Everything you need to know about STWM 2019

Your one-stop-shop for everything Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Madeleine Kelly October 15, 2019

This Sunday is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the Canadian Olympic Marathon Trials. It’s one of Canada’s biggest race weekends and an event that runners from across the country look forward to. With only five days to go until race day, here’s everything you need to know about STWM 2019.

Cam Levins at STWM 2018. Photo: Todd Fraser, Canada Running Series

Canadian Marathon Trials

This year the 2019 Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon is doubling as the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials for Canadian athletes. This is the first time in several cycles that Canada has hosted an official trials, and the Canadian elite lineup is fantastic.

While Sunday’s race isn’t the only way a runner can qualify for the Olympic marathon, the winner (provided they have the Olympic standard of 2:29:30 for women or 2:11:30 for men during the qualifying period, January 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020) will automatically be named to the team. Going into Sunday’s race, no one has yet achieved standard.

The full lineup can be found here and the Canadian Running preview can be found here.

Kinsey Middleton and Alan Brooks after Middleton won the Canadian Marathon Championships. Photo: Maxine Gravina.

International elites

Defending champion Benson Kipruto, 28, of Kenya will be back, as will two-time champion and Canadian all-comers record-holder Philemon Rono, 28. That record, set in 2017, is 2:06:52, and there are a number of others who will be looking to take it down next Sunday.

The women’s race is also shaping up to be an exciting one. Dibabe Kuma won this year’s Hamburg Marathon just a little over a minute slower than her PB of 2:23:34, set a year ago with a third-place finish at the Ljubljana (Slovakia) Marathon, and she’ll be looking to bring it down even further. The Canadian all-comers record is within reach for the runner: it sits at 2:22:17, set in 2018 in Ottawa by Gelete Burka.

Course map

The STWM course is one of the most spectator-friendly in Canada. The event starts in the heart of downtown Toronto before heading west, then east and finishing downtown once again. This way your cheer squad can see you at multiple points during your race. Pro tip: get yourself a bike for optimal cheering opportunities. The interactive course map can be found here.

Schedule

The gun goes for the marathon at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, with the last wave heading out at 9:15 a.m. The course closes at 3:15 p.m. EDT. The 5K starts at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

Live feed

The IAAF Gold Label race broadcast can be found at www.stwm.ca at athleticscanada.tv or on Facebook live.

Live results

Live results and tracking can be found here.