Royal Victoria Marathon

Course highlights

The Marathon starts on Menzies at Kingston. Run south, away from the Inner Harbour, turn left on Michigan and left again on Government Street. Take care to not get tangled up with other runners in the pack in these first two corners. Run down a slight decline on Government Street, past The Empress Hotel, and onto Wharf Street. Turn right on Johnson Street, then right on Cook Street. The first aid station is just past Fairfield Avenue on Cook Street.

• Turn right onto Park, right onto Heywood, left on Southgate, and left onto Arbutus, entering Beacon Hill Park. Arbutus blends left into Bridge Way. Turn right onto Heywood and right onto Circle Drive. Run a complete counter clockwise loop of Circle Drive and Dallas Road (1-mile), staying to the left, and turn right on Heywood, and right on Park; completing an early race loop. Turn right on Cook Street. Turn left on Dallas Road (the second aid station is on Dallas Road near Cambridge) and run to Hollywood Crescent, keeping to the left. The third aid station is at Dallas Road and Memorial. Stay on Hollywood Crescent, past its southern intersection with Robertson, until Hollywood blends into Robertson just before the intersection with Ross and Crescent. Turn right onto Crescent and left on Irving to Fairfield.
• Turn left on Fairfield, right onto Richmond, and right again onto Richardson. You're now approaching the point where the Marathon route splits from the Half Marathon. The next aid station is beside the park on Richardson, just before turning left onto Lawndale. Turn right on Quamichan (careful of the speed bump!) and right again on Cowichan. When Cowichan reaches Richardson, you're at the 13 km mark of the race. It's here that the Marathon goes left and the Half Marathon goes right.
• Cross Foul Bay Avenue and Richardson becomes McNeill. Now you run the Oak Bay "finger." Turn left onto Hampshire, left on Granite, right on Mitchell, and right on Oak Bay Avenue. Run Oak Bay Avenue for five blocks. Then turn right on Monterey, left on Windsor, and right on Oliver down to Beach Drive. Turn left on Beach Drive. The next water stop is just after turning onto Beach Drive, at Transit. Run the Beach Drive waterfront past the Victoria Golf Club, Oak Bay Marina, Willows Beach and Cattle Point. The next water stop is just past the Oak Bay Marina at Glenlyon/Norfolk School. Turn left on Exeter and run a few hundred metres to the 180-degree turnaround, staying on the left, and return along Beach Drive all the way to Oliver. There's a water stop on Exeter, just after the turn off of Beach Drive. On the way back along Beach, water stops are again available at Glenlyon/Norfolk School, and at Beach and Transit. Run the Oak Bay "finger" in reverse: Oliver, Windsor, Monterey, Oak Bay Avenue, Mitchell, Granite, Hampshire, then turn right on McNeill and run back to the half marathon split at Richardson and Cowichan. The 34 km aid station is at Lawndale and Richardson.
• Return along Richardson, left on Richmond, left on Fairfield, right on Irving, right on Crescent, left on Robertson and left on Hollywood Crescent to Dallas Road.
• Continue on Dallas Road westbound, all the way past Beacon Hill Park and the Ogden Point breakwater, right on Erie, left on St. Lawrence, right on Kingston, left on Montreal, right on Quebec, left on Pendray and right onto Belleville to the finish in front of the Legislature. There are water stops every 2 km in the last stages of the race: at Dallas and Memorial, Dallas and Cambridge, and at Dallas and Oswego.