Posted: January 25, 2005

Triathlon: The Ultimate Canadian Triathlon - Skate, Run, Drink

Ottawa's Carleton Cup

Known by many as "The Ultimate Canadian Triathlon," this race takes place on Ottawa's Rideau Canal, the streets of the Byward Market, and ends with a celebration of our great Canadian winters at Alexander's Lower Deck. After meeting at Oliver's in the Carleton University Centre for Registration, participants will make their way upstairs to Baker's Lounge for the traditional Reading Of The Rules. Immediately thereafter everyone will find their way down to the Rideau Canal for the first leg of the race. This consists of a 7.8 km skate from the South end all the way into the heart of downtown Ottawa. Once there, it is always a good idea to remove your skates as the next leg consists of running/walking into the Byward Market for your rendezvous with your fellow racers at Alexander's Lower Deck. Here you will finish the race by drinking the beverage of your choice presented by the judges who stop the clock the very moment the wet hits your gullet!

Background

The Carleton Cup is a triathlon (Skate*Run*Drink) that has been held annually in Ottawa, Canada, since 1989. The race was originally conceived as a way to make winter a little more tolerable for Carleton University students. Since then it has grown to become an event that attracts participants from all over North America. "The Ultimate Canadian Triathlon" has become for many a celebration of Canada itself, a self-conscious recognition of how resourceful we as Canadians can be in overcoming the adversity that our climate presents us with. It's just too damn cold to argue about national unity in the middle of a Canadian winter, when the only things that really seem to matter are hockey and keeping warm. The cold weather binds us together, and the Carleton Cup has always been about forgetting one's differences and coming together in the name of sport and good cheer.

All proceeds of the event go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The event website is at: www.carletoncup.com.