Niagara Falls Marathon
The Niagara Falls Marathon is an annual marathon running competition in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, first held in 1974.
It used to be run from Buffalo, New York, to Niagara Falls, Ontario, making it one of the few marathons in the world that starts in one country and finishes in another. Participants of the Niagara Falls International Marathon had to show a passport or NEXUS card at the start, which would be given back at the finish line or kept by the racer during the race.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the marathon was held only in Canada.
History
The marathon was first held on 26 October 1974 as the Skylon International Marathon, with Jesse Kregal as founder and race director. The race was named the Buffalo Niagara Falls International Marathon from 1983 to 1986.In 1985, runners were led off the course, and used multiple different routes to get back on the course, resulting in unusual times and placements.
The marathon had a ten-year break from 1987 to 1996 before it was relaunched in 1997 as the Niagara Falls Marathon. From 1998 to 2008, it was known as the Casino Niagara International Marathon.
The course records are held by Peter Pfitzinger, who ran 2:17:10 in 1980, and Nicole Stevenson of Canada, whose time of 2:37:09 in 2004 is the women's record.
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the race were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting with the 2022 edition of the marathon, the race has been held entirely in Canada.