The Saskatchewan Marathon is an annual

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

(42.195 km/26.219 mi) race in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The race has usually been held each year since 1979 and is a

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

qualifying event.

History

The first Saskatchewan Marathon was run May 12, 1979. During the first two years, the marathon was held in May, however the date of the marathon was moved to October in 1981. The marathon continued to be run in the Fall until 2004, when it was moved to May in order to avoid competition in the Queen City Marathon in Regina, Saskatchewan. It has been held in May ever since.Saskatchewan Marathon - History
/ref> In 2010 the event had a total participation of 2,797 runners, including: 159 runners in the Marafun, 1,404 in the 10 km, 1,287 in the Half-Marathon, and 247 in the Marathon. The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

, with all registrants given the option of running the race virtually or obtaining a 70% refund.

Course

The Marathon courses have started and ended at a number of different locations since its inaugural event. All of the events have included the extensive portion along the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...

, including the east bank section from Ruth Street north to the Traffic Bridge and the west bank section from the Traffic Bridge north to Whiteswan Drive and beyond. A number of courses have included starts and finishes at

Griffiths Stadium Griffiths Stadium is a stadium located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current stadium was opened on 23 June, 1967, to host the Saskatchewan Huskies football team. There was previously a Griffiths ...

on the campus of the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

, as well as portions of the course along roadways on the campus. The event in 2006 featured a start and finish at the east end of the Bowl, by the historic College Building. The various routes have been determined by a number of factors, including: road and bridge closures and construction, City and University approval and support, as well as the factors involved in choosing the location of the start/finish line. Extensive lobbying has occurred to develop a route which can remain unchanged from year to year, but that has proved impossible to do. The start/finish area is now at Diefenbaker Park and incorporates a river crossing on the South Circle Drive Bridge. For years, the course has been sanctioned by the Saskatchewan Athletics Association.

Other races

During the event, various distances are available:

References

External links

*{{Official Website, http://www.saskmarathon.ca
Saskatchewan Marathon
at MarathonGuide.com Marathons in Canada Sports competitions in Saskatoon Recurring sporting events established in 1979 Spring (season) in Canada

History

Course

Other races

See also

References

External links