Canada is the second largest country on earth in terms of area after Russia.
The national sport in Canada is lacrosse in summer and ice hockey in winter. Globally known running events in Canada, however, are few.
However, the country has interesting and large running events in its repertoire in all major cities.
The biggest running events in Canada
These are the six biggest and most famous city marathons in Canada:
- Vancouver Marathon in May
- Calgary Marathon in May
- Toronto Marathon in May
- Ottawa Race Weekend in May
- Victoria Marathon in October
- Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October
2 times Toronto Marathon
So, the major marathons in Canada are mostly split between the month of May in the spring and the month of October in the fall. Things get complicated in Canada's most populous city, Toronto. Two major city marathons are held here. In May, there is the Toronto Marathon with a total of 7,000 runners, but only a little more than 1,000 of them take part in the 42.195 kilometer race, with the rest of the runners taking part in shorter races.
The Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the second major marathon in Toronto, follows in October. The field of participants is considerably larger here, with almost 4,000 marathon starters, and the top times of the marathon runners are also faster. For hobby runners, however, both marathons are ideal for a sporty sightseeing tour of the city.
Fast and beautiful
The Canadian capital Ottawa also hosts the Ottawa Race Weekend in the spring. The event calls itself "Canada's biggest marathon weekend. But there's also a real crowd at the Vancouver Marathon, with more than 3,000 marathon finishers and even more than 6,000 half-marathon finishers. In the southwesternmost part of Canada on Vancouver Island, the Victoria Marathon on the Canadian coast also invites runners to an impressive marathon experience. The flat course with only 22 meters of elevation gain is also ideally built for personal best times.
More running tips in Canada
Away from the big cities, ultrarunners get their money's worth at the Yukon Arctic Ultra. This icy ultrarunning event features course lengths of up to 430 miles. The opposite is the Red Bull 400 in Whistler. There you will reach the finish line after only a few minutes. However, you have to run on the ski jump in Whistler. It's guaranteed to be the toughest miles of your life.
Triathlons in Canada
For triathlon fans it is worth to start at the IRONMAN Canada in Penticton. Calgary has a middle distance, as do Victoria, Muskoka and Mont-Tremblant. Another long-distance triathlon in the IRONMAN series is also held in Mont-Tremblant.
All Running Races in Canada (sorted by date) can be found in the following overview:
Running competitions 2026 in Canada
Demi-Marathon de Lévis (Lévis Half-Marathon)
 | 03.05.2026 ✔ |
| |
 | Levis |
 | 21,1 km / 10 km / 5 km / Kinder: 2 km |
Ottawa Race Weekend - Ottawa Marathon & Ottawa 10K
| 24.05.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Ottawa |
| 42,2 km / 21,1 km / 10 km / 5 km / 2 km |
QMT - Québec Mega Trail
| 03.07.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Baie-Saint-Paul |
| 100 mi / 110 km / 80 km / 50 km / 25 km / 15 km / 6 km / 1 km |
Boréalys Mont-Tremblant by UTMB
| 15.08.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Mont-Tremblant-Village |
| 78,9 km / 46 km / 26,7 km / 14 km / 5,7 km |
Ultra-Trail Harricana du Canada
| 04.09.2026 ? |
| |
| La Malbaie |
| 125 km (4.220 Hm) / 80 km (2.146 Hm) / 65 km (1.870 Hm) / 42 km (1.300 Hm) / 28 km (1.000 Hm) / 20 km (0.657 Hm) / 10 km (0.290 Hm) / 5 km |
Challenge Esprit Montréal - Canada
| 13.09.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Montreal |
| Middle Distance / Olympic / Sprint / Supersprint |
Go to the running calendar Canada
More about running in Canada:
- Marathons in Canada • Race Calendar
- Half Marathons in Canada • Race Calendar
- 10 km Runs in Canada
- 5 km Runs in Canada
- Ultra Runs, Ultra Marathons & Trails in Canada • All Races
- Trail Runs & Ultra-Trails in Canada • All Races
- Sky Runs & Mountain Runs in Canada • All Races
- Women's Runs in Canada • All Races
- Relay Races in Canada • All Runs
- Triathlons in Canada • Race Calendar
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