Real runner feedback on course feel, crowd support, aid stations, and logistics (parking, hotels, restaurants).
I have run this race 4 times (all slightly different courses) but am always impressed by how scenic and pretty it is. Every couple kms is a nice view of the Ottawa river or the Rideau Canal and in between views are segments in nice subdivisions with great crowd support. It is hilly though, so be prepared for the later sections in Rockcliffe park. The race is typically well organized and the volunteers do a great job.
The only negatives are that it is typically hot weather (although 2024 was much cooler than typical which was wonderful) and there is a segment shared with the half marathoners. In some years, there has been a 2 hour difference in start times but this year it was only 1.5 hours and that meant that the full marathoners merged with halvers running much slower pace and there were too many of them to run around.
So its not a fast course given the negatives and that its a hilly course, I highly recommend taking this one in for a fun and scenic marathon and just enjoy the views and the crowds!
The 2024 race was much hillier in the second half and there are some decently long grinds through Rockcliffe park around 32-37km. Don't go too hard the first half because those hills are coming!
Be prepared to merge with half marathoners and have the challenge of weaving around them
Race weekend is typically hot and humid so try to acclimate before hand.
There are many hotels within walking distance to the start and many will offer late checkout. I've stayed downtown only 300m from the start line the last 2 years and it really makes race morning logistics a breeze. There is also free parking at City Hall all weekend.
The Expo for 2024 was a zoo, so I'd recomend trying to get there on the Friday.
Very Hot (record temp) and drink lots on the course.
Pace yourself.
Starting line was easy to get to. Bag drop off was well organized. The course profile was great, mostly flat with a few risers. Nuun hydration along the course is so much better than Gatorade. It's not overly crowded, just enough so once you get farther into the race there is always runners around. It was nice having pacers available. Although, my pacer had to drop at around mile 8 due to an injury. Thankfully there was a group of about 4 of us that stuck together for the majority of the race. Not a ton of crowd support during some areas, but overall there is a good amount of people out and watching. A spectator handed me a huge chunk of ice just before the Alexandria Bridge which I was so thankful for!
The BIGGEST con was the fact they started the 1/2 marathon earlier than was planned due to hot temperatures. This meant that for my last ~5k I was running among a large crowd of 1/2 marathon runners that were at a much slower pace than I was. So it was like a crowded start where you have to weave through slower runners to get by. Except you don't have the energy to do it. At a couple points I even hopped up on the grass. Not ideal, but like I said they started the 1/2 earlier that year.
Fantastic organization. Every runner counts. Thousands of volunteers. Interesting and lovely course. Smooth registration, start. Huge community involvement. There is a half marathon, 10k, 5k, kids 2k all the same weekend - really a running festival.
Marathon sells out by January, half-marathon in November, so register as early as you can.