Ottawa Race Weekend Recap
This year over 33k runners and 200k spectators participated in the biggest multi-distance race event in Canada.
The Ottawa Race Weekend hosts two International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Gold label events: the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and the Ottawa 10K.
Where to stay
Most hotels downtown Ottawa were partners with the organization and had a two nights stay requirement. Because of that, we choose to be 3km away, to park the car and to taxi/Uber for the weekend. I had planned to eat in the room kitchenette on Saturday anyway. And some nice runners offered me a lift to the half Sunday morning!
Expo
Well organized. Every runner was receiving shirts and bibs in a red string backpack. So they were recognizable everywhere in town.
Vendors included all brands of shoes, watches, apparel and many local products and races. No running skirts with pockets though.
Common for all races
I would describe the theme of the weekend as “Very Canadian “.
Shirts and medals for all distances featured a maple leaf The color of the shirts and the size/spinning of the medals varied.
The courses were pretty much flat the entire way. All departed in the same area and had the same 3k finish around the Rideau Canal. That means that the half-marathoners met the full marathoners towards the end.
The supporters were EVERYWHERE along the courses. The medical staff and patrols were also continuously present. Super energy, thanks to all!
The food given at the end included a bagel, a protein bar, a banana, ketchup chips and a juice box. There was beer coupons attached to my bib but I did not use them.
Photo package are available for purchase.
Fortunately, the forecasted thunderstorms never happened and the weather was ideal for running over the entire weekend with mostly grey skies, relatively low humidity and cool temperatures.
And, personally, I did the warmup and cool down routines that we so conveniently discussed in this thread for all my races!
Challenges
Two challenges were offered:
The Voyageur Challenge (like a Canadian explorer in his canoe with a traditional knitted belt): 5k+10k+halfMarathon
The Lumberjack Challenge (like a lumberjack going in Canadian woods with his axe and checkered shirt): 2k+5k+10k+Marathon
The price of a Challenge equalled the sum of its parts but provided some extras: A long sleeve tech shirt, a medal, separate bag check, opened corral choice, bragging rights and multiple fun occasions.
I choose to run the Voyageur Challenge so my medal is a canoe paddle. Here are my swag and bling:
View attachment 325577
5k
I arrived early to familiarize myself with the surroundings. I witnessed the start of the 2k full of families. I saw many arriving by bike and checking them in/out. I found real bathrooms and air conditioning in the Ottawa City Hall (super important when running a challenge). I checked-in my stuff for the next race.
I was going to push that race so, after my warmup, I took place in the first corral. And at 4PM, I ran my race!
PR at 00:24:52.8
It was my first officially timed 5k race without my DD10 so I had based my goal on my Nike App best 5k was (24:51) but that doesn’t take tangents into account. For equal comparison my Nike App now tells me that I crushed this and my new unofficial best 5k is 24:45. So it is a real PR and I am so so proud of it! I am in the 9% overall, 4% women and 3% age category. What a great confidence and self-image boost!
10k
During the two hours between the races, I had to get my medal, pickup the provided food, take a few pictures, get my bag, wash-up and change clothes in the bathroom, drink, eat, stretch, charge my phone (just in case), rest, check my bag and warmup.
My goal was also to push that race so I got behind the 50min bunny in the second corral. There was a bit of crowding at the beginning and I got a few elbows but the all came with (Very Canadian) apologies.
I got into the rhythm and everything was going peachy until I fell during the 5th km. I did not get hurt and continued running right away but, the rhythm was broken, I slowly ate into my buffer and finished in 00:56:58.2. I have to learn from this and find a “recovery from when something goes wrong “ strategy.
Half
New morning, new race day!
I was already getting alerts that one my friend running the marathon had started and was doing well. That set a positive mood.
My goal for the half was to run a conservative pace and have fun... I wanted to leave the weekend happy. Had I wanted to run that one fast, I would not have registered to a challenge.
So I lined up behind Ruben the 2h10 continuous pace bunny and talked with my fourth corral neighbour Wonder Woman.
I followed that bunny for half the race, walking the water and electrolyte stations and catching-up when needed. The mid-race fruits, chews and sponges stations put some distance between us as planned.
I took the time to take a few pictures when it was nice, to high five some kids, to read the supporters signs and by the time we merged with the marathoners, I had a smile that I kept until the end.
@LSUlakes thanks for updating my goal/results:
26 - flav - Ottawa 5k (24:5x / 24:53)PR
26 - flav - Ottawa 10k (54:50 / 56:59)
27 - flav - Ottawa Half Marathon (2:25:00 / 2:15:20)PR
Overall Challenge placement is in the first third overall and the first fifth women and age category wise.
The next morning
I woke up Monday morning and assessed soreness, energy and satisfaction levels. I asked myself... Could I go slowly run a Marathon now with the proper training? Well, yes. So Dopey is not out of the question one day, oups.
The Happy Snail!
