Runaway success
Ottawa Race Weekend registration ahead of schedule
Winter doesn’t officially begin for more than a month and yet runners are already registering in droves for Ottawa Race Weekend events. One of the big draws in 2014 will be the 40th anniversary of marathon.
“We are two months ahead of schedule,” says John Halvorsen, race director and president of Run Ottawa, which organizes Ottawa Race Weekend, among other events.
“The marathon is ahead of the 10K, which has never happened before.”
As of Thursday, the half-marathon is 76 per cent sold out, while the 10K and marathon are at 45 per cent— and it’s only November. The numbers appear live on the website runottawa.ca. Last spring’s event saw 44,123 people take part in six events.
Halvorsen has attended several race expos to promote the May weekend in such markets as Quebec City, Montreal, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Toronto and Florida.
“We’re blessed in Ottawa. We live in a beautiful city with many scenic landmarks and a very good route. People enjoy the whole experience of coming here. We offer a well-organized, highly competitive event, which attracts athletes from all over North America.”
It’s six months away, but Halvorsen has recently placed an order for 40,000 T-shirts for the May 24-25, 2014, race weekend. He says word has leaked out about the marathon T-shirt’s attractive white-andred maple-leaf design, which could be part of the reason why people are claiming their bibs early.
“The 40th year of the marathon is going to be really special. People who run it always want to come back,” Halvorsen says.