Waterfront Marathon

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is back! On Sunday, October 16, 2022 the Romero House community will be running and walking to raise money for the important work of welcoming refugees. We would love your support this year!

What is the Waterfront Marathon? 
The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a beloved event bringing together more than 50 people from the Romero House community to run, walk, and hand out water to runners on a beautiful morning in October. We will be a small but mighty group amongst thousands of people running, walking and raising money for different charities through the TCS Charity Challenge. 

Romero House has participated in the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon (formerly the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon) since 2013. After a two year hiatus during COVID, we are thrilled to be running again.

Get involved!

Join our Team

To register for the marathon:

  • Click here to register (Please use this link to register as we receive a $5 referral donation when you do!)
  • On the right, click “Register for event”
  • Create an account in Race Roster if you don’t already have one. 
  • Select the run/walk you plan to complete (There is a virtual option if you are not available on October 16 or you do not want to run in a large group. The virtual option involves running your own route any time in October.) Most of the team will be completing the 5KM run/walk, which costs $55 to register for.
  • Fill out the required fields. Under “General & TSC Charity Challenge Fundraising Teams”, in response to the question “Add registrant to a team?”, click “Yes, add this registrant to a team created by someone else.” Under “Team category”, select “Fundraising Team – TCS Charity Challenge”. Under “Select team”, choose “Romero House”. 
  • Alternatively, if you want to create your own team (for example, to raise money together with other runners like family, a workplace team, or church group), you can create your own team and select Romero House as the organization you want to support. 
  • Complete your registration. 
  • Contact us by email to request assistance with your registration.

If you are a resident or former resident of Romero House, we can pay for your registration fee. For more details, please contact Paula, a Romero House worker.

Volunteer

Every year Romero House brings 30 volunteers to hand out water to thousands of runners participating in all the races, including the marathon. It is a fun and rewarding activity and we would love your support! To sign up:

  1. Follow this link.
  2. Your group password is “ROMEROHOUSE” – type this into the Password space. 
  3. Find shift by clicking the “+” and the date below that. 
  4. Select the shift by clicking the check box, and scroll down to fill out your information.
  5. Ensure you read and sign the disclaimer at the bottom.
  6. Click “JOIN THE TEAM” and you’re done!
Romero House Runners at the 2016 Toronto Waterfront Marathon

If you have any questions, contact Mary Jo Leddy, our water station coordinator extraordinaire.

What it means to be part of our team

  • The event is lots of fun! Not only the race itself but a neighbour also hosts a barbeque afterwards, to which all of the Romero House team is invited.
  • It’s a chance to meet fellow community members, including residents, volunteers, staff, neighbours, and supporters.
  • Get some exercise! Whether you are walking the 5km or running the full marathon, we are here to support you. There are many great resources to help you prepare.
  • Everyone on the Romero House team will receive a famous Romero House yellow t-shirt.
  • You can feel good about helping raise money so that Romero House can continue its work of walking with refugees

What the impact will be

Romero House needs your support! After two years of COVID-19 and fewer refugee claims due to border restrictions, we are once again seeing many refugees at our doors who need our help. While more than 96% of people live in the country where they were born, many are forced to leave behind their families, careers, and communities of language and culture. The calling of Romero House is to walk beside those people during this incredibly difficult period of their lives. 

Romero House offers transitional housing, settlement services, and a community of welcome to those fleeing persecution around the world. We do this in the spirit of accompaniment and as good neighbours. Last year alone we supported more than 300 refugee claimants with things like finding housing, lawyers, and jobs. You can read more about our work in our latest Annual Report. 

Some of the Romero House team at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon