The Toronto Waterfront Marathon starts and finishes in the heart of downtown Toronto, heading out and back along the lakeshore on a flat course. It was one of North America's fastest marathons in 2006 with a time of 2:10:15. The flat and fast features of this event have consistently been the reason for so many people reaching a personal best, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, having a memorable but good first marathon or an outstanding one. Even power walkers or slower runners love this course because of its 7-hour finish.