The Ottawa 10K gets the gold!
Only race in Canada to achieve Gold label standard from international governing body
Ottawa, November 4, 2014 – Organizers of the Ottawa 10K, one of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend’s signature events, today announced they have been awarded the prestigious International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold label standard for the race. The Ottawa 10K is the first road race in Canada, and the fourth 10K in the world, to receive the Gold label.
“The IAAF Gold label takes the Ottawa 10K to a new level,” said John Halvorsen, President of Run Ottawa and Race Director of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “This really puts Ottawa on the map as a destination for amateur and elite runners looking for a world-class running experience.”
The Gold label – the highest standard awarded by the international governing body for running – signifies that a race has met IAAF’s stringent criteria on the caliber of the elite field, the breadth of media coverage and logistical execution of the race.
The Ottawa 10K was also recently announced as the venue for the 2015 Canadian 10K Championships.
“With the Gold label and the Canadian 10K championships, I expect 2015 to be a banner year for our 10K event,” said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “We’ll be attracting even faster runners and setting new records.”
“We all strive for excellence, congratulations to John, Manny and the team at Run Ottawa for achieving the highest honour from the international governing body,” said Rob Guy, Chief Executive Officer, Athletics Canada. “Hosting the Canadian 10K Championships as part of an IAAF Gold label event is very exciting.”
Next year, organizers will be looking to also upgrade the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon from a Silver label to a Gold label status.
The 30th running of the Ottawa 10K will be held Saturday, May 23, 2015 as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.
About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The 2014 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed 47,387 participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the 2K and Scotiabank Kids Marathon. Two of the weekend’s events have received top honours from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The Ottawa 10K is Canada’s only Gold label road race, and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon is designated Silver label. The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 23-24, 2015.
About Run Ottawa
Run Ottawa, the organization behind the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, is dedicated to promoting the sport of running and enhancing the health and well-being of our community by organizing distinctive world-class and local races, and managing an active, membership-based running club. Visit us at www.runottawa.ca.
The winners of the 2014 Ottawa 10K: Mary Keitany (KEN) and Wilson Kiprop (ETH). Keitany, who broke the Ottawa 10K course record, also won the New York City Marathon this past weekend. Credit: PhotoRun