This year, there were more than just elite runners vying for a first place finish at the Ottawa 10K on Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

Four Scotiabank Charity Challenge charities and the general public were invited to participate in the inaugural 10K Dream Team Challenge, a contest to win prizes by drafting Ottawa 10K elite runners onto teams of four. The fastest team could win money for the charity and for its runners.  

Camp Misquah, a not-for-profit based in Gracefield, Quebec, which organizes camp programs for people with developmental disabilities, won the Challenge and $3,000 for the organization.

The charity had placed its bets on Ethiopia’s Andamlak Belihu Berta and three female athletes from Kenya: Edith Chelimo, Gladys Kimaina, and Angela Tanui. The team came in fastest in the Ottawa 10K and won $2,000 to be split among team members.

The three other charities in the inaugural 10K Dream Team Challenge were the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, which won second place and $1,500; the Canadian Cancer Society, which came third, winning $500; and the Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario Canada. The charities were selected based on their 2017 fundraising results along with one random draw.

Berta was a racer to watch and did not disappoint. The 19-year-old’s Canadian racing debut saw him drafted first in the 10K Dream Team Challenge and win the Ottawa 10K with a time of 27:47.27. He won $10,000 for placing first and another $4,000 for being first draft pick in the 10K Dream Team Challenge. Every one of the 16 athletes won cash prizes from a $60,000 purse.

The 10K Dream Team Challenge was also open to the public, allowing anyone to choose their own Dream Team from the charity teams. First place winner was 12-year-old Megan Plamondon, who won a prize of $250. Rob Allen won a pair of Zizu sunglasses for his second place team, and Mark Wigmore won a Timex watch for third. 

Camp Misquah wins inaugural 10K Dream Team Challenge

Ottawa, May 26, 2018 – Elite athletes predicted to finish strong didn’t disappoint tonight at the Ottawa 10K race in the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

First place in the men’s category was 19-year-old Ethiopian Andamlak Berta with a time of 27:48. Alia Mohammed, 27, from United Arab Emirates was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 31:36. Despite both the men and women going out at world record pace, neither broke the Ottawa 10K race course records in the end.

The men’s Canadian National champion and 9th place finisher overall was Evan Esselink, 26, from Guelph, with a time of 30:31. Rachel Cliff, 30, from Vancouver was the women’s Canadian National Champion and 5th overall with a 32:23 finish.

“For this year’s race we brought together one of the strongest fields since the 10K race earned its IAAF Gold Label status, and they made the race an exciting one,” said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “The dream team added an element that created more excitement because the men and women were competing each other for every spot.”

2018 Ottawa 10K winners

Men

Women

Top 20 results (PDF)

Camp Misquah charity wins $3,000 in 2018 10K Dream Team Challenge

Earlier this month Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend introduced a new team format for its 10K race elite prizing. Sixteen elite runners were chosen to run in teams of four. Racers competed to win individual prizes, team prize money and money for local charities taking part in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

This year’s Ottawa 10K Dream Team winning charity was Camp Misquah, an organization located in Gracefield, Quebec that provides a camping experience for people of all ages with developmental disabilities. Their team’s efforts raised $3,000.00 for their chosen charity, while each team member took home $500.00. The winning Dream Team members were:

• Andamlak Berta, Ethiopia
• Edith Chelimo, Kenya
• Gladys Kimaina, Kenya
• Angela Tanui, Kenya

About Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The 2018 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 26-27 and will welcome participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the Aquahaulics Ottawa 2K and Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon. In 2017, runners raised $826,175 for local and national charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of only two running events in the world to host two IAAF Gold Label races: the Ottawa 10K and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. For more information or to register: www.runottawa.ca.

Ottawa, May 16, 2018 – As announced last week, the 2018 Ottawa 10K is introducing a new team format for its elite prizing. Sixteen elite runners have been chosen to run as part of teams of four. These runners will compete to win prize money for themselves and for a local charity taking part in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

Most of the 16 runners picked today are IAAF gold label athletes, which means they can run under a specific time (28 minutes for men, 32 minutes for women). The charities were given a list of runners from which to choose last week. Earlier today, the charities met in Ottawa to pick their Dream Teams (watch Facebook Live recording).

The four Scotiabank Charity Challenge charities – The Ottawa Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society, Camp Misquah and Make a Wish of Eastern Ontario – were selected based on their fundraising efforts in 2017, in addition to a wildcard draw.

In addition to receiving prize money based on their finishing position (1st place runner wins $10,000), the runners in the winning team will also be awarded $2,000 to be split evenly among all members. The teams will be scored based on their finishing position against the other teams, regardless of gender (women at the Ottawa 10K will receive a 3 minute 40 second head start, which gives them a chance to finish at the same time as the men).

And to make it even more competitive, athletes are also receiving prize money based on the position in which they got drafted earlier today.

Competing for the prize purse of $60,000 will be the following four teams:

How to participate

Members of the public can join in the fun by making a $5 donation towards one of the four participating charities and picking the team of runners they think will run the fastest at the 2018 Ottawa 10K. Those who select the fastest teams can win up to $250! Go to RaceRoster.com for details and to participate. Contest closes Friday, May 25 at midnight (ET).

