Marathon running is alive and well in Canada, as the 50th year of the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon at the 2024 Ottawa Race Weekend saw over five thousand runners finish—the largest number in event history.
There were a total of 5,033 finishers (3,386 of them men), which doubled last year’s numbers of 2,485. The entirety of the race weekend (across the five races) saw 33,000 total finishers, with the marathon making up 15 percent of the total entries.
To mark the 50th anniversary, race organizers also planned a new route. The 42.2 km course started in front of its traditional Ottawa City Hall, taking runners along the Rideau Canal, around Dow’s Lake, through the Experimental Farm, up through Hintonburg, and along the Ottawa River (instead of crossing the bridge into Gatineau, Que.), before circling back to the finish line on Queen Elizabeth Drive with its Rideau Canal finish.
The new course proved to be very tough for all competitors, with winning times being significantly slower than they were the year before. Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Anbesa executed the right moves in the right places to win the men’s race in a time of 2:12:41. The women’s marathon also saw an Ethiopian winner, with Maregu Hayelom breaking the tape in 2:32:20, which ended up being a near 10-minute gap on her compatriot Tinebeb Nebiyu, who came second in 2:41:40.
“It all started 50 years ago with 146 runners, and now we’re up to 33,000 racers,” said Mike Vieira, the executive director of Ottawa Race Weekend. “It’s the biggest multi-day racing event in Canada. We’re super proud of its legacy, not just for the Ottawa area but also for Canada.”
The race to be the top Canadian male came down to the final two kilometres with Daniel Zewdu of Victoria, B.C., leading the way until he stepped off the course at 40K due to fatigue. Just behind him was Arnaud Francioni of Montreal, holding his 2:26 marathon pace from the get-go. Francioni held on to run a negative split and a new personal best of 2:25:48. 2024 Vancouver Marathon champion Sergio Raez Villanueva was the second Canadian man across the line in 2:28:59, and Toronto’s Daniel Fournier was third (2:31:03).
Rachel Hannah of Port Elgin, Ont., was the top Canadian female finisher in 2:48:03 (which was also third overall), just a minute and a half ahead of Ottawa’s Alexandra Hynes (2:49:30). “It was a mental battle from the start,” says Hannah. “I had stomach cramps and back spasms from early on, but it was the incredible crowd support in Ottawa that kept me going.”
Rachel Hannah on being the top Canadian at the 2024 Ottawa Marathon.
Hannah said she had stomach cramps and back spasms from the start. “It was a mental battle, but the crowd support kept her going.” @runottawa @OttawaRaceWknd pic.twitter.com/Ri4Xd3JAsz
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) May 26, 2024
The weather at the start line of this year’s race was cooler than it has typically been in years past. It was a cool 15°C with next to no wind. To view the full results from the 2024 Tartan Ottawa International Marathon at Ottawa Race Weekend, check here.
