Marathon Beneva de Montreal

The Montreal Marathon is a well organized race with a medium sized field that was logistically very convenient. I stayed in Old Town across the street from a Metro Station and was able to quickly and easily get to the start and from the finish back to my hotel using the very well designed subway system. The expo, which is near the finish line, was also easily accessible via subway. The expo was pretty non descript for a big city race. There were enough vendors, but I found the space itself a bit claustrophobic thus we did not spend much time at the expo. Two very minor complaints: there was no handwashing station or hand sanitizer at the ample porta potty farm, which grossed me out a bit, and the corrals were very congested. The course itself was excellent, with many scenic views and a good deal of diversity between city and neighborhood. There are a few tough hills toward the end, so save a little energy for last few kilometers. The crowds were big enough and were supportive. The post race area was good and the swag is quite nice. After a 10 minute walk to the metro station, I was back at my hotel within 20:00. Much to like, little that needs improvement. We loved several Montreal Breweries, our favorites being BrewSky and Messorem. My wife and I loved Montreal and found it to be the perfect runcation destination. Fall is an especially beautiful time to visit. We hope to return.

The race itself is okay -- a couple decent hills but mostly flat and a nice downhill overall. There is a brutal climb right at the end so be aware of that. Not the best course for a BQ imo. The really disqualifying aspect for me was the terrible organization with the bag drop. I arrived at 6:55AM (bag drop closed at 7:30) and was met with 20+ lines not moving towards 20+ buses. They told us to pick a line and it didn't matter, but once 1-3 of the lines were moving to fill up the busses with bags. I had to sit in a line until 7:40 (race starts at 7:45) and folks started panicking with the race announcers calling everyone to the start line (approximately 800m away). It got to the point where everyone was just frantically throwing their bags towards the busses and grabbing wristbands hoping their bag would make it to the finish line. I got my wristband at 7:43, two minutes before the start of the marathon. I then had to run to the start line, skipping a planned bathroom break to start on time. I would NEVER run this race again for this reason. It wasn't just me either. Literally hundreds (thousands) of people were in the same boat. Imagine it was a PR or BQ attempt? No thank. Figure that out organizers. Fatal flaw.

Great race starting from the Jean Drapeau Park, running on the F1 racing track, then across the water, into the old city, then through the neighbourhoods all the way to the olympic stadium. ONLY PROBLEM is the last 2 KM has odd uphill ramps to the finish line. It gassed so many people.