Marathon Shootout – Toronto Waterfront vs. Tyler Rose
I completed the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on 26 September 2010 and the Tyler Rose Marathon on 10 October 2010, just two weeks later. So a marathon shootout of these two 2010 events is reasonable. And a comparison like this can help you to consider what is most important to you in a marathon.
Here is my aspect-by-aspect comparison.
- “TIE” means that neither event had the advantage.
- “TON” means that the marathon in Toronto, Ontario, had the advantage.
- “TTX” means that the marathon in Tyler, Texas, had the advantage.
Exposition: TON
Both expos were far from their start/finish lines. Toronto gets the nod for having MANY more exhibitors than did Tyler.
Parking: TTX
Even though Tyler’s many churches near the start/finish line banned parking in their lots, there was much free parking within six to eight blocks. In contrast, parking in Toronto was expensive.
Bag drop: TTX
The Tyler bag drop was free, whereas Toronto charged $2 for its bag drop — as a very admirable fund-raiser for three charities. Unfortunately, some racers did not notice this charge in the Toronto marathon literature and were seen on the course WEARING their drop bags!
Toilets: TON
Although Tyler had brand-new-smelling toilets near the start/finish line before the start of the marathon, there were EXTREMELY FEW toilets elsewhere on the course. Toronto had plenty.
Start line: TIE
Tyler started in only one to two minutes for its some 230 marathoners, whereas Toronto took ten minutes or so for some 15,000 marathoners and half-marathoners to cross its start line. But the Ontario marathon’s lead hotel was only a block or so from its start line, whereas the Texas marathon’s lead hotel was six miles from its start line.
Weather: TON
Toronto marathoners faced some wind (from Lake Ontario) on the second half of the course, whereas Tyler had no wind until more than six hours after the start of the race. The Texas marathon started in the high 40s or low 50s (Fahrenheit) but rose to the mid 80s by the three-hour mark. But the Ontario marathon stayed racer-friendly cool throughout that race (no higher than the high 60s to mid 70s by the official end).
Police: TON
Both cities’ police blocked car and truck drivers well. Tyler police were slightly friendlier and more encouraging to the racers than were Toronto police, but the latter police had a big edge over the former police in terms of the total number intersections that they protected. (Many intersections in the Texas marathon were unprotected.)
Water stations: TON
Although Tyler’s water stations had a slight edge over Toronto’s water stations in terms of sometimes having food as well as water and electrolyte drinks, the spacing of the water stations pushes the advantage in the other direction. The Ontario race spaced its water stations every two kilometers, whereas the Texas race spaced its stations every two miles, which is too far apart in a marathon-length race for adequate hydration of many racers without those racers taking extra time at those stops to pour extra water or electrolyte drinks into bottles in their hydration belts.
Water-station people: TON
Both groups were good at cheering for racers. But “Waterfront” water-station people could yell racers’ names because those names were printed in large letters on their bibs (vs. 12-point-font names of racers on their Tyler bibs). And “Rose” water-station people sometimes told racers to get out of way of oncoming motorists, instead of telling motorists to steer clear of racers.
Spectator turnout: TTX
Both cities had relatively a sparse turnout of spectators. The Texas course was much more residential, though, which gave Tyler the edge because most spectators simply stepped outside their homes and therefore could offer extra snacks and water along the way.
Course: TON
Tyler’s course proved that it is the other “Hill Country” of Texas (besides the Austin area), whereas Toronto’s course was very flat and had the advantage of a beautiful city on picturesque Lake Ontario.
Timing: TON
Tyler had the advantage of the idiot-proof, bib-pre-attached B-tag — versus the shoe-attached D-tag used in Toronto — for timing. But the Ontario event had several timing mats along its marathon course, whereas the Texas event only had mats at the start line, the half-way point, and the finish line.
Race photographers: TON
Toronto had many more race photographers than did Tyler. And the Ontario event’s race photographers were much friendlier and more visible than were those for the Texas event, which let marathoners put on their best smiles for the cameras.
Finish area: TTX
Toronto had more finish-area spectators than did Tyler, but the latter had extremely enthusiastic spectators who cheered loudly for every single finisher. “Waterfront” frustrated marathoners with balloon arches that implied that the end was near LONG before the end was near. “Rose” frustrated marathoners near the end of race with twists-and-turns routing AWAY from the in-view finish line before returning them to it for the finish-line crossing. But the Texas race handled finish-area logistics for finishers much better than did the Ontario race.
Medals: TIE
Each medal is attractive in its own way — Toronto with its large, heavy, gold(en) medallion, and Tyler with its even-larger, 2.5-dimensional, burnished-metal rose.
Post-race area: TTX
Both cities had relatively little food for finishers, although Toronto offered more than Tyler did. But the latter had a trailer outfitted with warm-water showers for finishers — especially useful for anyone who had checked out of his or her hotel before the race.
Conclusion
- The two events tied in terms of their start lines and medals.
- Tyler had the advantage for its parking, bag drop, spectator turnout, finish area, and post-race area.
- Toronto had the advantage for its exposition, toilets, weather, police, water stations, water-station people, course, timing, and race photographers.
In other words, Toronto handily beat Tyler in 2010 in my book.
Have you ever made a comparison like this? What did you find? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!
