Day two of Ottawa Race Weekend
Posted May 27, 2012 06:09:36 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – 41,000 runners have descended on the capital this weekend for the 38th annual Tamarack Homes Ottawa Race Weekend. It is the largest marathon in Canada.
Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won Saturday’s 10K men’s marathon. Mutai has a previously won both the Boston and New York City Marathons.
Eric Gillis, from Guelph, finished in 10th place. Gillis is scheduled to run the Marathon for Canada at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Gatineau’s Maxime Lebeouf finished 15th. Laurence Abbot of Ottawa took 17th place.
Thousands of participants of the Ottawa Race Weekend have come together to raise money for the Ottawa Hospital through the Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s “Run for a Reason”
$545,000 was raise by more than 2,600 runners.
All of that money will go toward programs at the Ottawa Hospital including the Breast Health Centre and the Trauma Unit.
Since 1998 the “Run for a Reason” has raised over $9-million for the Ottawa Hospital.
Marathons taking place Sunday include:
- Wheelchair Marathon.
- The Ottawa Marathon.
- Y Kids Marathon.
- Half Marathon.
All of the runs will offer a scenic route along the Rideau Canal, with the Ottawa Marathon taking runners over the bridge to Gatineau, and back again.
John Stanton of Running Room compares the event to the Olympics for the “every man.”
“It allows them to really test themselves; it allows them to do something that may seem impossible for the average person.”
The “Run for Runs” took place Saturday to raise awareness and funds for Canadian efforts in developing countries to save young lives from diarrhea. An estimated one million children under the age of five die each year from complications associated with diarrhea, a condition which can be treated and prevented with an inexpensive micro nutrient, Zinc.
There will be many road closures around the city due to the man marathons, for a full list click here.
Awards ceremony will wrap up the weekend at 12 p.m.
Click here for full event details.
