As mentioned in my Mississauga race review, this is another review I saved and forgot to post. Sorry.
Only 2 weeks after Mississauga comes another great race, the ING Ottawa Race Weekend (May 30th, 2010). My wife and I go every year and each year we can’t wait to go back. Ottawa is such a beautiful place to visit with so many sites to see. We leave our kids at home with the grandparents and enjoy the weekend with our other running friends.
This year we had a group of 15 or so running in the marathon with me, the only one doing the 1/2. The two races start with 2 hours between them. The idea is that the 1/2 marathon people and full can finish around the same time. Personally, I enjoyed the extra sleep I was able to get over the full marathon group and didn’t mind the idea of being refreshed when finishing with them.
Saturday night is the 5k family run and 10k run so there is a distance for anyone. There are so many people running these races that the winner of the 5k run was done before the last person crossed the starting line.
I am not a big fan of large crowds, especially for a race but I must say Ottawa has that figured out for the 1/2 and full marathons. You were able to run at the pace you want by the time you pass the starting line. This was a surprise to me as the last race I did in Ottawa was the 10k race which bunches you up due to a sharp corner at the beginning. Being able to run right off the start actually got me in trouble. I was running under a 4 pace for longer than I should have. My goal was to do the 1/2 in 1hr :30 mins. Early on I was on pace to finish in 1:27 but the second 1/2 of the race, I kept bleeding off time. I had my Nathon hand held which was ideal for fueling with e-load on a shorter race. It allowed me to not slow down in the water station areas as I could take a drink when I needed it. I did have to take fluid at a couple of stations and must admit I still haven’t mastered the art of pinching the cup and drinking from it. Most of the drink went all over me or up my nose. Next time I will dump some out.
The crowd support throughout is amazing and really is appreciated towards the end of the race. It turns out that I did finish just under 1:30 so I was happy. I also liked the fact that I was able to see a bunch of people in the full marathon group that I knew and could cheer them on. I am not sure how the full marathon people like having the 1/2 marathon finish at the same time. Due to the shorter distance I was able to sprint by many full marathon people while you could tell some were just trying to hold on for the last few kilometers. Maybe I will try the Ottawa full marathon next year so I can comment first hand.
I must say, Ottawa is a city that embraces running. You don’t get bystanders complaining that their roads are shut down or beeping at you when they can’t figure out why the road is closed. The course, like the City of Ottawa is beautiful. I would recommend staying over to Monday if you can take the time off. That way you don’t have to rush. You can just focus on your race, enjoying the City of Ottawa, and celebrating your accomplishment afterwards.
