2024 Ottawa Marathon

In March, my training started coming together. My overall mileage hit over 60 miles/week, and the paces for my runs were falling.

In Week 11, I raced the 2024 Cherry Blossom 5K at 22:55 (7:20 pace) and the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler at 1:19:25 (7:57 pace) – the “Double Blossom”. In Week 15, I completed the 2024 PNC Parkway Classic in 1:19:23 (7:57 pace). So, I had a good sense of my ability at the distance.

Cost

The marathon was $140.

Goals

Achievable

Sub-3:45:00 (8:36 pace). Given the lower number of 2024 Boston Marathon runners who are requalified for the 2025 race, I would be happy with a BQ-5.

Stretch

Sub-3:43:00 (8:31 pace). This time is my projected time using the McMillan Running Calculator based on 1:19:25 (7:57 pace) at the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and 1:19:23 (7:57 pace) at the 2024 PNC Parkway Classic (10 Miler) was 3:42:56 (8:31 pace). It also gives me an 8-minute BQ cushion.

Personal records

Grandmaster/Over 50

• Marathon PR: 4:49:36 at the 2022 Erie Marathon
• Most Recent Marathon: 3:56:47 (9:03 pace) at the 2023 New York City Marathon

Master

Marathon & Course PR: 3:22:56 (7:45 pace) at the 2013 New York City Marathon

Course

Race organizers market the Ottawa Marathon as Canada’s fastest and largest Boston Marathon qualifying race. This year, the organizers finalized the course ten days before the race.

The course starts at Ottawa City Hall. It runs along the Rideau Canal and then heads towards Dow’s Lake, the Dominion Arboretum, and the Central Experimental Farm. The route then winds through residential neighborhoods and Little Italy until it reaches the Kichi Zibi Mikan Parkway, which offers views of the Ottawa River. The half-marathon mark is just south of Parliament Hill.  

Next, the course goes by the National Gallery of Canada to the Rideau-Rockcliffe ward (“Rockcliffe”). It passes by Rideau Center and the University of Ottawa to the Pretoria Bridge. The course finishes next to Rideau Canal.

There are aid stations along the course every 3 kilometers and a few cheer stations.

Strategy

I bought a 3:49:00 pace band (in kilometers) from FindMyMarathon based on an evenly paced start but a positive split because I didn’t know how to handle the hills and heat at the end of the race. They even updated the course profile at my request, which was for naught because it changed again.

Playlist

I arranged 58 songs – 3 hours and 49 minutes of music based on when I wanted to hear them on the course.

The Start: “O Canada,” by Karen Newman.

I also included songs by Canadian artists throughout the playlist, including “Adia” by Sarah McLachlan, “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright, “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette, “Brian Wilson” by Barenaked Ladies, “Good Time” by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain.

Other key songs were:

Kilometer 28: “This Too Shall Pass,” by OK Go. I timed this for the steepest part of Rockcliffe.

Kilometer 32: “Ready to Go,” by Republica & Tomcraft. This song has been by Mile 20 song for a long time.

Kilometer 42: “Glorious,” by Macklemore. This song is what I wanted to hear at the Finish Line.

Pre-race

Friday

My boyfriend and I left the Washington, DC, area on Friday at around 7:45 am. We stopped for lunch with his uncle and girlfriend in Syracuse, New York. We arrived at our hotel in Ottawa by around 7:15 pm. We met my friend from college, who was also running the marathon, for dinner near the hotel.

Saturday

The following day, I did a “shake out” run near the hotel, a half-mile past the half-marathon point. It gave me a chance to gauge Parliament Hill.

I saw some other sites, including the National Gallery of Canada.

After showering, my boyfriend and I took a cab to the race expo at Lansdowne Park. The neighborhood next to it had its annual yard sale, which impacted traffic. Bib and packet pick-up only took a few minutes. I was given a knapsack, a magazine, and Liquid IV packets.

Considering the size of the race, there was a good selection of vendors.

I picked up a long-sleeved shirt I had pre-ordered ($59.99) and purchased a few items.

My college friend had gone to the expo on Friday and gotten tickets for the 9:30 a.m. bus tour. (The other tour was 11:30.) In the end, I went on it alone. (No one checked for tickets.)

The bus drove most of the route while the tour guide told us facts about the areas we visited. For example, the Rideau Canal has its history in the War of 1812 and the fear of an invasion from the United States.

When we reached the Rockcliffe area, I was surprised by how long the climb was, but I knew it would be challenging. The tour finished at 11:15, and then the line for the expo wrapped around the side of the building!

I walked to meet my boyfriend and college friend for lunch in Rideau, where I had pasta with red sauce. That night, for dinner, we headed to a restaurant in Little Italy, where I had a seafood pasta dish. We were back at our hotel by 8 pm, and I was asleep by 9:30 pm.

Race Day

On race day morning, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. The night before, I meant to order coffee from room service—I couldn’t get the in-room coffee maker to work—but I forgot. Thankfully, I brought Starbucks Instant Coffee on the trip. For breakfast, I ate a banana, drank some apple juice, and took a few bites of a bagel.

