Posted: May 25, 2005

Athletics: Half marathon the latest 'in' thing

National Capital Race Weekend registration could top 25,000

Martin Cleary , The Ottawa Citizen

The country's largest weekend running festival was built on the marathon, which grew to a throng of 4,700 in 1983 from a small gathering of 141 in 1975.

But as the marathon sagged in popularity over the next 15 years, the 10-kilometre race came to its rescue, turning a one-day distance run into a two-day extravaganza.

And now it's the half marathon (21.1 kilometres) that has become the race of the everyday runner. More than 7,000 have registered for Sunday's test during this weekend's National Capital Race Weekend.

Off in the distance, walkers could become the soul of future race weekends. More and more people are walking to the finish line. Race organizers will publish separate marathon walk results this year, adding half- marathon walk results in 2006.

Put it all together -- the keen interest in the half marathon, the steady popularity of the 10-kilometre race (6,500), the training-friendly five-kilometre run (5,000) and the more dependable marathon (3,500) -- and it appears the race weekend is on course to crack the 25,000 registration target for the first time and shatter last year's record of 23,121.

Registration topped 22,000 over the weekend

"You can get away with training for a half marathon because it doesn't take away from your life," said running coach Phil Marsh, regional manager for the Eastern Ontario Running Room stores.

In training for race weekend, Marsh saw 160 runners register for a half-marathon course and only 80 for a marathon course at one of his stores.

"There are no shortcuts to the marathon,'' said Marsh. ''It's an Everest for people. But I can run a half marathon on my 10K training. The half marathon has become the statement event."

© The Ottawa Citizen, Reprinted With Permission.