OTTAWA RACE WEEKEND CELEBRATES THE BIG4-0
Special shirt, medal, book to commemorate milestone race
On May 25, 1975, 146 runners gathered to run the first Ottawa Marathon.
Tomorrow, May 25, more than 6,200 runners are expected for the 40th edition of that race, the flagship race of the Ottawa Race Weekend, which will attract about 48,000 competitors across six races.
Back in 1999, current race director John Halvorsen looked at the Ottawa Race Weekend and saw the future. He said to longtime race weekend volunteer Manny Rodrigues, “you’re sitting on a gold mine. It needs to grow.” Rodrigues, who established the successful Elite Athlete program at the Ottawa Race Weekend, replied that Halvorsen should join the board.
Halvorsen took Rodrigues’ suggestion, and has been involved ever since, along with his friend Jim Robinson.
Halvorsen, who started running in high school in the 1980s and competed in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, brought a lot of running expertise to the event. “It’s funny when you look at the history of running shoes; over the years running shoes have softened up and become lighter,” says the Runner’s World Road Racer of the Year in 1989. In 1988, when Halvorsen ran the 10k at the Ottawa Race Weekend in 28:12, he set a record which lasted until 2009.
“At the event in the year 2000, there were 11,000 participants,” said Halvorsen. “Jimand I worked well together and we were in sync for moving forward. Back then, I was just learning who’s who; in 2001 I was race director for the organizing committee, a volunteer board. It’s a lot of work for a volunteer group.”
“I volunteered in 1996 and got hired in 1997 to do the ’97 race weekend,” recalls Robinson. “It was a lot harder then. I was the only employee and I had to be whipped into shape. There was a lot of work to be done to bring it to what it is today. A top-notch race committee grew each year and kept coming back; that was a big help. Along with the growth, we had to match the pace with the organization. Thatwas pretty tough. Itwas also about balancing the budget to reflect the growth. I think because of that, we’re in a really strong situation today.”
In early 2013, Jim Robinson retired as race director and president, and John Halvorsen, leaving a long career in the high-tech sector, took over that position.
Nowthat he has turned over the reins to Halvorsen, Robinson is proud of what he accomplished over the years. “My job is to help John out at the expo. Once the expo’s over and the races start, I’ll be free to enjoy a bit, but you always look at it as a race director,” hesays, adding he’ll pitch in where needed.
The big 4-0 is a special occasion for the Ottawa Race Weekend. “This year we’ve gone away from our traditional medal design and have a one-of-a-kind medal with a big 40 on it,” said Halvorsen. “The special marathon shirt has a giant ‘40’ and is fully sublimated so it looks as if the fabric is weaved. All the runners also receive a souvenir string backpack.”
As well, to celebrate this milestone year, Run Ottawa has produced a special commemorative book, The Magnificent Marathon, written by Ottawa writer, broadcaster and iRun founder Mark Sutcliffe, who found it a fascinating exercise to write the book.
“No. 1, itwas absolutely wonderful talking to some of the people who ran the marathon in the early years,” he said. “In those days, quite a few young people would run it as well; now if you’re under 18, you’re not allowed.”
He says he enjoyed talking to some of the people who were passionate about marathon running when it wasn’t as popular as it is today. “The passion is consistent over the 40 years but everything else has changed — shoes, training, nutrition. These are people who didn’t have access to modern sophisticated training programs or well-designed shoes and clothing.”
Sutcliffe himself ran the Ottawa Marathon the first time in 2004 and has run on the race weekend nine times since, including four Ottawa marathons. “It’s terrific,” he says. “I’m amazed at how fast it has grown. At the time Jim Robinson took over in 1997, he started making predictions that ‘we’re going to grow ’and few people believed him. He ended up exceeding those numbers. Nobodywouldhavepredicted those levels of participation.”
Sutcliffe spoke to more than 100 different runners for the book, and for each of the 39y ears completed, he profiled one or more runners. There are all kinds of shorter items and hundreds of photos. Each year describes the experience of a real cross-section of runners, from amateurs to famous people, including Eleanor Thomas, the first woman to cross the finish line. “There were a lot more colourful stories than I expected. It was great spending all that time talking to runners.”
The Magnificent Marathon can be purchased at the race expo and through the Run Ottawa website at www.runottawa.ca.