RACE NEWS

Just one month to go! Time to put the finishing touches on your training programs. Are you ready to kick it up another notch before you taper down in anticipation of race day? We certainly hope so. And to put you in a Race Weekend state of mind, we’ve got lots of news for you this month, including details about our Great Run Ottawa Playlist contest (see below), information on wave starts for the Half Marathon, and an inspiring story about the origins of this year’s 2K medals! Plus, participation in Race Weekend events always results in a deep sense of accomplishment, but you’ll feel even better if your participation supports a worthy cause like the Canadian Athletes Now (CAN) Fund or the Ottawa Hospital. So be sure to check out the messages from our sponsors below for all the details about how you can contribute. 

 

Going, going, gone! Last chance to register for the Family 2K and Kids Marathon!

The Ottawa Marathon, the Half-marathon and 10K are completely sold out! If you don’t want to be left on the sidelines, the time to act is now. So go ahead and register today for the Ottawa Kids Marathon or Family 2K - to register click here.

Introducing Wave Starts!

New this year will be wave starts for the half marathon. We will have two waves.  The first will start at 9:00am and the second at 9:15am.  We’ll send off the fastest 3 corrals first, followed by the remaining 3 corrals.  Each bib will indicate Wave 1 or Wave 2 based on estimated finish time.

 

By initiating wave starts we’ll reduce crowding at narrow parts of the course and over the MacDonald Cartier Bridge. It will also lessen the impact of the merge, when half marathoners join the marathoners, and will mean less congestion at the finish line and recovery area.

 

A different kind of medal for Family 2K Race finishers

This year’s 3,000 2K medals were hand-made in Africa to help local economy

 

People who cross the finish line of the 2K Family Race on the May 28-29 Ottawa Race Weekend (ORW) will be presented with a very different kind of medal this year.

Run Ottawa has teamed with International Children’s Awareness Canada (ICA) to create a special hand crafted medal designed by Cameroonian artisan Bantu Freeman and produced by a group of women in the Lebialem Valley, an isolated region of the country located in West Africa.

 

The women have constructed a total of 3,000 medals made from agejiga seeds, coconut shells and bamboo shoots. To ensure efficient production they formed a working co-op. Their efforts have injected $10,000 into their local economy, a geographically remote region of the country whose population is also marginalized due to limited means to earn a livelihood.

 

“Providing women with this empowering opportunity has had an immediate and positive impact on the lives of families in the region,’ says Edward Smith, President, ICA, who has been working with Run Ottawa since last year on the initiative. “Funds earned have already provided food, medical care, school fees, clothing and other necessities of life.”

 

It looks like most of this year’s unique hand-made medals will be scooped up. With six weeks to go before the 2K Family Run, the race is already more than half sold.

 

“Teaming with ICA and the Women’s Jewelry Project has been a great experience for Ottawa Race Weekend,” said Jim Robinson, General Manager, Run Ottawa. “The medal is a symbol of how families can help others while enjoying an outdoors event together. If our race sells out this year, we’re considering expanding it next year to help even more families in the Lebialem Valley.”

 

View a video of how the medals were made and learn more about the Women’s Jewelry Project and the Lebialem Valley in Cameroon.

 

The Great Run Ottawa Playlist contest – like music to your ears

If you’re one of those runners who packs an mp3 player while grinding out the miles in preparation for a spring race, you can probably rhyme off a dozen tunes you listen to that motivate and keep you company along the way. The theme song to Rocky? Springsteen’s Born to Run? A little Lady Gaga maybe?

Ever wonder what other people are listening to? Or wish you could share your own playlist?  Now’s your chance!

On May 6, Run Ottawa will launch The Great Run Ottawa Playlist contest.

You can participate in more than one way, and it’s easy. Better still, you can enter your name to win an Ottawa Race Weekend prize!

Here’s how you do it:

• Go to runottawa.com and click on the Great Run Ottawa Playlist button.
• Post your favourite songs from your own playlist.
• Vote for songs submitted by others.
• Enter your name in the Great Run Ottawa Playlist contest to win a prize.

 

It’s as simple as that! After the contest closes, Run Ottawa will pick the top 10 most popular songs to form the first ever Great Run Ottawa Playlist, which one of the songs will be aired on BOB-FM during Race Weekend. Prize winners will be chosen randomly and contacted by email to claim one of many available prizes.

More contest details are available on the site. Prizes will be announced Friday, May 28 on www.runottawa.com.

Good luck!

Exciting Volunteer Opportunities

Each year, we rely on the support of thousands of dedicated volunteers to help staff one of the most exciting events in this city – the Ottawa Race Weekend. Volunteers provide integral support throughout race weekend at many exciting areas of the event, including registration and race-kit pickup, start and finish line support, water stations, the recovery area and information booths. If you have time and are looking to meet great people and participate in an exciting event, come on out and volunteer with us!

 

For more information, or to register as an Ottawa Race Weekend volunteer, click here.

