Athletics: National Capital Marathon Race Weekend Hosts Canadian 10K Championships

MDS Nordion 10K Run to host the 2004 Canadian Championships:

Athletics Canada has designated the MDS Nordion 10K as the site of the 2004 Canadian 10K Championships. Canada’s elite runners will be traveling to Ottawa on May 29 to compete for the 10K Championship title and the last chance to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The ING Ottawa Marathon will also host the Canadian Marathon Championships on May 30th.

4th Annual Sport and Fitness Expo - new location!

The 4th annual Sports Expo will be held at the Carleton University Field House for its biggest year yet! As in previous years, registration and race-kit pick-up will be held at the Expo which caters exclusively to runners – a wide range of product s and services, including Brooks, powerBar, Running Room! Throughout the weekend, a number of speakers from around the world will be giving presentations to all. Included this year: grete Waitz, nine-time winner of the New York city marathon; John Stanton, founder of the Running Room. Click here for more information on the sports expo, a list of vendors and a complete speaker series schedule.

Ottawa Hotels Filling up Fast for Race Weekend You want to get the best deal you can on your Race Weekend accommodations – so call Hudson Travel Group to help you find the best hotel to fit your needs and your price range. Many of our partner hotels – including our host hotel the Ottawa Marriott have already sold out! So call now to book your rooms! 1-877-880-1502 or email at marathon@htgsports.com. Click here for more accommodation information!

Elite Athletes

Elite Marathon women's field deepens

The fastest marathon ever run by a woman in Ottawa was 20 years ago, when the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa served as the trials for the 1984 Olympics. In 2004, the marathon doesn’t serve as the Olympic trials but as the last chance for Canadian women to run the Olympic standard to make the team, which has most of the top Canadian woman marathoners focusing on the ING Ottawa Marathon. Sandy Jacobson, the top ranked Canadian female marathoner last year, will return to Ottawa to defend her title. This year the bar has raised and she will have to be up for a challenge. The standard for the Olympics has been set at 2:28:15, over 5.5 minutes faster than her time last year. She will also have a lot faster competition to contend with. Click here for the full elite athlete update.

Registration Fees increase on April 21st.

Training Tips

Grete Waitz – Cross Training
Like most runners my first experience with cross-training occured when I was injured and couldn’t run. And like most runners I found it very frustrating sitting on an exercycle or ”paddling” around in a water-running vest. For a long time my opinion was that runners run – ever seen a Kenyan on a stairmaster? Fortunately I got a broader and more positive relationship to cross-training. I learned that done correctly, cross-training activities can be of great benefit to your running. More...

Race Director John Halvorsen – Speed work
We are now into the last two months of training and things are gearing up. I thought this month I would cover speed training or speed work, something I am sure many have heard about. So what is speed work and what do I recommend you do? The principle of speed work is one of exceeding your normal running speed for short durations in order to get the body used to the leg turnover, different and even new muscle use, larger stride range requiring increased flexibility and working the cardio recovery system by exceeding the ‘red line’ before recovering and doing it all again. More....

John Stanton, Founder of Running Room – The Runner's Side Stitch
Many runners have experienced a side stitch while running. The pain usually occurs just under the ribs when running. The common problem may be related to food allergies, particularly milk, gas, or eating just prior to running. Other causes can be running a longer distance, or running at a higher intensity than usual. The diaphragm is usually the source of the problem. The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. It moves up and down as the runner inhales and exhales. It is subject to a cramp or stitch when it moves more and faster during exercise. More....