbed into the sole of my foot injuring my foot and leaving me walking. I was determines to finish however and still had a chance of making sub 5hrs.

29km was where I had a spectator hold a sign in front of me saying I didn't deserve a medal.

I kept going into a residential district (32km) where support started to reappear, but the "neighbourhood cheer station" was packing up to go home. 

From 36km onwards it was obvious that those of us left on the course were an inconvenience, water was pretty much non existent at drink stations, the roads were being reopened, I was even stopped twice to allow traffic to cross the course. I was still on for sub 5hrs, in fact I was with the 4:40 pacer for a while until he took off his pacers cap, dropped his sign and started walking.

I crossed the line at 5:02:07, a long way off my expected time, but talking to others this was common due to dehydration in the heat, which I haven't mentioned, the temperature got up into the 20s and there is little to no shade on the course. The fact that water appeared to disappear pretty much after the halfway point, didn't help.

I can't comment on the post race entertainment as when I crossed the line, I was given water, told there was food round the corner where I found the food station being taken down. 

Pluses for the race: the logistics leading up the race day and the race up to halfway. Nice race shirt and gorgeous medal.

Negatives: the way the route deteriorated after the halfway point, roads being reopened whilst there were still hundreds if not thousands still on the route, and the lack of water on such a hot day.