A long run of success: The ins and outs and history of Ottawa Race Weekend

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Mike Vieira is pumped as he puts together the final details for the 50th anniversary of a celebrated Ottawa institution on May 25-26.

The incoming executive director of Tamarack Race Weekend says it’s not just about the 36,000 participants taking part in the marathon, half-marathon, 10k, 5k, 2k and kids marathon events.

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It’s also about the 200,000 spectators who turn out to watch the young kids, the teenagers, the mothers and fathers, and the grandmothers and grandfathers as they push through their own challenges, raising cash for causes close to their hearts.

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It’s a far cry from its humble beginnings, when a mere 146 runners — only three women among them — showed up at Carleton University for the first Ottawa Marathon in 1975.

“Yes, there are the elite runners,” said Vieira, an Ottawa native who has an extensive history in sports business management. “But the people who drive the event are the people chasing personal bests, goals, accomplishing something new. It gives people something to train for during the long winter months. It’s for people who have suffered health setbacks, who are making lifestyle changes, who are raising money for charities. That’s what it’s about.”

More than 2,500 runners will be 60 or older.

Vieira, an Ottawa native, is the former executive director of the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre and manager of Paralympic performance of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

He also previously ran in the event, but since taking over his new role he has become more keenly aware of its place among signature Ottawa events.

Sunday’s marathon and half-marathon events are full, capped at 15,000 runners. A select few spots are open for Saturday’s 10k, 5k and 2k runs, while the kids marathon — children will complete the final kilometre of the 42.2 km marathon distance they began during school hours — is closed at 1,500.

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It represents a strong rebound from 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the weekend altogether.

“We’re getting closer to the high water marks of 40,000 in 2014-16,” Vieira saud.

Where does the Marathon take place?

Race weekend previously embraced both sides of the Ottawa River, including Gatineau as part of the route.

Unfortunately, issues with the bridges connecting Ontario and Quebec — particularly construction on the Alexandria Bridge — have made that unfeasible this time around because of a potential logjam of runners.

“It would be very hard, akin to the Trucker Convoy,” Vieira said.

The starting point for all events remains at City Hall headquarters at Laurier and Elgin.

The Rideau and Ottawa rivers figure prominently on Sunday’s marathon course that snakes through downtown, the Arboretum, Experimental Farm, Hintonburg, Mechanicsville, and along the Kichi Zibi Mikan parkway before returning east and a trek up Sussex Avenue and around Rockcliffe.

The classic finish, along the east and west sides of the Rideau, is still in place.

After passing by the Rideau Centre and the University of Ottawa along Colonel By Drive, runners cross the Pretoria Bridge and then head north to the finish line on Queen Elizabeth, just shy of the Laurier Avenue Bridge.

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However, some minor adjustments will be made to the route in the next week. It’s all about collaboration with police.

“Whenever you choose to run a course through stop lights, you need police services,” Vieira said. “They’re understaffed, but we’re working with them on changes to the original plan. There will only be some moderate changes and it’s still going to be a great course through neighbourhoods and along the Canal.”

What about the other events?

They all start at City Hall.

The half-marathon skips the Sussex-Rockliffe loop, but offers the same compelling ending along Colonel By and Queen Elizabeth.

Saturday’s races — including the 10k, 5k and 2k runs — are more centred in the downtown core.

The 10k course heads south on Elgin to Queen Elizabeth, passes by Lansdowne and loops under and over the Bronson Street Bridge before heading back northeast on Colonel By. Runners cross Pretoria Bridge to Queen Elizabeth and the same finish line as the marathon and half marathon routes.

The 5k route starts by going north on Elgin and circling back on Colonel By towards the Pretoria Bridge and Queen Elizabeth. The 2k course goes south down Elgin and loops back on Queen Elizabeth.

For a full list of road closures, check out the following link.

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What’s the economic impact of the Marathon?

As the largest race weekend in Canada, the event attracts 39,000 visitors from outside the city, according to Jérôme Miousse, Ottawa Tourism’s public affairs director. The influx of outsiders staying at hotels, eating in restaurants, shopping and seeing the sites contributes $14 million to the community.

