2026 SPECTATOR GUIDE

The 2026 Servus Calgary Marathon weekend isn’t just about all those participants crushing their goals: it symbolizes a community festivity, uniting the city in a display of endurance, speed, motivation and shared support.

As a spectator, you’re not just a bystander but a vital source of energy and encouragement for the participants. Each course, from the marathon to the 5 km, is open for you to find your perfect spot to cheer—from carefully chosen vantage points to the convenience of just stepping out of your front door to the nearest location.

Here’s a breakdown of what you can find in this spectator guide:

• How to Download the Tracking App
• How and Where to Get Your Cheer Signs Ready
• Find Your Cheer Location
• At the Finish Line
• Full Course Entertainment List
• Spectating Tips
• Getting to Your Cheer Spot

LIVE ATHLETE TRACKING APP

Make the most out of your Servus Calgary Marathon Race Weekend by downloading the 2026 Official Live Tracking App. Participants and Spectators who use the app will be able to:

• Track their own progress and results, as well the progress of friends, family and top runners with LIVE TRACKING
• Leaderboards updated in real time
• View interactive course maps
• Stay updated on race information
• Get notifications regarding any changes to the Event Alert System
• Take selfies and post them on social media
• And more!

Don’t miss out on this interactive Servus Calgary Marathon experience, head to the App Store (Apple) or Play Store (Android) to download the latest version of the app. Alternatively, you can view the Tracking App in your browser.

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GET YOUR CHEER SIGNS READY

Ever dreamed of crafting an iconic cheer sign that goes viral on social media and pulls runners out of their pain cave, boosts their spirits, and maybe even gets a well-earned giggle? If so, join us for our annual Cheer Sign Making session at Cold Garden co-hosted by Fun Frugal Friday Run Club!

Tickets are just $12 + taxes/fees and include:

• 1x Crafty Kit
• 1x Drink Ticket

You provide:

• Creativity, wit, & motivational quotes aplenty

Don’t miss out, glory, prizes and swag are at stake! Buy tickets here.

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WHY CHEERING MATTERS

The feedback we hear most from participants is how much they love the areas on-course where there is great crowd support. There’s a reason runners LOVE running in cities like London, England and New York, where spectators run 10 people deep for the whole course!

Every cheer, every clap, and every encouraging word you offer can profoundly impact the runners’ spirits. Here, we outline some prime locations to support your friends and family (and complete strangers!) as they undertake this formidable challenge and offer additional suggestions to enhance your experience as part of this vibrant community event.

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FIND YOUR CHEER LOCATION

One of the best things about races spanning 42.2 kilometres is that you might not have to head that far to find a place to cheer – the race might run right through your neighbourhood! Review the course map to find the closest location to your home – just toggle on the route you want to support and you will be able to see each km marker, road closures, cheer stations and more! Here’s an example of what the Interactive Map looks like and some of the filters you can toggle on/off:

Early Kilometres

The journey begins north of Stampede Park near the Sam Centre and heads north on Olympic Way. New this year is the marathon and half-marathon will move through the East Village, west on Riverfront Ave., across Centre St. Bridge, heading east through Bridgeland, up to Telus Spark before coming through Inglewood, essentially completing the first 8 km of the event in reverse from previous years.

There’s plenty of spots along Riverfront Ave. and in Bridgeland to cheer on your friends and family as they tackle the initial challenge. East Village is full of epic cheer stations and collaborations between run crews and local businesses – these will hit runners during their final stretch on Saturday, and twice on Sunday! Avoid 9 Ave SE as construction will limit how much you can see and the quality of your images and videos. Instead venture to Telus Spark and take in The Calgary Stetson Band on Sunday!

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Join the Cheer Squad – East Village

Join the Charity Block Party on Saturday in East Village (across from the EV Dog Park). DJ’s will be there to liven up the vibe on 6 St SE. You can then meander around the corner to join the energy at the Fun Frugal Friday/lululemon cheer teams on Saturday or the YYCRunCrew/Crush Camp/XACT/Tality Wellness/Eighty Eight Brewing/Solomon (you read that right) on Sunday in front of the Harvest Venture Building. Your cheers here will boost the runner’s morale as they start to gather momentum. Our 5 km participants will be turning around soon and heading back to the festival area at Enmax Park, all other participants continue on into Inglewood and Bridgeland.

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Strategic Spot – Inglewood & Bridgeland

Early riser? Grab a coffee and a treat at Rosso Coffee in Inglewood (opens at 7 AM Saturday, 8 AM Sunday) or at the Bridgeland Market (opens 7 AM both days) and get ready to cheer on those runners as they make their way through the first 4-5km of their run (10 km, Half, Full). The Wild Rose duo is back hyping Saturday’s 10 km crowd while Seraphina and the Calgary Highlanders will be dazzling crowds as marathoners/half marathoners enter Bridgeland on Sunday .

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Beltline & Kensington – Full & Half Momentum

While our marathoners and half-marathoners run down 11 Ave SW (Electric Avenue, anyone??), they will need some extra encouragement to get them through the first third or half (respectively) of their run. Find your perfect cheer spot on the 14 St Bridge as our runners make their way into Kensington. Midnight Taiko Kai and Calysto Steel Drummers will help keep the energy up in Kensington on Sunday.

