On Your Mark. Get Set. GO!
Be Part of Tamarack Homes Ottawa Race Weekend
The city is on the move for this annual event and that’s something to celebrate
Can you believe it? A whopping 41,843 people are signed up for the 2012 Tamarack Homes Ottawa Race Weekend – excluding elite athletes. That’s a lot of legs and running shoes.
The blockbuster event has come a long way, baby. When the first Ottawa Marathon was held back in 1975, there were just 146 participants. Organizers thought it was a one-time deal. Over three and a half decades later, Race Weekend is the biggest multi-distance race event in the country, with the largest marathon.
Take a Run Through These Numbers, from www.runottawa.ca:
- Marathon – 5,133 participants
- Half-marathon – 11,647
- 10K – 10,618
- 5K – 9,583
- Family 2K
- Y Kids Marathon – 1,544 spots, with about 80 percent snapped up
- More than 2,000 people volunteer during the weekend
- About 100,000 spectators will be cheering on runners
Ottawa’s community spirit is raring to go
Not signed up to hoof it? Why not be part of the cheering section? Round up your family, make some colourful signs and join the action. If a loved one, friend, neighbour or co-worker is registered to run, put his or her name on the sign. After all, it’s nice to see people are rooting for you.
Last year there were over a dozen cheering stations set up to encourage runners along the route. A Community Spirit Award goes to the station showing the most support. This year, there’s a lot you can do as a spectator to show you care too. For starters, be prepared: Don’t forget comfortable footwear, water bottles, sunblock, hats and snacks. An umbrella isn’t a bad idea either, just in case it rains. More importantly remember your manners. The Race Weekend website offers all sorts of marathon spectator tips that help you be an asset on the sidelines of the race course. Enjoy. And GO Ottawa!
