by Larry EderLike the U.S., Canada’s major races continue to grow! The Ottowa Race Weekend, with 10k, 5k, marathon, half marathon, 2k and family marathon, had just under 39,000 participants–38,788, to be exact! Four male runners under the old course record, a new world record by an amputee athlete, all were highlights of the May 30th event!
The Webmaster of the RunningNetwork.com, Chuck Bartlett, produced the RN Photo Gallery shown here, with photos courtesy of PhotoRun.net. We hope that you enjoy!
Ottawa Race Weekend Wrap-Up
Four elite marathon runners finish below Ottawa Marathon course record
May 30, 2010, OTTAWA – Two new records, favourable weather and
record attendance made the 2010 Ottawa Race Weekend a memorable one.
“We had a very strong complement of elite runners this year for the
10K and marathon distances,” said John Halvorsen, President, Run
Ottawa. “Four elite marathoners finished in times under the previous
course record of 2:10:35, with three finishing in the 2:09 range.”
The following records were broken:
- New Ottawa Marathon course record: Set by Arata Fujiwara of Tokyo, Japan in a time of 2:09:33 (previous time was 2:10:35 set in 2007).
- World record by amputee athlete: Set by Rick Ball of Orillia, Ontario in a time of 2:57:48 (previous time was 3:01:50 set in 2009).
Thousands of spectators lined the streets under sunny skies on
Saturday for the Family 2K, 5K and 10K races. A cloudy and cooler
Sunday made conditions good for marathon and half-marathon athletes
being cheered by crowds on the course to the finish line on Queen
Elizabeth Driveway. It is estimated that racers, friends and families
pumped $25 million into the local economy and booked more than 12,000
hotel rooms over the weekend.
Many of the athletes ran for Ottawa Race Weekend’s official local
charity, the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, raising a record total of
$904,521.
Participation figures
- Total number of participants in seven races: 38,788
- Marathon – 4,676 (marathon walk – 76; marathon wheel – 6)
- Half-marathon: 10,240 (half-marathon walk – 470)
- 10K – 9,908
- 5K – 8,886
- Family 2K – 3,026
- Kids Marathon – 1,506
ABOUT THE OTTAWA RACE WEEKEND
The Ottawa Race Weekend, Canada’s premier running event, combines
competition, participation and fundraising to make a distinctive
contribution to the health of the community. The 2010 Ottawa Race
Weekend welcomed more than 38,788 participants in seven races,
including the Ottawa Marathon. Run Ottawa, the organization behind the
Ottawa Race Weekend, is run by a volunteer Board of Directors.
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For more information:
Susan Marsh-Marconi
Marketing and Communications Manager
(613) 234-2221
