Boston Marathon Record-Holder Geoffrey Mutai Returns to Ottawa 10K
World’s top-ranked road racer running world’s top-ranked 10K for a third time
January 15, 2014 – OTTAWA – Geoffrey Mutai, the 2011 Boston Marathon champion and record holder, and two-time New York Marathon champion, has confirmed plans to return for a third consecutive year to the Ottawa 10K on May 24th, 2014.
Mutai will come to Ottawa six weeks after racing the London Marathon where he will take on double Olympic champion Mo Farah, who is making his marathon debut.
“We’re very excited to welcome Geoffrey Mutai back to Ottawa this year,” said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator. “Despite finishing third, it was Geoffrey who set the pace for last year’s very fast and very competitive race. Building on last year’s success, we think we may see an even stronger field in 2014. We may even have a new London Marathon champion in the field.”
In 2013, Mutai set out on course record pace and led until the final metres when he was passed by Morocco’s El Hassan El Abassi and Ethiopia’s Adugna Bikila. El Abassi won in a personal best 27:36, thirteen seconds off the Ottawa course record (27:24) set in 2009 by Deriba Merga, while Bikila and Mutai finished in 27:37 and 27:38.
Four men recorded sub-28 minute finishes in 2013, making it the world’s top 10K road race according to All-Athletics.com.
For his part, Mutai says he is happy to return to Ottawa, “I like the race and the good and friendly people of the organization. The course is okay and I like the competition with the female athletes. And for me it’s good to test myself how will be my shape after my marathon in April 2014.”
Mutai first ran the Ottawa 10K in 2012, finishing first in 27:41.
Over the past five years, the 32-year old Kenyan has built one of the most impressive resumes in distance running. He has won the Berlin, Boston and New York Marathons, and his 2:03:02 course record at the 2011 Boston Marathon (not sanctioned as a world record course) is the fastest ever recorded time for the distance. He also boasts personal bests of 58:58 for the half-marathon and 27:19 for 10K. All-Athletics.com ranks Mutai as the world’s top male athlete for road running.
“It is always exciting to watch the world’s best run here in Ottawa,” continued Rodrigues. “With Mutai in the field, the course record is definitely in play. Ottawa is in for a treat.”
The Ottawa 10K is an IAAF Silver Label event and part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, Canada’s largest multi-day running event and home of the Ottawa Marathon, also an IAAF Silver Label event.
About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The 2013 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed close to 44,000 participants in six races, including the Marathon, the Half-Marathon, the 10K, HTG Sports 5K, 2K and Kids Marathon. The Ottawa Marathon and Ottawa 10K are both designated Silver Label IAAF events by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). 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.