Montreal Marathon - course info

I'm sorry, I don't know much about the Montreal Marathon, but i can suggest a good poutine place. Poutine is like gravy cheese fries. Try "Frite Alors".

Good luck in the marathon and amuse-toi bien

Look at the results from last year including the men's to see if many people will likely run your goal pace. Check the weather for past years and the course map/profile. You could e-mail the race director also.

There are some other August/September marathons if you are willing to travel. The Santa Rosa, CA marathon is in August.

Check out Quebec City Marathon end of August. I have had friends run fast there.

Montreal is not a very fast course with a few decent hills in the latter part of the race. It is now a RnR marathon and is in late September. Weather should be decent that time of year. Very few if any runners (male) will be shooting for 2:36-38. Quebec is a more forgiving course and is at the end of August, but the field is not competitive. 2:36 might win it. There are a few other low key races in September that might have ok weather and a reasonable course (Dayton, Erie and a race in Pennsylvania that will have timing mats every three feet) but you may break the tape as the overall winner and run solo for most of the way.

If you are willing to run in late September, why not wait two weeks and run Twin Cities?

Check out the calendar at findmymarathon.com. They have scores ranking how fast courses are and hAve most elevation profiles listed. Also Marathi guide has lists of the finishing times so you can see if you'll have company at your time.

Montreal is not a fast course and not very competitive.

Half and full starts at the same time, it can get crowded at the start on very narrow path on Saint Helen's Island. At midpoint when the half stops, it becomes a no man land.

Since RnR lowered cash prizes to winners, 2:25-2:30 usually wins it. For the last 2 years, only 10 runners ran under 2:50. Don't expect much pacing help if you target 2:36.

At this time of the year, weather is a crapshoot. It can be dangerously humid. It can also be mid and fine (~20C).

I ran it 3 times. It was much better 10 years ago. Now it's slowly turning into a standard overpriced/overcrowded RnR event, but it's still a nice race for everything but a PR. Nice crowd (even if nothing compared to a World Major), nice volunteers, nice city.

It's too bad October is too late for you otherwise Toronto would be the perfect race.

Montréal is not that fast. It got some hills actually and tend to be humid. I suggest Québec city marathon. I live near by and it's very beautiful.

First 10km downhill, then it gets flat, just after 21.1km you have a climb about 600m before you take the bridge heading the north shore and that's it, the rest of it is flat.

Why this marathon is not popular? Because there is no money in it! It tends to be hot towards the end but with 2h38 it still is early in the morning so you won't feel the effects.

If you need anything let me know

Québec dans ses slendeurs

https://www.google.ca/search?q=quebec+city&biw=1600&bih=785&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WjBnVan8CYPlsATVq4HgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

Marathon de Québec

http://www.couriraquebec.com/marathondesdeuxrives/

Does anyone know if the Quebec City Marathon course is eligible for Olympic Trials Qualifying? It is point to point and obviously not USATF certified.

Olympic Trials Qualifying Guidelines

The qualifying mark must be made on a:

A)USATF certified course or

B)in an event Sanctioned by USA Track & Field or

C)a member federation of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

It's not USATF certified course (A).

It's not USATF sanctionned (B).

It might be C).

From their website:

The SSQ Quebec City Marathon is sanctioned by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) and also by the Quebec Athletics Federation.

The event is also a member of the Run Quebec City Series.

url=http://www.couriraquebec.com/quebeccitymarathon/general-information

It's elegible for Boston.

You should ask them just to be sure.