Around the Bay Road Race 2026 takes place on April 12, 2026 in Hamilton, Ontario and is presented by the Bay Race organisers. First run in 1894 — three years before the Boston Marathon — Around the Bay is the oldest road race on the continent and carries more than a century of local tradition and competitive history.
The weekend offers distance choices for a wide range of runners: a 30K, 15K, 10K and 5K, plus a virtual option for those who prefer to run remotely. Tentative start times list the 15K at 9:10am, the 10K at 9:20am, the 30K at 9:30am and the 5K at 9:40am; there are shuttle buses from LIUNA Station to the 10K and 15K start lines leaving at 8:30am on race morning. All in-person distances are individual entries — there are no relays.
What sets Around the Bay apart is a mix of history and course character: the route loops around Hamilton Harbour, crosses the canal lift bridge, and runs the Beach Strip before the final rolling hills on North Shore Boulevard. Runners finish into FirstOntario Centre and post-race operations — including food, water and medal pickup for participants — are staged inside LIUNA Station. The in-person 30K carries a 4.5-hour time limit with mid-race cutoffs (15K by 11:45am and 20K by 12:30pm), and aid stations plus portable toilets sit at roughly five-kilometre intervals along the 30K.
Registration notes: the 30K is listed as sold out for 2026. Transfer and sub-event change windows close on March 22, 2026; details and policies — including deferral and race-cancellation options — are published by the race organisers.