Falling Water Trail Marathon: A Beaver Valley Base for Two Race Days

Before booking chalets for a trail-running group, check who is ready for which race. The marathon covers about 42 km with nearly 1,600 m of climbing and the same again in descent, mostly on the main Bruce Trail, with crossovers and the Kimberley Side Trail near the finish. It has an 11-hour cutoff and rolling cutoffs at five aid stations.

The half is about 21 km with close to 1,000 m of gain and a 5.5-hour limit, ending at 2:30 p.m. Both pass waterfalls, steep climbs and long views, and both reward runners who have trained on technical ground rather than rail trail.

The two-day format suits our two-night minimum. Marathoners race Saturday and recover that night while the half runners rest their legs, then the house turns over to Sunday’s starters. A full kitchen means pasta on Friday and an early breakfast both mornings, and every chalet except Aqua Villa lists a washer and dryer for muddy kit.

Watch the checkout: half runners start at 9 a.m. on Sunday and checkout is 11 a.m. Either pack the cars and check out before driving to the start, or add Sunday night so everyone meets back at the hot tub.

The race page lists the Beaver Valley Ski Club in Eugenia as start and finish; map the club address before race morning. For scale, our drive-time table puts Kimberley about 32 minutes and Eugenia about 42 minutes from 104 Brooker Boulevard, before traffic and stops.

Supporters can spend the day at Eugenia Falls and meet runners at the finish, and our Bruce Trail guide helps anyone who wants a shorter walk on the same escarpment.