Thousands of runners took to the streets of the metropolis on Sunday morning for the 31e edition of the Beneva Montreal Marathon. Numerous traffic obstructions are expected.
Kenyan Felex Cheruiyot Rop won the event with a time of 2:23:20. He was followed by Canadians Simon LeBlanc (2:23:52) and Ahmed Mainy (2:24:15).
The official start was given at 7:45 a.m. at Espace 67 in Parc Jean-Drapeau. “It’s the ideal temperature for runners, it’s not too cold in the morning and not too hot during the day, with sunshine and little wind,” rejoices Alex Ratthé, executive producer of the Beneva Montreal Marathon .
More than 12,000 runners are participating this Sunday in the half marathon and the marathon. Of these, “around 20% come from outside Canada,” says Alex Ratthé. The day before, the 1 km, 5 km and 10 km races attracted some 8,000 runners.
To ensure the safety of participants, more than 300 paramedics are distributed throughout the course. “We have to respond within 3 minutes, no matter what happens on the course,” says Mr. Ratthé.
Obstacles to be expected
It will be better to plan your itinerary on Sunday. Several major roads will be closed to car traffic. Participants will take to the streets of several boroughs including Ville-Marie, Plateau, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and Ahuntsic.
MAP PROVIDED BY THE MONTRÉAL MARATHON
“There are crossing points to travel from east to west, namely Avenue Viger, Sherbrooke, Rosemont and Autoroute 40,” said Mr. Ratthé. Throughout the journey, police and security agents will be present at intersections of blocked streets to direct motorists.