2025 Robbie Burns Day Road Races

Weather

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/canada/ontario/burlington

Hoping for a gorgeous sunny winter day, but please check the weather before you leave... be ready for anything!

Remember we are Canadian's any weather is running weather.... there is no bad weather, there is just bad clothing choices!!

Registration and Kit Pick Up

Advanced Race Kit and Bib Pickup will be available on Saturday, January 18, 2025.

1. Running Room Store in Burlington from 10am to 3pm - located @ 3300 Fairview St, Burlington, ON L7N 3N7

Race Day Registration

Race Day Registration will be available through RaceRoster. You can register using RaceRoster (payment online) right until 8:45am the morning of the race. You will then need to come to the Bib Pickup table and get your Race Kit and Bib. There will not be any payments (cash, cheque, etc.) accepted on site.

Bib Mail-Out (Environmentally Friendly Option)

Bib mail-out option will be available, and we'll mail you the bib in the weeks leading up to the race. A fee of $7.00 will apply, and can be purchased at checkout. This will be available until 2 weeks prior to race day. We will mail the bib to the address on file with RaceRoster.

Race Day Bib Pick Up (Most Environmentally Friendly!)

Race Day Bib pickup will be available on site at the race venue - the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Pickup on site the morning of the race, January 19, 2024, will begin at 7:00am. Cut-off time for Race Kits and Bib Pickup will be approx. 8:45am.

Parking

Please do not park at the No Frills Plaza.

Free parking, about 400 spots, is available at the municipal parking garage on Locust Street next to the the Burlington Performing Arts Center (BPAC).

Additional free parking is available at municipal lots #7 and #8 north of BPAC on Locust St., at Municipal lot #3 behind the No Frills Plaza on Brant St..

Do not park on Elgin Street next to BPAC, this is the start/finish area closed to traffic.

Parking on weekends at city lots is free.

Racers are strongly encouraged to carpool to help ease parking congestion.

Burlington Downtown Special Events Parking Map.

Interactive parking map.

Note: The parking lot directly across Locust Street from BPAC is NOT a city lot and is NOT free on weekends.

Sustainable Transportation Options

Driving is not the only way to arrive. All participants are encouraged to consider using public transportation or even winter cycling, where safe.

www.Burlingtontransit.ca

Burlington Cycling Map

Bag Check is FREE!!

Bag check will be available on site, inside the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Please bring your own bag.

We are pleased to bring back the Burlington Track and Field Club to staff the Bag Check. Bag Check is included with your race registration, so please proceed to the Race Kit and Bib Pickup and get your bib first. Then, visit the bag check and use the tear-off strip from the race bib to check your bag.

Please consider a cash donation to the Burlington Track and Field Club as a "Thank You" for their support of this event!

8km 2025 Race Route!

Participants must be able to complete the 8km course in 90 minutes., interim cut off at 4k (the first loop) at 45 mins.

After 45+/or 90 minutes participants will be asked to continue unsupervised on the sidewalk

This is to allow traffic cones to be removed ASAP and minimizes traffic impact.

• The start/finish is on Elgin Street next to the race venue, The Burlington Performing Arts Center.
• The course runs clockwise - WEST on Elgin to Maple, NORTH on Maple to Richmond, EAST on Richmond to Hager, NORTH on Hager to Olga, EAST on Olga to Brant, and SOUTH on Brant to Elgin, WEST on Elgin to the Start/Finish Line.
• 8km participants will complete this course TWICE.
• Participants have 90 minutes to complete the 8km distance, after that the race course will be re-open to traffic and participants must continue from the sidewalk.
• Runners are expected to stay within the coned portion of the course and not stray into the car traffic lanes.

Course Safety Procedures

This race is run on the city streets of Burlington and while the course is marked with pylons, racers are responsible for using good judgement and for looking out for themselves. Marshals and/or police are stationed at all major intersections and entry ways but there are hundreds of unmonitored driveways along the route.

Runners are also strongly discouraged from wearing headphones or earbuds during this event. Runners must be able to hear passing runners, course marshals and safety staff during the event and it's really hard to do this when you’re wearing headphones.

Runners must, at all times, stay within the marked course. Runners who run outside the course will be warned; if they continue to run outside the course they may be disqualified or asked to leave the race entirely. We share the roads with cars, we don’t own the roads and when you’re off course you are outside the race's insurance coverage.

Course Etiquette

First and foremost, we’re all here for fun and we all want to go home safely when we're done the event so that should guide every interaction you have and action you take while racing.

Second, the race is on open city streets so there should be plenty of room for everyone. Runners are asked to run no more than 2 abreast to the right to ensure others can pass them if needed.

Passing runners are asked to call out their plans (“passing on the left”) politely.

Refund Policy

We will not be issuing refunds of any kind. If the event is cancelled from our end, you will automatically (at no charge), be transferred to the 2026 Robbie Burns Race.

In the even that you cannot race, we will accept email requests (robbieburns@burlingtonrunners.com) to transfer to the 2026 Race, until December 31st at midnight, for a fee of $15.

Many of the costs of putting on a race are incurred well before the event. Registration fees directly cover these costs. We appreciate your understanding of why we are not able to accommodate refunds, and appreciate your continued support.

Thank you for your understanding and for doing your part to keep our running community safe.

Transfers

Transferring a bib to another runner is allowed until the cutoff date of January 7th at midnight, for a fee of $10.

Deferrals

Deferring your registration to the 2026 Robbie Burns Race is allowed until the cutoff date of Dec 31st at midnight, for a fee of $15.