The Banff Marathon is stepping away from its longest race starting in June 2025.
Rebranded as the Banff Half Marathon and 10K, or Banff Half, the destination event is focusing on the 21 and 10 kilometre distances inside Banff National Park as organizers officially drop the dwindling marathon format.
“The numbers in the marathon are not so hot, to be very honest,” said race director Paul Regensburg.
“The half [marathon] is really what people want to run. We do see less registration in the marathon and we also see a lot of people changing late in the game from the marathon distance down to the half marathon.”
Of the 2,500 participants in what’s touted as the “Greenest Marathon on the Planet”, Regensburg said the marathon (42 kilometres) typically sees around 300 people sign up, making the day longer and extending the physical footprint on the national park.
Other factors also brought on the decision to remove the marathon such as environmental stewardship in the flagship national park, a reduction in traffic congestion and closed roads, and helping to mitigate wildlife encounters.
The majority of wildlife encounters occur on the Bow Valley Parkway in the marathon section, which included several bear sightings last June during the event. One grizzly bear, in particular, held up nearly 200 marathoners at once while it passed through. The stops for wildlife added an extra 90 minutes on some marathon runners’ times.
“We are trying to be responsible guests in a national park that’s very, very busy,” said Regensburg. “We thought that it was sort of a win all the way around for all of the stakeholders because it’s less impact on the park.”
Another change is to the 10km route, which has officially moved to the quieter Vermilion Lakes Road opposed to around the busy townsite.
The half marathon and 10km start on Bow Avenue/Bow River Trail and proceed the length of Vermilion Lakes Road (the 10km turnaround), then to the Legacy Trail and on a portion of the Bow Valley Parkway. The finish line for both is at Banff Central Park.
With the incoming changes, the Banff Half could potentially see more participants.
Because the routes align, and with the marathon being cut, the Banff Half could have up to 3,000 participants if the demand is there, said Regensburg. In comparison, Melissa’s Road Race every September in Banff can have up to 4,500 participants (1,500 half marathon).
The destination race has long crossed jurisdiction lines from municipal to federal and organizers have worked with the Town of Banff and Parks Canada on putting the event on and offering education to runners.
Regensburg said that the decision for the major changes are “100 per cent our directive.”
“It is a big decision for us because the marathon definitely has a very sentimental place in a lot of runners’ hearts and ours, too,” said Regensburg. “The decision wasn't taken lightly.”
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno, who often runs in the June event, commended the organizers’ efforts to help reduce traffic congestion around town and leave less of an environmental footprint.
“I’m sure it was a bittersweet decision to move the marathon distance for the organizers, and likely there’s gonna be some disappointment from participants about this change, but this is really the Banff Half demonstrating their environmental stewardship,” said DiManno.
The Banff Marathon was the first marathon DiManno ran in 2019, back when she admittedly “didn’t know what I was doing.”
“The race day usually lands on Father's Day and in general, my dad has been there at the finish line when I've run the full marathon or the half marathon and my Father’s Day gift to him is that I don’t make him run with me,” said DiManno. “But the full marathon in 2019 was extra special because I ran it with my uncle, Marino DiManno. We had run the half marathon together before but this was the first marathon for both of us.”
The Banff Half is also looking at continuing its festival weekend in 2025, which includes the popular free kids race, yoga in the park, and a health and sport expo. An awards ceremony is also being considered.
Taking place on June 15, 2025, registration for the Banff Half opened this week.