Competition was heated at Ottawa Race Weekend
By Amber Schönhaar
CISM runners Wilmer Contreras of Venezuela and CF Capt Joe Boland of Edmonton, Alberta, cross the 5 km finish line one-tenth of a second apart at 15:57:8 and 15:57:9 - 10th and 11th of the 2 217 men competing in this race.. Photo: Sgt Yvan Delisle |
With temperatures soaring into the 30s, the one thing most runners commented on at the Ottawa Race Weekend, May 27-28, was the heat. Yet, despite difficult conditions, one thing was certain: a successful partnership between CF, the Conseil international du sports militaire (CISM), and the Ottawa Race Weekend-Canada's largest running event with approximately 30 000 participants.
Running with all race weekend contenders, 74 CF athletes from various bases across Canada, plus an additional 80 military members from 12 different countries-Algeria, Barbados, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Morocco, Netherlands, UK, US, and Venezuela-competed in all four race distances (5 km, 10 km, full and half marathon).
On Saturday evening, racers lined up for the 5 km and 10 km routes. Captain Joe Boland of Edmonton, who placed 2nd overall in the 5 km in 2005, crossed the finish line this year with a personal best that earned him 1st in the CF Nationals. "It was an excellent race," said Capt Boland. "As far as the weather goes, the hotter the better for me! There was a lot more competition with the CISM athletes and .It was really good to meet athletes from other countries."
Capt Elie Haevens of Vancouver, placed 1st in the CF National Championship 5 km (3rd in CISM event). "It felt good to run with a large group in a civilian race: it gave me people to chase down. I returned from Afghanistan towards the end of February and I think I did well in [today's] heat due to the running I did there," said Capt Haevens.
Cleaning up in the 5 km race distances; the Moroccan CISM military men claimed 1st and 2nd and the women earned 2nd and 3rd place race finishes overall. In the 10 km distance for both men and women, Morocco enjoyed a 1, 2 sweep of the CISM podium.
Sergeant Denis Cloutier, Valcartier, took home a CF National Championship 1st place in the 10 km, while Major Kelly Harvey of Greenwood was the top CF woman. "It was harder than I anticipated," she said, "after training in the Maritimes where the average temperature [is] about 8 to 10 degrees."
A picture perfect start to the 10 km race on May 27. Over 6 300 runners entered in this distance. How many CF and CISM athletes can you count? Photo: Sgt Yvan Delisle |
Even with a 7 a.m. start to the 42 km marathon on Sunday, hot temperatures and humidity quickly caught up with the runners. Lieutenant Sylvain St-Gelais from Bagotville, ran under both the CISM and the national championship banner and placed 1st in the CF and 4th in the CISM championship after a sweltering 2:44:34 on the picturesque Ottawa course. Corporal Marie Dupuis of Valcartier, finished 1st in the CF National women's division, with a time of 3:29:50.
The Moroccans continued to assert their reign on Sunday. The men claimed the top two CISM marathon finishes-the winning time of 2:12:57 was earned by Zaid Laaroussi. Moroccan women were the stars of the 21 km half-marathon. At 1:17:25, Meryem Khali took 1st overall, while her teammate Bouchra Sahli finished 21 seconds back, in 2nd place.
Sgt Maurice Charron of North Bay and Capt Tammy Hiscock of Shearwater, took the CF National half-marathon titles. Sgt Charron noted, "It's always a pleasure to meet people at the national level. I don't care if they're the slowest runners-friends are friends."
Maj Suzanne Cote, of Colorado Springs, won in a special way when she was awarded the CF Dedication to Sports Award for Running. Capt Jay Feyko, of Ottawa also had an unexpected win. Crossing the line at 3:46:06, he was surprised by Race Weekend general manager Jim Robinson with keys to a 2006 Hyundai Accent. One runner was randomly selected, and he was it. Capt Feyko was seriously injured in the January 2004 suicide bombing in Afghanistan and said running became part of his recovery with the Ottawa marathon as his goal.
With a mandate to raise morale and encourage physical fitness, the CFPSA provides and promotes fitness, sport, and health programs for CF members in Canada and abroad. For more information on military sport programs visit www.cfpsa.com.