What are the course records?

In 2022, Ethiopia’s Andualem Shiferaw smashed the existing Ottawa marathon record, finishing the 42.2 km race with a time of 2:06:03.

He had time to drape a flag over his shoulders, catch his breath and pose for pictures before the arrival of the second-place finisher three minutes and 17 seconds later.

Fellow Ethiopian Gelete Burka owns the women’s mark of 2:27:17, set in 2018.

The 10k records are owned by Deribe Merga of Ethiopia (27:23, in 2009) and Gladys Cherono of Kenya (30:56, in 2015).

In terms of mass appeal, though, and the overall spirit of the event, Ottawa’s Rejeanne Fairhead’s world record in 2023 stands out.

At the tender age of 96, Fairhead finished the 5km race in 51 minutes and nine seconds, shattering the previous record in the 95-99 age group category.

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“Well, I’m proud of it, but I want other people to keep doing the same thing,” she said. “It’s just an age. It’s just a number, as far as I’m concerned.”

How did the Ottawa Marathon begin?

There was limited hype for the beginning in 1975. There were no water stations along the route and limited crowd support.

As it turned out, the winner was University of Ottawa Masters student Mehdi Jaouhar, who had never run a marathon distance before. Jaouhar, was originally only in the field to help support his friend Rich Pyne. The two had trained together. When Pyne started suffering stomach cramps 29 kilometres in, Jaouhar kept going at the same pace, winning in 2:26:39. Pyne finished second.

Eleanor Thomas captured the title in 3:27:28 and post-race famously said, “quitting smoking was harder than running a marathon.”

Thomas returned to win the second women’s race, chopping 16 minutes off her 1975 time.

When did Race Weekend expand to include more events?

For a few weeks early in 1986, Ottawa’s Marathon was officially cancelled, losing sponsorships after the addition of a spring marathon in Montreal.

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However, it was revived when a 10k event brought back some corporate support. The first 10k run attracted 1,000 participants.

The wheels of change kept turning from there.

Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion who established a worldwide movement raising awareness for people with disabilities, won the first wheelchair division race in 1983.

In 1995, Race Weekend caught the inline skating bug, adding an 8 km event. It lasted until 2005, when it died along with the fad.

The popular half marathon and 5k events made their debut in 1998.

How has Race Weekend survived controversy and the climate?

The most embarrassing moment in the event’s history arrived in 1996. Amos Tirop Matui of Kenya crossed the finish line first, in a time of 2:10:32. But confusion reigned. Matui was one of 14 runners who took a 400-metre shortcut after a group of volunteer high school students left their station on the course and a barricade was removed.

Ultimately, Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco was awarded the victory, while the 14 who didn’t run the complete race were given “non-ratified results”. They were later awarded compensation for the miscue — race organizers refused to reveal the amounts — and Matui was awarded the bronze.

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While marathoners prefer to run in cool temperatures, the blizzard of 1996 was a bit much. In addition to the snow, the runners endured winds of 35 kilometres per hour. Montreal’s Jean Lagarde handled the elements best, winning his fourth consecutive Ottawa marathon in 2:26:02.

In stark contrast, organizers contemplated cancelling everything due to excessive heat in 2016. The start time of the marathon was pushed back to early Sunday morning, while the shorter late Saturday afternoon runs were moved to the evening. The 5km event was run at 34 degrees Celcuis.

When did the date of race weekend change?

In the beginning, the marathon was held on Mother’s Day, but all that changed in 2004.

Organizers listened to concerns that the road closures were hampering Mother’s Day traffic and moving the event back to the end of May would allow for more training time. That change was also accompanied by a shift in starting time for the marathon to 7 a.m., from the original 8 a.m.

Will the O-Train be running that early on Sunday?

Yes. OC Transpo announced in April that it would open O-Train Line 1 at 5 a.m. on marathon day Sunday, to give runners and spectators early access.

It is most welcome news after last year when race organizers were told that LRT service couldn’t start early on marathon Sunday because of scheduled maintenance at the time of the race.

kwarren@postmedia.com

X:Citizenkwarren

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