Marathoners will need lots of energy at 16 St NW & Memorial Drive as they leave their half-marathon friends and start heading west on Memorial towards Bowness. Our half-marathon runners could use some extra momentum as they start their journey back towards the finish line. Participants will get an extra boost from lululemon and DJ Joe Swell on Memorial Dr NW, just west of 14 St Bridge.

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Where you’re needed the most – Memorial Drive (Westmount, Parkdale, Montgomery)

It can get pretty lonely running along Memorial Drive. Help our marathoners get through the next 8 km of their run by picking a spot along this route to cheer them on!  Ride your bike along the pathway and follow your favourite runner as they make their way to the turnaround in Bowness, or on their way back to the finish line. Your presence here can offer them the encouragement they need to stay strong, and it’s easy to catch them a few different times since it’s an out-and-back portion of the race.

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Pick a bridge with a view

Watch them as they start their journey down Memorial Drive with a birds eye view from the Bow River Pathway pedestrian bridge near Prince’s Island Park, or head to Bow River Pathways near Centre Street Bridge to catch runners as they head onto the Centre St Bridge underpass. Find your perfect cheer spot on the 14th Street Bridge as our runners make their way into Kensington and then head to the Bev Longstaff West Hillhurst Bridge at 21 St NW to watch them run out and back on Memorial Drive, all while you have the city view to your east and the mountain view to your west.

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Turnaround for the Full Marathon – Bowness

Bowness is a great spot to set up and cheer. Join many of the Bowness families who come out to support our runners year after year. They are more than half way done now and your encouragement can be the extra push they need to remind them that the finish line is now closer than the start line.

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Cheerful Finish – Enmax Park

As the runners approach the final kilometres towards Enmax Park, this is when your presence is needed the most! Inner thoughts might be taking over and your cheers of encouragement can make all the difference to encourage a strong finish. Costumes, loud cheering, pom poms, and funny signs are encouraged to help runners push through those final metres!

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COSTUMES ENCOURAGED

Because, why not?

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AT THE FINISH LINE

The finish line will be fenced off, and after runners cross the finish line arch, they will proceed to the medal and food areas. They will emerge just north of the stage area in Enmax Park. This will be the first spot where you can meet up with your runner after they finish. Alternatively, you can arrange to meet at one of the many activations within the festival area – Servus Credit Union Recovery Zone, The family-friendly Beer Gardens, Sport Calgary Kids Zone and much more.

At the Awards Stage in Enmax Park, we are excited to welcome DJ Kav Molavi on Saturday, and welcome back DJ Joanna Magik on Sunday to set the celebration vibes!

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FULL COURSE ENTERTAINMENT LIST

Check out this list of all the entertainers and cheer stations that will be joining us on Saturday and/or Sunday! You can use the Interactive Map to toggle on Cheer/Entertainment to find out who will be set up near you.

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SPECTATING TIPS

• Plan Ahead: Know the route and pick strategic spots for viewing. If you are staying for all the participants, bring chairs, snacks and layers as participants could be coming by for several hours. We have 10,000+ participants per day!
• Include the whole family: Kids absolutely love to get loud, so put them to work cheering on runners by name (it’s on their bibs, so you can cheer on complete strangers like they are old friends). Bonus points for bringing whistles, kazoos, pots and spoons for banging or any other noisemaker of choice!
• Finish Line Festival: This area gets very busy. If you want to see your friend or family member cross the finish line, please leave yourself plenty of time to arrive and find a spot along the last few metres of their run. We strongly encourage you to park and ride the c-train and follow the signage from Victoria Station or ride your bike as Stampede Park has many events on over race weekend and parking will be extremely limited.
• Be Encouraging: Prepare motivational signs or chants to boost runners’ morale.
• Respect the Runners: Give them space and avoid obstructing their path. Please stay off the road (course).
• Be Mindful of Logistics: Understand parking and transportation options for easy access. Please remember that typical options may be affected by road closures and heavier-than-usual traffic.
• Cheer Loud, Have Fun, & Share with us on social media @CalgaryMarathon!

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GETTING TO YOUR CHEER SPOT

Calgary provides lots of parking options along the route. Please check the city maps to see which parking options work best for you. Options include free and paid parking garages, surface lots, and free on-street parking—especially convenient on Sundays when most spots are free. For a smoother experience:

• Use Waze, Google Maps or any map app on your phone to navigate. Remember to check the Interactive Course Map for road closures (you can toggle ON the road closures for Saturday or Sunday, and specify the time frame for accuracy). Waze will be live with our road closures on race day if you get stuck.
• If you want to cheer in Inglewood, Bridgeland or East Village, it will be easier to access from the north or via Crowchild Trail. Most of Memorial Drive and 9 Ave SE east of 4 St SE will be closed for the duration of the day.
• To access the Beltline for the half-marathon and marathon routes, it will be easiest to come from the south.
• Ride your bike and you can go almost anywhere – just not on the road with the runners.
• Arrive at your spot early, bring music and a coffee and get ready to be part of the action!

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Being a part of the Servus Calgary Marathon as a spectator is about more than just watching — it’s about being part of a community that comes together to celebrate strength, perseverance, and unity. And you never know you may be so inspired that it will be you out there next year running and relying on the good vibes of spectators! So pick your spot, prepare your loudest cheers and motivational signs, and be ready to be an integral part of this exhilarating event.

Don’t forget to check the Interactive Course Map for a detailed view of each route and plan your day to offer the best support to the runners. Happy cheering!