Major course change coming to TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The start line of the 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will look a little different this year. For the first time in a decade, runners won’t begin on the west side of City Hall along University Ave. and Armoury Street. Instead, both the marathon and half-marathon will start on Yonge Street, just north of Dundas Square.

The new route will begin at Yonge and Gerrard Streets, sending runners north to Bloor Street before turning west toward Bathurst. From there, the course rejoins familiar territory, using Queens Quay and Lakeshore Boulevard for the waterfront stretch. Runners will then head into the Beaches community, turn around, and make their way back downtown via Queen Street and Eastern Avenue, finishing at the traditional Old Toronto City Hall.

Race director Alan Brookes says the decision to move the start line was prompted by ongoing construction on University Avenue ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup next summer.

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This will mark the first time since the inaugural year in 1999 that the race will start on Yonge Street. That first edition began at College Park (Yonge St. between College and Gerrard) and ran north to Eglinton Ave. before looping through Leaside and Toronto’s east end, eventually finishing downtown. The following year, organizers shifted the event to the waterfront to create a more spectator-friendly course, hence the Waterfront Marathon name.

With a record 30,000 participants expected in this year’s field, Yonge Street’s narrower four-lane stretch could make for a crowded (and slow) opening mile. Still, organizers believe the change won’t cause major issues, even though University Avenue is twice as wide.

The 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 18, with the Waterfront 5K, followed by the half-marathon and marathon on Sunday, Oct. 19. For the full course map and event details, visit here.