Run Ottawa appoints Mike Vieira as Executive Director

Local athletic director will take the reins of the national capital’s largest road race organization on April 1

Ottawa, March 19, 2024 – Run Ottawa announced today it has appointed a new Executive Director. Sports management professional Mike Vieira will assume the leadership position on April 1, 2024.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Vieira has a Masters in both Business Administration and Human Kinetics in Sport Management from the University of Ottawa, and is the former Executive Director of Ottawa Gymnastics Centre and Manager of paralympic performance of the 2017-2019 Canadian Paralympic Committee. He is also the founder and co-owner of an online athlete and coach monitoring program.

Vieira sits on the finance and strategic planning committees of Causeway Work Centre, and previously sat on the financial planning and fundraising committees of the Carlington Community Health Centre, one of Ottawa’s largest community health centres.

“We’re very excited to have Mike join Run Ottawa in this important leadership role,” says Aaron Bruce, chair of Run Ottawa’s board of directors. “Mike brings a wealth of experience to the organization including business and partnership development, strategic and financial planning, athletic coaching, mentoring, and volunteering. His robust skill set will complement those of the current team at Run Ottawa, and lend itself well to the organization’s post-pandemic growth.”

“I am thrilled to join Run Ottawa and eager to immerse myself in Ottawa’s vibrant running community”, says Vieira, “I feel very fortunate to be able to work with passionate people to create unforgettable running events and innovative programming throughout Ottawa and Gatineau. I can’t wait to collaborate with the exceptional team and dedicated supporters of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and continue to build upon the 50 years of road racing success in our region!”

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 2024 will be celebrating 50 years of the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon and exemplary achievements in Canadian running on May 25-26. Registration and partnership information can be found here: www.runottawa.ca.

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. As a not-for-profit, Run Ottawa manages a membership program and organizes more than 20 running events throughout the year, including Run to Empower, Canada Day Road Races, the popular Great Big Cookie Run, and the Saturday 5K and 1K series at the Central Experimental Farm. Run Ottawa also manages the Kids Run Ottawa program, which introduces running into the schools for kids aged 6 to 12.

Learn more at www.runottawa.ca.