New westbound route for the 2011 Ottawa Marathon
New routes in three races expected to enhance the experience
for runners
March 7, 2011, OTTAWA ÛÒ CanadaÛªs most popular and fastest-growing
road race weekend will boost its appeal even further this year by
introducing a new, more
urban course.
Ottawa Marathon organizers today unveiled new routes for its
marathon, half-marathon and 10K distances ÛÒ the first course
changes in 3 years. Directing runners west instead of south will
make the course flatter in some areas and could result in faster
finish times.
The marathon course will start as usual near City Hall, head west
through OttawaÛªs charming Chinatown and Little Italy districts,
then on to Wellington West and into Westboro Village before
returning east on the historic Ottawa River Parkway. Next, the
course turns north over the Chaudière Bridge to downtown Gatineau
and returns to Ottawa over the Alexandra bridge and into Rockliffe
Park, past Manor Park and New Edinburgh area then back along
Sussex to Colonel By as far as Bronson where runners will cross
the bridge to access Queen Elizabeth Parkway and the historic
Rideau Canal before ending back near City Hall.
The half-marathon course will generally follow the same route but
will head south after crossing Alexandra Bridge to pick up Colonel
By Drive, cross Pretoria and turn right on Queen Elizabeth to the
finish. The 10K will have runners race through Chinatown and
little Italy accessing Queen Elizabeth at DowÛªs Lake to the finish
line near City Hall. Maps of the new courses are available at http://runottawa.ca/index.php/en/course-maps.
ÛÏOur goal was to change the route to make it even more enjoyable
for runners,Û says Jim Robinson, General Manager, Run Ottawa. ÛÏOur
new marathon and half-marathon courses will keep runners in more
picturesque and urban areas, giving them lots to look at while
offering their family and friends more opportunities to cheer for
them.Û
The Ottawa Marathon is one of two International Amateur
Athletic Federation (IAAF) sanctioned Silver label running
events in Canada. Competitive runners can enter the Ottawa
Marathon to qualify for the fabled Boston Marathon. The new course
is expected to give all runners, elites and recreational, a chance
to bring home their PB (personal best).
ÛÏOur new route was also designed to be flatter in some areas and
help competitive runners achieve better times while showcasing
OttawaÛªs beautiful urban neighbourhoods,Û says Robinson, adding
that close to 40,000 people register for seven events on Ottawa
Race Weekend. ÛÏWeÛªre grateful to the City of Ottawa, City of
Gatineau and the NCC and local business improvement areas who were
all more than willing to welcome our runners through their
neighbourhoods.Û
The 2011 Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 28-29. The
half-marathon is now sold out. Marathon and 10K registrations are
at 60%.
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 39,010 participants in seven races, including the
Ottawa Marathon. The Ottawa Marathon and Ottawa 10K are both
sanctioned by the International Amateur
Athletic Federation (IAAF). Run Ottawa, the organization
behind the Ottawa Race Weekend, is run by a volunteer Board of
Directors
The 2011
Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 28-29, 2011.