Montreal runners set off in 33rd annual marathon

Montreal marathoners took their marks Sunday morning to test their mettle in the city’s 33rd annual Beneva Marathon race.

The race saw 5,500 participants pounding the pavement in a 42.2-kilometre route from Île Sainte-Hélène to Parc Maisonneuve, while another 13,500 took on the half-marathon distance of 21.1 kilometres. Both started at the same location and finished at adjacent finish lines, allowing spectators to watch runners from both distances cross the line at the same time.

In the biggest turnout the marathon has yet seen, the race welcomed 5,500 more runners across its six races than what the city saw last year — from 27,000 in 2024 to 32,500 in 2025.

This year’s marathon helped raise close to $1 million for nearly 60 charitable organizations through the Du cœur à la course initiative. Title sponsor Beneva awarded $25,000 in grants to standout groups.

The marathon also saw Urgences-santé deploy the largest fleet of health staff to date, with 50 medical professionals present at the race – including paramedics, managers, emergency medical dispatchers, spokespeople, and operational planning specialists.

Over 300 security guards were also mobilized across the 42-kilometre route to ensure runners’ safety.

In 2024, 50 interventions were carried out on-site, including the successful resuscitation of a cardiac arrest by medical teams.

Runners participating in the 10-, 5- and 1-kilometre race crossed finish lines on Saturday.

On the podium, Marta Hirpato Yota won the women’s elite marathon in 2:37:08 and Geoffrey Brgen captured the men’s elite title in 2:18:12. In the general category, Solene Thubert finished first among women in 3:02:07, while Valentin Emmanuel led the men in 2:33:25.

– With files from Zachary Cheung