Ottawa Race Weekend Wrap-Up
May 30, 2010
Four elite marathon runners finish below Ottawa Marathon course record
May 30, 2010, OTTAWA – Two new records, favourable weather and record attendance made the 2010 Ottawa Race Weekend a memorable one.
“We had a very strong complement of elite runners this year for the 10K and marathon distances,” said John Halvorsen, President, Run Ottawa. “Four elite marathoners finished in times under the previous course record of 2:10:35, with three finishing in the 2:09 range.”
The following records were broken:
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New Ottawa Marathon course record: Set by Arata Fujiwara of Tokyo, Japan in a time of 2:09:33 (previous time was 2:10:35 set in 2007).
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World record by amputee athlete: Set by Rick Ball of Orillia, Ontario in a time of 2:57:48 (previous time was 3:01:50 set in 2009).
Thousands of spectators lined the streets under sunny skies on Saturday for the Family 2K, 5K and 10K races. A cloudy and cooler Sunday made conditions good for marathon and half-marathon athletes being cheered by crowds on the course to the finish line on Queen Elizabeth Driveway. It is estimated that racers, friends and families pumped $25 million into the local economy and booked more than 12,000 hotel rooms over the weekend.
Many of the athletes ran for Ottawa Race Weekend’s official local charity, the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, raising a record total of $904,521.
Participation figures
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Total number of participants in seven races: 38,788
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Marathon – 4,676 (marathon walk – 76; marathon wheel – 6)
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Half-marathon: 10,240 (half-marathon walk – 470)
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10K – 9,908
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5K – 8,886
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Family 2K – 3,026
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Kids Marathon – 1,506
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 more than 38,788 participants in seven races, including the Ottawa Marathon. Run Ottawa, the organization behind the Ottawa Race Weekend, is run by a volunteer Board of Directors.
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For more information:
Susan Marsh-Marconi
Marketing and Communications Manager
(613) 234-2221
www.runottawa.ca