I took my time getting dressed. At the 2024 PNC Parkway Classic, I tried the Saucony Endorphin Elite as a race shoe but decided against wearing it for this race. Instead, I went with the Nike Air ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 3. Similarly, I tried the Saucony Stopwatch Singlet but returned to my tried and true Brooks. My race bottoms were On Sprinter Shorts last month. I stashed two Crank Sport eGels (Juicy Watermelon) in the left hip pocket and two Maurten Gel 100s, including one with caffeine, in the right. I also stashed some SaltStick FastChew tablets in a snack bag in another pocket.

I met my college friend in the hotel lobby at 6:30 a.m. It took us about 10 minutes to walk over to the start area near Ottawa City Hall. I had mentioned checking my bag but changed my mind. My friend wanted to check hers, though. It wasn’t easy to find and was farther from the start line than I wanted to go, so we separated.

I made my way to the Yellow Corral and put myself in front of the 3:50 pacers—one would be running a steady pace and the other running-walking.

Before the race, a woman sang “O Canada” with lyrics in English and French. The race organizers delayed the start by about 10 minutes, and the emcees did a good job filling the time. Then, there was a two-minute delay between the waves. By 7:20 a.m., I was off!

Weather

At the start of the race, the temperature was about 56 degrees, with cloudy skies. The sun came out intermittently during the race, and the temperature rose to the upper 60s. The winds were calm.

The Race

Kilometers 0 to 8 (Start, Rideau Canal, Dow’s Lake, Dominion Arboretum)

The road was congested at the start, and the course took an immediate right turn, which led to some jostling. After a brief uphill, runners turned right towards the Rideau Canal. At the 1K mark, I checked my pace band and noticed I was already 10 seconds behind. I saw the steady 3:50 pacer ahead and sped up to catch up with him.

By the 3K mark, the course had gone over the Pretoria Bridge, and I had caught up with the steady 3:50 pacer, but the runner-walker would still occasionally pass me. During this section, I also saw the first spectators cheering.

Just before Dow’s Lake, I had my first aid station stop. Runners were walking through the stop, and I almost crashed into one of them. I guzzled down the Nuun and kept running.

As I passed the lake, I realized I had been pushing the pace for a while and tried to settle down.

The course entered the Dominion Arboretum with a strong uphill. I felt as though I was running well and took in the sights.

We had our first cheer station in the Arboretum. The signs during this race were fantastic. In this section, my favorite was two women, one holding a sign that said “Half-way there” and the other pointing to her with a sign that said “She’s bad at math.”

The marker for 8 kilometers would have been midway through the loop, but I missed it due to the cheer zone.

Splits: 5:36, 5:26, 4:53, 5:14, 5:19, 5:11, 11:07.

Miles 8 to 14 (Central Experimental Farm, Downtown Ottawa Neighborhoods)

The Central Experimental Farm was my favorite part of the course. It was quiet, and I thought about being glad to be alive and running this race. I also had my first gel, the regular Maurten.

Approaching the 7K mark, there were several spectators. I saw some of my favorite signs from the race, including:

“You know therapy was an option, right?”

“Run like an experimental bull is chasing you.”

“She runs marathons. He’s just Ken.”

Someone was also holding a “Pain is just the French word for bread,” which I’ve seen at other races, but it made me smile in bilingual Canada.

Coming out of the experimental farm, we ran through residential neighborhoods. There were more people out cheering than I expected. I took the time to high-five a few of the kids.

I saw the uphill leading to the Kichi Zibi Mikan Parkway. I checked my pace band and saw I was about 30 seconds ahead of pace. I was a little concerned because I’d been running so hard.

Splits: 5:17, 5:24, 5:27, 10:23, 5:19.

Miles 14 to 26 (Kichi Zibi Mikan Parkway to Rockcliffe)

One of the best parts of the Kichi Zibi Mikan Parkway was seeing the runners coming back. I smiled at the women front runners and thought about how proud I should be because we are rare. The other good part was the view of the Ottawa River.

My second gel on the outbound section was a Crank Sport eGel. I started to feel the heat in this course section, so I took water at all the stops.

As I approached the turnaround, I watched for the 3:45 pacer. When I saw she wasn’t that far ahead, I decided to speed up a bit to catch her.

I started recognizing the course section I ran during my shake-out run. On the slight uphill, I cruised past runners while trying to make sure I was also running the tangents.

Seeing all the spectators and signs on Parliament Hill was thrilling. At the half, I checked my Garmin and thought I was only about 30 seconds ahead of my goal pace.

I turned left at the Chateau Laurier and took extra fluids at the next water stop. I tucked behind a woman in a Toronto Harriers singlet who seemed to be running the same pace as me. By then, the sun was intense, and runners started walking. I saw the leaders, too. Most looked strong, but a few had trouble with their quads from all the climbing.

