2017 Canadian race review in key facts and figures

Another year of racing came to a close recently.

From the trails to the roads, below are some of the key stats and figures to come from events from across the country, from the marathon to the 5K. Data was compiled by Frank Stebner.

RELATED: Canadian race a week for all of 2018.

Largest marathon events by total finishers, 2017

1. Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon (May 28) – 4,367
2. Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (Oct. 15) – 3,957
3. BMO Vancouver Marathon (May 7) – 3,576
4. GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon (May 7) – 1,186
5. GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon (Oct. 8) – 1,069
6. SSQ Quebec City Marathon (Aug. 27) – 1,030
7. Scotiabank Calgary Marathon (May 28) – 966
8. Marathon du P’tit Train du Nord, Saint Jerome, Que. (Oct. 22) – 926
9. Niagara Falls International Marathon (Oct. 15) – 809
10. Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon (Nov. 5) – 800

There were 23,652 finishers among the top-25 ranked marathons in Canada in 2017.

Fastest time on Canadian soil

Men: Philemon Rono (Kenya), 2:06:52, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (Canadian soil record)
Women: Marta Megra (Ethiopia), 2:28:18, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Fastest marathon times by Canadians

Men: Trevor Hofbauer, 2:18:06, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Women: Leslie Sexton, 2:35:44, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

RELATED: 2017 was a slower year, by recent historical standards, in Canadian elite marathoning.

Largest half-marathon events by total finishers, 2017

1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Half-Marathon (Sept. 24) – 11,604
2. Scotiabank Ottawa Half-Marathon (May 28) – 11,399
3. Sea Wheeze Half-Marathon, Vancouver (Aug. 12) – 9,773
4. Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon (Oct. 15) – 9,740
5. BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon (May 7) – 6,555
6. Canada Army Run Half-Marathon, Ottawa (Sept. 16) – 5,576
7. Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon (June 25) – 3,498
8. SSQ Quebec City Half-Marathon (Aug. 27) – 2,916
9. GoodLife Fitness Toronto Half-Marathon (May 7) – 2,892
10. Centaur Subaru Calgary Half-Marathon (May 28) – 2,683

Fastest half-marathon times by Canadians

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR4W9R-jh2I/

Men: Eric Gillis, 1:03:49, NYC Half
Women: Rachel Cliff, 1:12:07, NYC Half

Largest 10K events by total finishers, 2017

1. Vancouver Sun Run (April 23) – 32,584
2. Sporting Life 10K, Toronto (May 14) – 18,435
3. Ottawa 10K (May 27) – 9,397
4. Times Colonist 10K, Victoria (April 30) – 6,829
5. Canada Army Run 10K, Ottawa (Sept. 16) – 6,506
6. Toronto Waterfront 10K (June 17) – 6,173
7. Rock ‘n’ Roll Oasis Montreal 10K (Sept. 24) – 5,403
8. Le Defi des Entreprises Quebec 10K, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Que. (June 11) – 3,239
9. SSQ Quebec City 10K (Aug. 27) – 2,203
10. Scotiabank Blue Nose 10K, Halifax (May 21) – 2,169

Largest 8K events by total finishers, 2017

1. BMO Vancouver 8K (May 7) – 2,123
2. GoodLife Fitness Victoria 8K (Oct. 8) – 2,121
3. Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K, Toronto (April 8) – 1,857
4. Robbie Burns 8K, Burlington, Ont. (Jan. 29) – 897
5. Le Tour de Horloge 8K, Montreal (April 9) – 537
6. Harriers Pioneer 8K, Saanich, B.C. (Jan. 8) – 492
7. Toronto Women’s 8K (Oct. 14) – 374
8. Hatley Castle 8K, Colwood, B.C. (Feb. 19) – 369
9. Beat Beethoven 8K, Kingston, Ont. (June 4) – 359
10. Steveston Icebreaker 8K, Vancouver (Jan. 15) – 242

Largest 5K events by total finishers, 2017

1. Canada Army Run 5K, Ottawa (Sept. 16) – 12,083
2. HTG Sports Ottawa 5K (May 27) – 7,907
3. Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 5K (Oct. 15) – 7,000
4. RBC Race for the Kids, Toronto (Sept. 16) – 4,324
5. Le Defi des Entreprises Quebec 5K (June 11) – 3,757
6. Des Chene Toi, Drummondville, Que. (May 21) – 3,371
7. Rock ‘n’ Roll Oasis Montreal 5K (Sept. 24) – 2,922
8. Around the Bay 5K, Hamilton (March 26) – 2,384
9. Scotiabank Montreal 5K (April 23) – 2,372
10. Scotiabank Vancouver 5K (June 25) – 2,151

Trends

Based off of Stebner’s data, the top-10 most popular Canadian marathons, by finishers, remains largely unchanged except for the entrance of the Marathon du P’tit Train du Nord, a new, and fast, event in 2017. Also, the two/three spots switched as the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon now has the second most finishers in Canada, swapping spots with the BMO Vancouver Marathon.

The Calgary Marathon grew the most, in terms of finishers, between 2016 and 2017 among the top-10 marathons at a rate of 20 per cent while the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon dropped by the same percentage over the one-year spread.

The Rimouski Marathon saw a big jump in participation, possibly due to the cancellation of the 2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Marathon. Overall, six Canadian marathons in 2017 had more than 1,000 finishers.

The Vancouver Sun Run remains Canada’s largest road race with 32,584 finishers in 2017, down from the previous year. The annual April race is rather unique in that it is a standalone event and does not feature any other distances, unlike most major race weekends in the nation. The Canada Army Run 10K, which offered that distance for the first time in 2017, is a new event in the top-10 of the 10K rankings.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon produced all four of the nation’s fastest times – including by Canadians and all-comers – in 2017 as one of two IAAF Gold Label marathons in Canada. Ottawa, including the marathon and the 10K, is the other of Canada’s Gold Label races.

With assistance from Dan Way.