Ottawa Race Weekend

Races

The race weekend includes seven races: a 1.2 km kids marathon, 2K, 5K, 10K, half marathon, wheelchair marathon, and marathon. All of the races start and finish at Ottawa City Hall.

The signature event of the weekend is the Ottawa Marathon, which was first held in 1975. Today it is the largest marathon event in Canada and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The event is also home to the Canadian Marathon Championships and the Canadian Forces Marathon Championships.

The Ottawa Race Weekend was at one point the only road racing event in the world to host two IAAF Silver Label events: the 10K and the Ottawa Marathon. In 2014 the 10k became the first IAAF Gold Label road race in Canada. On October 22, 2015, the Marathon also became an IAAF Gold Label road race. In 2023, the race was reclassified by World Athletics as an Elite road race (one level below Gold).

History

• 1975: 146 runners, 143 men and 3 women, participate in the inaugural Ottawa Marathon.
• 1986: 10K distance is added.
• 1995: Inline skating is permitted on the marathon course.
• 1996: Jim Robinson joins as the Race Director.
• 1998: 5K distance and half-marathon are added. Ottawa becomes the first running event in Canada to be chip-timed.
• 1999: 2K distance is added.
• 2005: Inline skating is no longer permitted.
• 2006: Fourteen runners accidentally cut 400 m off the course because a motorist moved a barricade after a group of high school student volunteers had left their post to talk to some friends. Amos Tirop Matui of Kenya crossed the finish line first, but the fourteen affected runners were marked as "non-ratified results". Some runners were given places, including Matui, who was placed third, and some runners were financially compensated.
• 2010: Rick Ball breaks world record for a single-leg amputee in a marathon.
• 2012: Jim Robinson retires and two-time Olympian, and previous Ottawa 10K course record holder John Halvorsen is named Race Director. The event took on the name "Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend" when Ottawa-based Tamarack Homes joined as title sponsor.
• 2013: Close to 44,000 people participate in the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, making it the largest multi-race road racing event in Canada.
• 2014: Ottawa Marathon celebrates 40 years; 48,000 people expected to participate in the weekend’s seven events.
• 2016: A heat wave caused temperatures during Ottawa Race Weekend to exceed 30 degrees at times. The start times of some events were modified.
• 2019: A closure of Elgin Street for construction and a closure of the Chaudière Crossing due to flooding forced Ottawa Race Weekend to modify its route.
• 2019: Ian Fraser is appointed race director.
• 2020 and 2021: The Ottawa Race Weekend was cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which had postponed or cancelled nearly all large races, closed most places of commerce and worship, and shut down most gatherings of 10 or more people. Organizers declined to refund participants. Although many people who had paid for the races questioned the choice, organizers said they had already spent a large percentage of revenues prior to Race Weekend.

Management

The event is organized by Run Ottawa, a not-for-profit organization. More than 2,000 volunteers, including a volunteer race committee, support a team of nine full-time staff in organizing the event.

Winners

Key: : Course record (in bold) : Canadian championship race

Marathon

• † Bouramdane was declared the official winner. A number of faster runners, led by Amos Tirop Matui, were disqualified after a route error caused them to cut 400 m off the true marathon distance.

10K race

Notes

References

; Winners lists

• Ottawa 10 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-06-03.
• Ottawa Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-06-03.

References

1. https://archive.today/20201030040701/https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=100807&status=results&bib=230#selection-1273.0-1273.4
2. https://archive.today/20201030035731/http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=24190526#selection-689.12-689.16
3. "World Athletics Label Road Races". World Athletics.
4. "Ottawa Race Weekend 2021 in-person event cancelled due to COVID-19 | CTV News".
5. [http://www.runottawa.ca/weekend/event-schedule Race Weekend Event Schedule]. Run Ottawa. Retrieved on 2012-06-04.
6. . (November 4, 2014). ["The Ottawa 10K gets the gold!"](http://www.runottawa.ca/news-item/ottawa-10k-gets-gold/). *Run Ottawa*.
7. Robb, Peter. (May 20, 2015). "Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 10K gets a golden label". Ottawa Citizen.
8. . (October 22, 2015). ["Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon awarded prestigious IAAF Gold standard"](http://www.runottawa.ca/news-item/scotiabank-ottawa-marathon-awarded-prestigious-iaaf-gold-standard/). *Run Ottawa*.
9. Holder, Gord. (October 22, 2015). "Ottawa Race Weekend marathon gets a golden glow". Ottawa Citizen.
10. [https://www.cbc.ca/sports/runners-compensated-for-marathon-mishap-1.578016 CBC: Runners compensated for marathon mishap]
11. "Sportstats | Results".
12. (29 May 2016). "Runners battle heat during Ottawa Race Weekend".
13. "Start Line changes at the 2019 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend".
14. "Chaudière Crossing closure forces route changes for Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and Half-Marathon".
15. "Ian Fraser appointed Executive Director of Run Ottawa".
16. (31 March 2020). "IRun.ca - Ottawa Marathon race director responds to criticism over not refunding cancellation fees (Home to Canada's running community and iRun magazine)".
17. "Ottawa Race Weekend cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns".
18. https://www.runottawa.ca/news-item/2020-tamarack-ottawa-race-weekend-canceled {{Dead link. (February 2022)
19. [https://arrs.run/HP_NCpMa.htm Ottawa Marathon]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]] (2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-06-03.