Media Advisory: Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend celebrates 50 years this weekend, May 25-26! 

 

Ottawa gets ready to welcome 37,500 participants in Canada’s biggest running festival

OTTAWA (May 23, 2024) — This is YOUR race! Get ready to welcome more than 37,500 participants over the two-day 50th anniversary celebrations! With sellouts in both the Tartan International Marathon and Ottawa Half Marathon presented by Desjardins, 2024 boasts 10,000 more registrants than last year with in-person registration still available for the 2K, 5K, and 10K!

In-person registration:

Health and Fitness Expo
Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park
Friday, May 24 from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 25 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm 

Participants and spectators are in good hands with longtime Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend announcer, Alain Cyr. An iconic figure in communications in Quebec, Cyr is an experienced bilingual sport announcer and a familiar face at the startline. He will share host duties with Canadian award-winning bilingual producer and television host Sabine Daniel when festivities kickoff at 1:15pm on Saturday. Although CTV News anchor and marathon runner, Leah Larocque won’t be toeing the start line, she will be sharing the stage with Cyr on Sunday as they get the crowd pumped bright and early at 6:30 am. 

See the complete race schedule here.


Who, when, and where to watch

On Saturday, May 25, 6:15 pm, the Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships welcomes Canada’s esteemed Olympic Marathon hopefuls Malindi Elmore, Rory Linkletter, in addition to Natasha Wodak, Ben Flanagan, Dylan Wykes and many more high achievers to the start line of the Ottawa 10K presented by Otto’s Ottawa.

See the full Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships start list

Watch it LIVE on Run Ottawa’s youtube channel and AthleticsCanada.TV starting at 6:00 pm. 

The 50th edition of the World Athletics Label Tartan Ottawa International Marathon 

Sunday, May 26 will be a day of anniversary celebrations in the nation’s capital, as athletes from far and wide stand shoulder to shoulder at the start line of the 50th edition of the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon. 

Both 2nd place Canadian finishers from 2023 are back for 2024! Alex Hynes, 2nd Canadian in the women’s marathon with a time of 2:46:43.00, and Blair Morgan, 2nd Canadian in the men’s marathon with a time of 2:19:50 will be lacing up on Sunday morning, along with Rachel Hannah, the top-seeded Canadian woman marathoner. 

See the full World Athletics Label Tartan Ottawa International Marathon start list

Watch it LIVE on Run Ottawa’s youtube channel and AthleticsCanada.TV starting at 6:50 am. 


Media Launch Conference: 50 Stars for 50 Years

All media is invited to attend the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 50 Year Media Launch and Elite Conference on Friday, May 24, 2024, 10 a.m. on the main stage at the Health & Fitness Expo, at the Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park, 1000 Exhibition Way, Ottawa, ON. 

Organizers will be unveiling its full list of ‘50 Stars for 50 Years’ and commemorate its recipients, followed by an elite speakers panel, hosted by CTV’s Leah Larocque, and an opportunity for questions and interviews of the conference guests and athletes.

If you require accreditation for the weekend, please fill out this form.


Road closures: Getting around Ottawa

On Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, several road closures will be in effect. The organizers of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 2024 and the City of Ottawa, and Ottawa Police Service work together to minimize road closures, and keep traffic moving. 

Please see www.runottawa.ca/roadclosures for road closures and exit strategy details.  


New records in the Desjardins Charity Challenge

In 2023, the Desjardins Charity Challenge set a record fundraising total of $1,126,273.66. This year, ninety-eight charities – a record number  – have joined the challenge, along with 375 teams! Organizers are anticipating a record setting year in fundraising!

  • People like Sindy Hooper and her MEMC crew fundraising for the pancreatic cancer (PC) research at the Ottawa Hospital. 
  • Michael O’Brien is running the Ottawa Half Marathon presented by Desjardins for CHEO Foundation after his 7 month old son was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a life-threatening congenital heart condition
  • Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is running the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon in support of Ottawa Victim Services and Dhanushka Wickramasinghe. Wickramasinghe’s four children and their mother were murdered in their home in March and he himself was seriously injured. 
  • Grief acceptance advocate Jessica Foley is fundraising for Playful Mindset. Jessica’s husband Steven Trickett, suffered a cardiac arrest at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend in 2019 and died on course. Jessica was seven months pregnant at the time and they were parents of a 2.5 years old daughter.
  • One year ago, Eric Chamois went into cardiac rest and underwent triple bypass surgery. Walking was a big part of his recovery and now he, and his team, will run the 5K at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend raising money for the Ottawa Heart Institute.

Please see the complete list of charities and teams here: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/76026/tamarack-ottawa-race-weekend-2024/fundraising-organizations


New! Participant and spectator lactation and feeding station 

Run Ottawa and Rooted Family Wellness Centre is proud to announce the introduction of a dedicated lactation/feeding tent at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, a first in the event’s history, to support infant feeding and nursing mothers participating in and attending the races. This new initiative reflects Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend’s commitment to inclusivity and family-friendly policies, ensuring all participants can fully enjoy the event.

The lactation/feeding tent will be conveniently located near the start of the race, providing a private, comfortable, and clean space for breastfeeding, infant feeding or pumping. Equipped with essential amenities such as comfortable seating, hand sanitizers, and power outlets for electric breast pumps, the tent aims to meet the needs of parents and their babies during the busy race weekend.


1,600 participants in the Ottawa Kids Marathon presented by Maverick’s Donuts

On Saturday, May 25, 2:00 pm over 1,600 kids will kick-off the weekend’s events in the Ottawa Kids Marathon presented by Maverick’s Donuts but not before five local mascots take on a 100m dash for fun! Joining us will be Misquah Moose (Camp Misquah) Cappy (Ottawa Titans), Big Joe (Ottawa Redblacks), Riley (Ottawa 67s), OC Owl (OC Transpo).

Leading up to the weekend, 1,100 kids participated in a Kids Run Ottawa School Program, running 41 kilometres in advance of Saturday’s. 


Bring on the cheer!

In addition to the thousands of cheering families, friends and fans there are 25 cheer stations along the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon and Ottawa Half Marathon presented by Desjardins courses. The public is welcome to make their way to the nearest cheer station to pick up a Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend cowbell and join in the fun!

See the locations of all 25 cheer stations here: https://www.runottawa.ca/torw/spectators/viewing-areas

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s biggest race weekend and will run on May 25-26, 2024. You can learn more by visiting runottawa.ca.

 

Media relations contact:

Lisa Georges
media@runottawa.ca


About Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s largest running and walking festival with six races, including the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon, Ottawa Half Marathon presented by Desjardins, Ottawa 10K presented by Otto’s Ottawa, Ottawa 5K & Ottawa 2K presented by Runkeeper, and Ottawa Kids Marathon presetned by Maverick’s Donuts, as well as three multi-event challenges. In 2023, runners and walkers in the event raised a record-breaking $1,126,028.66 for local and national charities through the Desjardins Charity Challenge. The 2024 edition of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 25-26.  

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of two running events in Canada to host a World Athletics Elite label marathon, and is host to Athletics Canada’s Canadian 10K Championships. The weekend was named Event of the Year at the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards, and in 2020, its title sponsor Tamarack Homes won Sport Tourism Canada’s Canadian Sport Event Sponsorship Initiative of the Year Award. 

For more information or to register: www.runottawa.ca.