As the uphill started, I took out my caffeine Maurten. I was not too fond of the taste and gulped it down. I didn’t feel great, and Toronto Harriers pulled away a little. When I saw my 6:06 split, I thought my race was about to fall apart. I decided not to watch my splits anymore. Soon, I felt a little better. Then, at the next water stop, Toronto Harriers stopped. I felt great and found myself charging up the hill.

The course went out and back to a small airfield. There wasn’t any tree cover, and lots of runners were slowing down. Next, we wound through the neighborhood, where residents had sprinklers and popsicles for the runners.

Splits: 5:14, 10:52, 5:26, 5:32, 15:52, 6:06, 5:21, 10:03. Half marathon: 1:52:47.

Kilometers 26 to 39 (Rockcliffe to Rideau Center)

At the 33K mark, I took out my final Crank Sport eGel. The fourth gel is the one I never wanted. I remembered tossing it in Harlem during the 2023 New York City Marathon and how horrible I felt afterward. So, I forced myself to eat it.

The course banked left, and I saw my college friend! We high-fived, but I felt terrible that she was doing the most challenging part of the race as the sun was at its worst.

I struggled to maintain pace during the next section of the road. I passed the guy running as a slice of pizza and knew I must have been so hot and miserable in that costume.

Coming back into the downtown area was a magical sight. With the brightly colored banners on the street lights and the runners’ excitement, I felt like I was at Disneyland.

After the 38K mark, I could see the half-marathon runners joining us from the right. I stayed to the left to avoid the congestion, which seemed to work well.

The course turns left, passing the Rideau Center on the left and the Rideau Canal on the right.

Splits: 4:48, 5:44, 5:16, 4:46, 5:38, 5:13, 5:38, 5:12, 5:31, 5:26, 5:16, 5:30, 5:14.

Miles 39 to 42.2 (Rideau Center, Rideau Canal, Finish Line)

After a few steps, I see my boyfriend pull alongside me as I pass the University of Ottawa. He yells something like, “Boston, here she comes!” He was beaming with pride over my accomplishment. We exchange glances. Mine says, “I’m not stopping.” He pulls over, and I keep running. It’s like a live version of Frogger for the next two kilometers. I’m weaving right and left, trying to avoid slower half-marathoners in my way.

I turned right on the Pretoria Bridge and another quick right towards the finish line. The crowds lined the street on both sides. I finally looked at my Garmin and knew that if I pushed, I could finish under 3:45! How did that happen? I high-fived some runners—a bit too hard on my way to the finish line. With maybe 100 meters to go, I’m almost sprinting. I did it!

Splits: 5:11, 5:25, 6:01.

Post-race

Result

Time: 3:44:51

Pace: 8:34

Log Details

I was 1,366 out of 5,032 finishers (top 28%), 201 out of 2,174 women (top 10%), and 14 of 224 in my age group (top 7%). It’s my fastest time since turning 50. The time is also 10 minutes and 9 seconds under the Boston Marathon qualifying standard. It was also a 17-second negative split.

On the elite side, Lencho Tesfaye Anbesa of Ethiopia won the men’s race in 2:12:41 (x pace), and Maregu Hayelom, also from Ethiopia, won the women’s race in 2:32:20 (x pace).

Finish

Runners packed the finish line area. Water and electrolyte drinks were on tables, and volunteers were handing out medals. Then, we were funneled into a tent area and given a bag with a banana, potato chips, and a chewy granola bar sponsored by Farm Boy.

The post-race area in Confederation Park was congested. My boyfriend and I had agreed to meet in the reunion area under the green flag, and he joined me after about 10 minutes. We scanned the area for the free beer location but decided to return to our hotel when we didn’t see it.

We met up with my college friend at her hotel. We had celebratory champagne and snacks before returning to our Friday dinner venue. We were asleep by 8:30 pm.

Epilogue

Overall, I was thrilled with how I raced. The course had some challenging parts—like the hills in Rockcliffe—but there were also some decent downhills. The temperature was warm—the race was in late May—but not unbearable. My most substantial negative was when the slower half-marathoners joined in the final miles. Too many runners for the two-lane road led to a lot of weaving.

After the race, my boyfriend and I spent three days vacationing in Quebec City, which was charming.

We also spent a day in New York’s Hudson Valley before returning home to Virginia. I’ll probably take a month of mostly easy running before training again.

Next Goal Race

I entered the New York City Marathon lottery in March but didn’t get in. So, I’m considering running the Richmond (November 16th) or Philadelphia (November 24th) Marathon in the fall.

Abridged Version

Considering the hills and warm weather, I was thrilled with how I raced. I trained well over the winter despite some missed workouts and job stress. Going into the race, I thought I could run a low 3:40 marathon, but I would be happy with a 3:49, which would be 5 minutes under my Boston Marathon qualifying time.

During the race, I started fast as I tried to get out of the crowds and take advantage of the cool temperature and flat terrain. I pushed harder in the middle mile to catch the 3:45 pace group. I had a rough patch in Rockcliffe but rebounded quickly and ran well on the hills.

My time was 3:44:51 (8:34 pace), a new over–50 personal record and BQ-10. Next, I’ll take some time off before training for the Richmond or Philadelphia Marathon in the fall.