From May 24th to 25th, the 2014 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed a record-breaking 47,500 participants in six events, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Lowertown Brewery Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the 2K and Scotiabank Kids Marathon. The Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and Ottawa 10K are both designated Silver Label IAAF events by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). More than 30 charity organizations and 2,766 participated in the 2014 Scotiabank Charity Program raising a total of $626,288.15.
As usual, the most watched races involved elite athletes from various countries include long-distance running power houses Kenya and Ethiopia – whose athletes dominated the podium once again. In the men’s 10K race, it was a Kenyan sweep with Wilson Kiprop (0:28:00) crossing the finish line first, David Kogei (0:28:06) coming in second and Geoffrey Mutai (0:28:08) third. On the women’s side, two-time London Marathon champion Mary Keitany of Kenya broke the Lowertown Brewery Ottawa 10K record in 31:21:7. Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga (0:32:20) finished second, and Kenyan Caroline Kilel (0:32:30) third. Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia ran 2:06:53 to break the men’s course record at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and set the record for fastest marathon on Canadian soil. Ethiopian Mulugeta Wami (2:08:18) came second while a Kenyan, Chemtan Ishhimael Bushendich (2:08:35), took the third spot. Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia broke the women’s marathon course record in 2:24:31. Meseret Tolwak (2:27:25) placed second and Kenyan Agnes Kiprop (2:28:04) was third. This 40th edition of the annual Ottawa marathon was all the more special for the Kenyans as a sitting member of their country’s parliament, Wesley Korir, finished fourth in the race (2:09:17) and was joined on the road by his Canadian wife – also a runner – and her family members. The Kenya High Commission also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Kenya’s independence by providing an assortment of premium Kenyan teas in the VIP tent near the finish line and hosting a special luncheon for the Kenyan runners on Sunday afternoon. For more info on the runners and race results, please visit:http://www.runottawa.ca/.
Submitted by Sarah Onyango