 

Fly Porter to Ottawa for Race Weekend 2010

 

Porter Airlines is offering the Ottawa Race Weekend attendees a 12% discount on all fare classes.  Porter offers, free in-flight snacks and beverages. The discounted fares are available from May 27 to June 1, 2010.   Please book online at www.flyporter.com or call 1- 888-619-8622 using the promo code ORW12.

Porter Airlines offre aux participants au Courez Ottawa un rabais de 12 % applicable à toutes les catégories de tarif. Nous vous offrons gratuitement en vol collations et boissons.  Les tarifs réduits sont offerts du 27 mai au 1 juin 2010.  Faites vos réservations en ligne à www.flyporter.com, ou par téléphone en composant le 1-888-619-8622, et utilisez le code de promotion ORW12.

Introducing Ottawa Race Weekend Media Sponsors!

CHUM Radio Majic 100, 580 CFRA, 93.9 BOB FM and TEAM 1200 along with /A Morning are proud to be the presenting media sponsors of the Marathon weekend.

In the days and weeks to come we look forward to keeping you informed as the city gets ready for one of the most exciting and active weekends of the year.

 

Also if you've haven't heard, TEAM 1200 features a radio show dedicated to running. It's called iRun The Running Show and it's hosted by Mark Sutcliffe, Saturdays from noon-1pm.

So if you’re training for Ottawa Race Weekend, be sure to listen in for training tips, inspirational stories and all sorts of advice from experts covering everything from nutrition to the latest gear and more. The show is also available via podcast on www.team1200.com. We're looking forward to seeing everyone out May 29-30!

 

Medalists to Run for CAN Fund, the Official National Charity of Ottawa Race Weekend

From coast to coast, Canadians have been truly inspired by our athletes at the Vancouver Games. They have lifted all of us with pride and passion. This Ottawa Race Weekend, you can run/walk for an athlete and continue to support them so they can succeed in 2012 and beyond.

CAN Fund is proud to have supported 80 per cent of our Canadian athletes that competed in Vancouver and thrilled to have 4 Olympic Medalists leading our fundraising team in Ottawa:

Denny Morrison, Speed Skating, 2010 Gold & 2006 Silver Medalist – running the 5K

Marc Kennedy, Curling, Team Martin, 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist – running the 5K

Kim St-Pierre, Ice Hockey, Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist – running the 5K

Tania Vicent, Speed Skating, Four-time Olympic Medalist – running the 5K

“The CAN Fund is my biggest supporter and sponsor! A big thank you to the CAN Fund for making my life as a Speed Skater much, much better!”

~Tania Vicent, 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, Short Track Speed Skating    

Our athletes rely on CAN Fund to provide the direct funding they need to afford coaching, proper nutrition, equipment, team fees and travel expenses.

The Fund is also the only organization in Canada that with each donation, you find out the name of the athlete you have directly supported and receive a tax receipt.

Get involved by running/walking for our Canadian athletes who make us so proud.

Start raising pledges!

To donate right away, click here

For more information, visit: www.CanadianAthletesNow.com

Or call 1-866-937-2008

Help turn the 2010 Ottawa Hospital Race Weekend Challenge into a million dollar success!

Last year, participants in the MDS Nordion Ottawa Hospital Race Weekend Challenge raised more than $900,700 for The Ottawa Hospital, an all-time record. This year, we need your support to reach the million-dollar mark!

Do your part and fundraise for The Ottawa Hospital as part of Ottawa Race Weekend. You can support any area of The Ottawa Hospital that is important to you.

Sign up to fundraise today and make a difference in your community.

Don’t forget: Raise $250 and run for free!

Africa Still Needs Your Shoes!

 

Sole Responsibility is once again collecting gently used running shoes to send to Western Ethiopia for use by refugees and displaced people from Southern Sudan. Shoes will be collected during Ottawa Race Weekend at the Pfizer Health & Fitness Expo from Thursday, May 27th to Saturday, May 29th. For each pair of shoes donated, the organization is asking for a donation of two dollars to offset shipping costs.

For more information please visit our web site at www.SoleResponsibility.org

 

Other Upcoming Events!

 

Organized by the Run Ottawa Club, runners of all ages and abilities are welcome to take part in the Beaver Chase Running Series, which kicks off on May 11. The Beaver Chase Running Series features 1-mile or 4-mile courses, which meander through the Monk Conservation Area in Kanata Lakes and Morgan’s Grant. And yes, runners have been known to spot (and in rare cases have even been pursued by) the resident beavers – hence the name of this series.

These events represent an excellent opportunity to run with friends or family at a pace that suits personal fitness levels. Each run also has support along the route to simulate race conditions, including a water station, marshals and distance markers. Which makes the event on May 11 a great way to ease into race season and get your legs ready for the Ottawa Race Weekend, which takes place a couple of weeks later.

 

For more info on the Run Ottawa Club and future running events, click here.

