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Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend) Runner Comments
Back to Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend) Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 194 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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R. D. from Maine
(6/9/2006)
 "Too much of a good thing" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I agree with all the positive comments about this year's marathon. Being a contrarian, though, I will offer up this criticism. The Ottawa Marathon Committee, in their zeal to be all things for all people, offer a mind-boggling number of running/skating events over two days. This was my 30th marathon, and I have never seen so many options if you wanted to run. This must be a logistical nightmare, and the result this year was the disqualification of 14 elite marathoners who missed a turn and were all disqualified. Many were some of the top marathoners in the world. Two teenagers manning a barricade, whose responsibilty was to make sure runners made a turn, walked away briefly to talk with friends. A resident trying to drive home stopped, moved the barricade, and drove up the street. This wasn't noticed until the lead pack of runners ran straight through the intersection (and off-course). Most runners never even realized this snafu occurred, but Ottawa's attempt to be a world-class marathon took a serious blow this year. Maybe they will recover, maybe not. My advice to them: if you want to be a carnival, continue with a dozen events and expect problems. If you want to attract quality runners and be a serious marathon, limit yourself to a half and full marathon. You can then provide adult supervision where needed and avoid embarrassment. Thanks. | |
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J. B. from Brockville, Canada
(6/6/2006)
 "Best Marathon in Canada" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just ran the Ottawa Marathon for the second time and I am convinced this is the best marathon in Canada. Even though I dehydrated at the 30K mark (due to the unbearably hot weather), which made me miss my PB (in fact I was lucky to finish) the vibe surrounding the race is great. I know that many American marathons are bigger and have more enthusiastic crowds, but Ottawa embraces this event and it puts bigger Canadian cities to shame (particularly Toronto). This is a great time and a great race - just keep an eye on the forecast and be ready for a hot day. | |
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A. B. from Ottawa, Ontario
(6/5/2006)
 "Alright course, poor organization" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This marathon was HOT! The first half is really nice and shady, while the other half was very hot, and no spectators. I actually got to one of the later water stations and they were out of water! I was told to proceed the next station 3K away. Poor food at the end, a dry half bagel, and warm yogurt. Very poor organization, I won't mention the elite runners going the wrong way thing. This marathon really needs to work on its organization and support. Do another one somewhere else. | |
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T. H. from Miami, FL
(6/4/2006)
 "Must-Do Race" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I spent a fair amount of time surfing this site to find a spring marathon, and am all too happy to give something back to help others make their decision. I think Ottawa is a MUST-DO race, with a little something for everyone. The course is first rate. Ottawa is a very pretty city, and there was quite a bit of shade on the course. The first half of the course has rolling hills with some small elevation change. It's not a problem if you train properly. Parts of the course had the historical/ downtown section and other parts showed the countryside surrounding the city. I would say the organization was very good. Ottawa offers more different events in a single weekend than I have ever seen, and when you add up the runners in the distance and sprint races with the inline skate events, it is a lot to manage, and I think they did a good job there. Ottawa is a small city, and as such, they do quite a lot to get behind the event. Many fans do show up for the race, and while some say they were not animated, it was a warm day for them as well. Plenty of excitement along the last mile or so to the finish. If you are looking for a race with potential for a PR, you could do worse. I highly recommend going. | |
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delta hannah from Timmins, Ontario
(6/2/2006)
 "It was a very hot, overwhelming race; to try again" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The weather was way, way too hot being a Northern Girl. The number of people was overwhelming; it being my first 1/2 marathon. However, true grit - I finished it, though not with a time I was hoping for... which means you will see me again! Hopefully start time can be changed to 8:00 a.m. as the last 2 marathons in Ottawa 2005/2006 were way, way too hot to run in... | |
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A. H. from Toronto, Ontario
(6/2/2006)
"A race not to miss" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2006 run of the Ottawa Marathon has to go down as one of the warmest on record. I believe that due to the weather many of the course's potential flaws were exposed. The first half of the race is run in Quebec on well-shaded streets whereas the second half of the race is next to the Canal which is fully exposed to the sun. Also, some of the smaller 'built-in' loops could be somehow eliminated (ie. parking lot at 32km or so and one at 36km). Sponges were awesome, what a great idea to help runners cool off, waterstops are plenty and well-supplied. All throughout the course, I was extremely impressed with the organization and the way the race was managed. Volunteers on the course were first class, rivaling any marathon that I have ever run (incl. Boston, Chicago, Paris). The length of waterstops, the clear signs and screams (ie water/gatorade/gu etc) the runners received from the waterstops volunteers were a joy and made the run that much easier. After the finish, I was helped by fantastic and extremely supportive medical people, I was greeted with cheers of 'Congratulations' and an abundance of smiles from everyone at the finish line. The food at the Recovery area (when I arrived) was plenty, runner-friendly with good variety. Volunteers appeared honored to do the job which in turn made me feel blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing crew. After some recovery time, I headed back to the finish area to wait for friends/family who participated in the race as well. While waiting for them to arrive, I observed the medical staff at the finish area about 100m from the finish line. They did a fantastic job in supporting the runners and dealing with the heat. I felt that the race was extremely well-prepared for the weather and the organizers and volunteers managed to pull off a fantastic race where most other races would have stumbled. The city is amazing and the race weekend is well-supported by the local community. If you live in the northeast US or Eastern part of Canada, this marathon is not to be missed. | |
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M. S. from Rochester, NY
(5/31/2006)
"Great city to run in" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon in Ottawa and I thought it was a great experience. Unfortunately it was hot, but you can't control the weather. The course was beautiful, but the second half could have had more shade. But overall I would do this race again - it was super! | |
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C. C. from Oakville, Ontario
(5/31/2006)
"Great course. Need better organization." (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This is a great course, however this year's organization left lots to be desired. Nothing in the race kits; no shirts in my size; no food left when I finished. Those of us who register early shouldn't be penalized when we go to pick up our kits because everything's been given out to those doing late registrations. Also, power walking needs to be recognized. Crowd support was great but event organizers not so much - was even told to get off the course because the runners were coming by - even though I had a bib on. Also, when you question did I actually run in the marathon, that's unfair. I'm a marathoner even if I didn't run. So I'll answer yes, even though I power walked the whole thing. | |
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D. C. from Hoboken, NJ
(5/31/2006)
"Beautiful city, above-average race" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course is flat and fast but crowd support is sparse in places. Needs more bathrooms at the start line - there were 7 porta-potties for 4K runners. Ottawa was a great host city and a lot of fun. I would recommend this race to my running friends, especially if they are looking to break PRs. | |
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D. B. from Washington, D.C.
(5/31/2006)
 "Average marathon" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I feel like I should be honest because I have relied on this site in the past. This was an average-to-good marathon with a very small-city feel to it. There were parts of the course that seemed forced to stretch out the distance (e.g., literally running around a parking lot). I have run a marathon in a smaller-size city before and was much more impressed with the course and supportiveness. If you want to run a marathon for the "experience" more than for the "competitiveness," I would recommend other cities before this. |
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