Latest reviews by Olivia

(2017)
"Fantastic course + great tour of Toronto"
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I can't speak to the entire race but running about 20km of the run while pacing someone was a fantastic experience.

The only criticism I would have would be at the half / full split at union station where pedestrians were running into the street to cross the road. The race marshals/volunteers did very little to stop this from happening/letting people cross at an appropriate time which was annoying and dangerous for many.

Aside from this, the race takes you on a great tour of the city through the different pockets, with many areas creating their own location/themed cheer squads. It's great to see the city embracing a race.

In the same vein, teardown for the race was occurring almost immediately as the last runners used the city streets on their route. This is disappointing that more people in the city don't embrace the marathon and think of it as an annoyance rather than a beautiful display of human capabilities.

Aid stations were pretty standard and well-maintained. Swag was standard and the expo was busy as per usual.

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(2017)
"Pretty and flat...until it's not ;P"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
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Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
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Overall the half is a good race to run if you want to see a lot of Montreal in a short period of time (while being cheered on by thousands of strangers).

The race starts on the island of Parc Jean Drapeau which is easily accessible by metro. You also get a free metro pass at the expo so use it!

The temperatures are usually perfect (except this year the full was cancelled due to extreme heat) but the management executed perfectly as a lot of people would have needed medical attention should the full have continued. They also opened up many fire hydrants along the course to run through which was a brilliant idea (but not so good for chaffing).

Aid stations are well stocked and usually efficient plus the Rock n Roll music stages are great fun! Lots of people smiling and dancing. Rock n Roll races spoiled me a bit for other runs ;)

Scenery for the half is excellent but the full becomes a bit boring as it just extends out into the plateau of Montreal and comes back the same way.

Expo is usually great and quite organized. Long lines to get in but they allow people to enter in waves so its not overly crowded while shopping.

In terms of elevation, it's mostly flat with some downhills, one small uphill in the old port and at about 19km into the race you have to go up the Berri hill (which is torture at that point). Many people walk it or yack at the top if they push but there are also massive cheer squads on this hill so keep going!

Post-race celebrations are great with lots of free stuff (thank you, McCafes, for keeping me alive) and of course a nice cold beer!

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(2015)
"Chilly and Flat"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Overall, this is a solid option for a spring half marathon, if that is your goal.

The race is at the end of April but in Montreal, that's still pretty cold. 90% of participants are not running fast enough to be in shorts at this time of the year ;)

The course is quite flat and includes two loops of the race track circuit on il notre dame and parc jean drapeau. The scenery is great on the park island and its pretty cool the first time running on the race car track circuit. It's easy to get to the race by metro or by car and parking is usually a flat $20.

Aid stations are pretty standard but a bit sparse at times due to the chilly weather and t-shirt/swag is pretty standard but usually includes a coupon for a sponsor that can be used at the store on race-kit pick-up day.

The post-race spread is really nice with fresh Montreal bagels (yay, carbs!) and sponsored by Oasis so juice/smoothies and the standard yogurt + fruits etc.

"Expo" is simply packet pickup at a running shop in Montreal, but is usually pretty streamlined and organized. I've run this race twice as a birthday gift to myself since I'm born at the end of April and it hasn't disappointed me yet :)

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