How to watch

The IAAF gold-label Ottawa 10K will take place Saturday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. The event will be tweeted live @ottawamarathon, and broadcast live at www.runottawa.ca and on Rogers-TV in Ottawa.

*Update: Haile Lemi Berhanu will not be running.

Kiptanui vs Tsegay: 2017 champion to head off against 2014 course record holder

May 14, 2018 – OTTAWA – The men’s race at the 2018 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon could prove to be very competitive as Ethiopian course record holder Yemane Tsegay returns to Ottawa to defend his title against last year’s champion, Kenyan Eliud Kiptanui. Tsegay set the course record of 2:06:54 in 2014. Kiptanui won the 2017 event in 2:10:14.

Joining the two men will be 2016 Boston Marathon champ Haile Lemi Berhanu, who holds an impressive personal best (PB) of 2:04:33 and his Ethiopian counterparts Deriba Robi (PB 2:05:58) and Adugna Takeli Bikila (PB 2:08:51).

Tigist Tufa, the Ethiopan female course record holder (2:24:31), is also returning to Ottawa hoping to defend the title she also set in 2014. Tufa went on to win the 2015 London Marathon. Competing against Tufa will be her compatriot Gelete Burka, who boasts a 2:20:45 personal best from earlier this year, and crowd favourite American Sara Hall, who just came in 2nd at the US half-marathon championships, on May 6.

Canadians to watch at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon include Tristan Woodfine of Cobden, Ontario, who won the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal (1:05.42) last month, 2017 Mississauga Marathon winner Lucas McAneney, and Lioudmila Kortchaguina who won the 2017 BMO Vancouver Marathon.

The 44th Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon will take place Sunday, May 27 at 7:00 a.m. (ET). The race will be tweeted live @ottawamarathon, and broadcast live on www.runottawa.ca and locally on Rogers-22.

Background information:

• Start list: Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon
• 10 to watch at the 2018 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon
• Awards and prizes
• 2017 U.S. Marathon champion Sara Hall to run Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon on May 27

Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon course record holders returning to Ottawa

Scotiabank Charity Challenge charities invited to draft runners for a chance to win money

Ottawa, May 11, 2018 – The 2018 Ottawa 10K is introducing a unique team format that will give 16 elite runners the opportunity to compete for a prize purse of over $60,000, while supporting local charities.

Four Scotiabank Charity Challenge charities – The Ottawa Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society, Camp Misquah and Make a Wish of Eastern Ontario – have been invited to take part in this one-of-a-kind 10K Dream Team Challenge. These charities were chosen based on their fundraising efforts in 2017, in addition to a wildcard draw.

Each charity will pick teams of four elite runners (selected from a list of 14 pre-determined gold-label elites and the full list of registered elites) who will run to win prize money for themselves and for their charity. The four charities can win up to $3,000 based on their team’s performance.

“We are always looking for unique ways to promote the sport,” says Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “We hope that this draft and team format will encourage people to learn more about the world’s best runners that will be racing here. For the runners it’s an exciting opportunity to compete as part of a team.”

In addition to receiving prize money based on their finishing position, the winning team will also be awarded $2,000 to be split evenly among all members. The teams will be scored based on their finishing position against the other teams, regardless of gender.

And to make it even more competitive, athletes will also receive prize money based on when they get drafted. For example, the first draft pick will receive $4,000, the second draft pick $3,000, down to $500.

“The organizers of the Ottawa 10K have created a unique opportunity to connect the Scotiabank Charity Challenge with their IAAF gold-label elite program,” said Frank Bilodeau, District Vice-President, Ottawa Centre & Gatineau. “Our goal has always been to help create a better life for people in the communities we serve. Through this unique team format and the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, we are proud to support the community of Ottawa and area.”

In addition to being an IAAF sanctioned gold-label event, the Ottawa 10K also welcomes Canada’s best road racers as the host of the Canadian 10K championships.

How to watch

The 10K Dream Team Challenge draft will take place Wednesday, May 16 at 11:00 a.m. on Facebook Live.

The IAAF gold-label Ottawa 10K will take place Saturday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. The event will be tweeted live @ottawamarathon, and broadcast live at www.runottawa.ca and on Rogers-TV in Ottawa.

Related information

Awards and prizes
Elites participating in the 10K Dream Team Challenge
10-to-watch at the 2018 Ottawa 10K
Full 2018 Ottawa 10K Start List
10K Dream Team – Rules
10K Canadian Championships Start List Announced

About the Scotiabank Charity Challenge

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners in these races to support local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian communities. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees. Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montréal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.

About Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The 2018 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 26-27 and will welcome participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the Aquahaulics Ottawa 2K and Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon. In 2017, runners raised $826,175 for local and national charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of only two running events in the world to host two IAAF Gold Label races: the Ottawa 10K and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. For more information or to register: www.runottawa.ca.

About Scotiabank

At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank’s goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2017, Scotiabank contributed more than $80 million to help our communities around the world.

Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 24 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 89,000 employees and assets of over $923 billion (as at January 31, 2018), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @Scotiabank.