My marathons

Melissa's Road Race

Banff
Banff
Banff. Photograph by Port(u*o)s (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser's half marathon route crosses the bridge to the Golf Course, stays right at the loop split and runs two full circuits of the back Golf Course Road loop, about 5 km each, before turning back toward Banff.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Two 5 km circuits of the back Golf Course Road loopOver the bridge to the golf course, then two circuits of about 5 km.
  • A 3:30 limit and no walkers in the half marathon3:30 limit for the half marathon; walkers are not permitted.
  • Banff National Park since 1979Banff since 1979; the 2026 race ran on 26 September.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 3 to 18GeometryTwo 5 km circuits of the back Golf Course Road loopOver the bridge to the golf course, then two circuits of about 5 km.

The start is on Sundance Road. The route turns left onto Cave Avenue and Birch Drive, passes under the Banff Avenue Bridge along Glen Avenue, and finishes on the playing field of the Banff Recreation Grounds.

Sourced

km 0 to 21.1FinishA 3:30 limit and no walkers in the half marathon3:30 limit for the half marathon; walkers are not permitted.

Runners are asked to move briskly at the start because the road closure on Cave Avenue lifts within the first kilometre.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowdBanff National Park since 1979Banff since 1979; the 2026 race ran on 26 September.

The organiser describes a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon in and around Banff National Park, with live entertainment, a post-race party and a long-sleeved commemorative running shirt with local art. The 2026 half marathon started at 10:30 on race day, together with the other distances.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Banff, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
cut-off
3:30 h

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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