With over 40,000 runners and more than 100,000 spectators, Ottawa Race Weekend is a pretty major event, and one which took up much of our time over the past couple of days. It was another hot and sunny weekend so a good one to spend outdoors. Saturday, while I took Nick to tennis, Ray attended Paddlefest at Mooney’s Bay, where he took a couple of kayaks out for a test drive and signed up for a couple of kayaking courses. After he’d cycled home, we headed downtown into the crowds of Race Weekend, where we watched the 5K race and then I joined 10,000 others in running the 10K.
I love the atmosphere of race weekend – so much anticipation and energy. The spectators are great at keeping the runners motivated using humorous signs and cheering loudly. Nick and Ray rode their bikes along the route to find good spectating spots. They weren’t able to spot me among the horde of runners at the 2K mark, and at the 8K mark I had to practically run them down before they saw me, but then they rode along the canal beside me, cheering me on for the final – and toughest – stretch. My main goal had been just to finish – “upright and smiling”, as the saying goes. My secondary goal was to beat my time from the only other race I’ve run which was the 10K back in 2007, before we moved to the UK and I stopped running. I beat my previous time by four minutes so…take that, younger self!
We got home from the race at about 9 pm and our alarm went off at 5:30 the next morning to rouse us for our volunteer stint at the water station for the half & full marathons. We, as novices, were foolish enough to choose a Gator-Ade table, while the more experienced volunteers chose the water tables. Gator-Ade is very sticky. We spent six hours standing at the side of the road, arms outstretched, paper cups on palms, shouting: “Gator-Ade! Water up ahead. Gator-Ade! Water up ahead” over and over and over…about 67,526 times. It was actually a lot of fun and inspiring to watch runners of different shapes, sizes and fitness levels, each working towards their individual goal. It was also very impressive to watch the elite athletes – mainly from Kenya and Ethiopia – fly past us at an unbelievable pace. The elite wheelchair marathoner was particularly impressive. Whoosh!
Choduras at Home 
Way to go Lynn! Congratulations!! ….Always impressed by your photography – I think this could be your retirement second career! Awesome pictures once again
Thanks Arliss. The race photos were all taken by Ray (though I suppose I did adjust the settings before I gave him the camera). Are you still competing?