Cows, food and running at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

It’s always nice to have a cheering section when you race, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a squad as supportive as the one at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

You can recognize them by their familiar shout, one that carries all the way across the course. What is this cheer, you ask?

It goes a little something like “mooooooooooooo.”

The cows (and other farm animals) always come out to watch runners take to the paths at the Central Experimental Farm for Run Ottawa’s Free Saturday 5K Series.

Besides the cheering section and the beautiful little course, the Museum is also a fantastic place to learn more about the science of food and health.

“The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum has been thrilled to partner with Run Ottawa for their 5K race series at the Experimental Farm,” said Kerry-Leigh Burchill, Director-General of the Museum.

“At the Museum, we’re dedicated to educating Canadians about where their food comes from, and have developed programs for students and community groups that encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles, so the partnership with Run Ottawa is a perfect fit,” she said.

Some of the great food-related programs at the Museum include the Healthy Kids Quest, a program for students in grades 1-3 that shows the value of a balanced lunch box, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and getting enough physical activity.

Another exhibit currently featured at the Museum is Food Preservation: The Science You Eat, which looks at how food gets from the farm to your fork without spoiling along the way.

Finally, new at the Museum this year is the Food For Thought lecture series, produced in collaboration with the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Systems Biology. The next event in the series, “Metabolomics of Body Weight – You Really Can Blame your Mother” is coming up on January 16 and will focus on how genetics affect your metabolism.

Run Ottawa’s Saturday 5Ks usually wrap up around 10:00 a.m., leaving you plenty of time to take in the Museum’s exhibits and programs.

Check out the Museum’s website to plan your visit. You can also stay up-to-date with what’s going on by following the Museum on Facebook and Twitter.

And be sure to join us on December 5th for the last Saturday 5K of the year. We’ve had an amazing year with more and more runners coming out every Saturday. It must be that great cheering section. Moooooo!