Ottawa Run 10 KM

By Jeannette Boudreau, Ontario

My first stop on my quest to run a race in every province and territory in Canada!

Ottawa, Ontario!

What a great place to begin this incredible journey! I have a dream to run a race in every province and territory in Canada and what better place to start than our very own capital city!

The 6-hour drive to Ottawa was pleasant. I signed up for The Canadian Run a few days before the race. My best friend travelled with me and we were able to explore some areas of the city the night before the race.

Parliament Hill was beautiful. We walked around the buildings, enjoying some of the monuments and sights. We stayed for the evening Northern Lights Show which demonstrated the history of our country against the backdrop of the Peace Tower. It was a great show! Very informative. Some of the projected lights were incredible!

The race for the event started at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility along the waterfront in Ottawa. The weather was perfect! There were more people registered for the duathlon and triathlon events (something I don’t think I can do) than the 5KM and 10KM races. This made me nervous. I am always so worried about being the last runner in.

We were about 33 runners. I prepared myself at the starting line, getting my playlist ready. The guy in charge shouted to me on the loud horn, “No earbuds, mam’! You will be running in some street areas, and we do not allow earphones during our races!” Ouch! That hurt me in two ways. First, how embarrassing! Everyone looked my way, probably wondering why I didn’t know this rule. Secondly, how the heck was I going to run a 10 KM race without my tunes? I love my music! It’s what pushes me to move my butt faster! I sometimes feel like I’m having a dance party in my head! Having no choice, I started my run without my music. I had a great race! I enjoyed every moment of it. My best friend cheered me on. A friend from our group met up with us and cheered me on as well. Everything was perfect! I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I survived without my music, and I had a great race! My time was 1:01:59! I was delighted because my last 10 KM was done in over 1:09!! (I was also happy that I was not the last one to finish).

I am obsessed with running races! There are so many reasons why I love them. My runs are always better and faster than the ones I do at home on my own. The group of runners, ranging in all shapes and ages, is amazing to watch. Everyone is pushing themselves to do the best they can. The volunteers at these events dedicate their time to helping us. They are always so positive and love to cheer for us! The atmosphere is always so warm and welcoming.

I can’t wait to run my next race! What province should be next on my list? Send me some ideas!!