 

Four great ways to stay on top of the latest Run Ottawa news

 

RSS – You can now subscribe to an RSS feed for this newsletter, which automatically informs you whenever newsletter content is updated on the Run Ottawa web site (www.runottawa.com). To subscribe to The Pulse RSS feed, or to learn more, click here. 

 

Twitter – You can read the latest updates from the Run Ottawa camp on Twitter by following @ottawamarathon.

 

Facebook – You can now get Ottawa Race Weekend news and info via Facebook.  To join our Facebook group, click here.

 

Youtube – You can also check out the latest Ottawa Race Weekend videos on our Youtube channel. To view the Ottawa Race Weekend channel, click here.

 

MOTIVATION

One Runner’s Journey

We’re pleased to be able to include another runner’s funny and informative training blog leading up to this year’s Ottawa Race Weekend. By her own admission Rebecca Gardiner is a very average runner, committed to proving you don’t have to be serious to go seriously fast - maybe. Will she ever make it out of the back of the pack? This blog-for-the-everyman is packed with death-defying feats of endurance, record-breaking attempts -- and occasionally some actual running. Read on as Rebecca trains to beat her PB by almost half an hour to finish the Ottawa marathon in under 4:20.

 

Roamin’ Cheruiyot , April 23, 2010

Day 97 of 130
Ks covered: 702
Ks to go: 400
General mood: Much better
Running highlight: Great short-long run (“only” 24K)
Equipment status: Well used
Body status: Shoulder still sore. Must work on posture.
Weight: Thinking about throwing the scale out

While I was busy feeling sorry for myself on Monday one of my Kenyan heroes, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, skipped through the Boston Marathon in a lazy 2:05:52. To put it in perspective, that’s running 1K in just under 3 minutes and then repeating it just over 42 times. What the ????

Here are some things I can do in 2:05:52:

– Get 7% of the way to Boston from Toronto via Dog Sled.
– Eat approximately 0.008% of the world’s largest pancake
– Watch 87% of Ben Hur (There were Cheruiyots in that right?)
– Run a half marathon (almost)

Cheruiyot’s time is, quite simply, super-human. According to my marathon PB I’ve got a good 37 years before I can even think of qualifying for Boston. And, when a massive volcanic ash cloud covers the earth preventing anyone from moving except me riding my magical unicorn, I may even have a chance at winning.

Nevertheless, if you had told me 10-years ago that I would even have a marathon PB I would have found it equally unfathomable.  We all have to start somewhere right? I mean, Lindsay Lohan wasn’t born a screw-up, she had to train for it.

When I did my undergraduate degree there was a 5K loop around a local golf course. The first time I ran it without stopping I felt more shagged than three of Tiger’s mistresses and there were more bogeys hanging out of my nose than out on the course. But I was so proud of myself, I might as well have won the Boston Marathon.

Today, the mere fact that I am training for my third marathon makes me feel like I have my own super powers.  Will I be able to ride Robert’s Chariot and achieve my goal of finishing under 4:20 in Ottawa? Who knows, but I sure think I’m super-awesome for trying.

If you like Rebecca’s blog, drop her a line and she’ll add you to her mailing list to let you know when she updates the site.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Eat and Run

You need food to fuel your body – to help you push further, to run faster, to perform at the highest possible level. But food should be more than just fuel. It should also be a pleasure to prepare and eat. Each month, we share a simple, nutritious recipe to help stoke your energy for the race, or help replenish energy spent during long training miles.

Simple is often good, both in terms of eating and in everyday life. Give me something tasty, healthy and easy to prepare over a fashionable ‘fusion’ dish that demands complicated prep any day of the week. Particularly after a long run, when your body needs nutrients and you don’t have the energy to fuss. Enter bell peppers stuffed with tuna salad – a low-cal dish full of protein and carbs that you don’t even have to cook! It really doesn’t get any easier than this…

This month’s recipe is sourced runnersworld.com, which you can visit by clicking here.

Ingredients (serves 1 hungry person, or 2 not so hungry people)

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

 

• 1 can (6 ounces) chunk light tuna packed in water, drained slightly
• 4 small pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped
• 2 grams glucomannan
• 1 small clove garlic, minced 
• 1/2 cup mandarin oranges packed in juice, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion 
• 1 medium red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and stem removed  

Directions

1.       In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except the bell pepper.

2.       Spoon half of the tuna salad mixture into each half of the pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Nutritional Info:

Energy 299.5cals

Carbs 19g

Protein 46.3g

Fat 3.8g

Fiber 4.7g

RUNNING WITH YOUR FEEDBACK!

Over the past few months, we’ve been tweaking our Ottawa Race Weekend Newsletter format and content to offer more inspiring stories, training tips and nutritional info. Now we’d like to hear from you about what’s working, and what you’d like to see covered in future editions of the newsletter. And we’re also interested in hearing your inspiring stories of athleticism and endurance. So don’t be shy! Send your impressions, ideas and stories to media@runottawa.ca.