The Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is an annual weekend of

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

events held the last weekend of May in the city of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The two-day running event includes seven races, including the Ottawa Marathon, all of which start and end at

Ottawa City Hall Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of ...

. The

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

was first held in 1975, and is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Over 40,000 participants take part in the races each year. The Ottawa Race Weekend also includes Canada's largest health and fitness expo, which opens on the Thursday before the weekend. In addition, each year, participants in the Ottawa Race Weekend raise close to $1 million for approximately 25 local and national charities affiliated with the event. The 2020 and 2021 editions of the race were cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Races

The race weekend includes seven races: a 1.2 km kids marathon, 2K, 5K, 10K,

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

, wheelchair marathon, and

.Race Weekend Event Schedule
Run Ottawa. Retrieved on 2012-06-04. All of the races start and finish at

. 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 Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

. The event is also home to the

Canadian Marathon Championships The Canadian Marathon Championships is the annual national championships for the marathon in Canada. The event is currently part of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The event was held in Ottawa beginning with its inception in 2000 before moving ...

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 World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

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.

History

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 five 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 Amos Tirop Matui (born 27 May 1976) is a Kenyan professional long-distance running, long-distance and marathon runner. He has won marathons on four continents with career highlights including consecutive wins and course records at the Singa ...

, were disqualified after a route error caused them to cut 400 m off the true marathon distance.Ottawa Marathon

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

(2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-06-03.

10K race

Notes

References

; Winners lists
Ottawa 10 km

(2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-06-03.
Ottawa Marathon