It’s the day of the marathon! I woke up early, had the buns that I bought the night before, drank instant Ah Huat Kopi, and walked to the starting point. WL was asleep throughout, as her 10km race was already done the day before, and need not wake up early. 

The morning temperature was chilly. I had to put on a long sleeve shirt to keep myself warm, as I didn’t have the disposable plastic windbreakers that some runners had. We lined up in front of the starting point, everyone looking excited and ready. My fellow competitors were mostly proud Canadians, but there were a handful of international participants too. Before the event was flagged off, there was a singing of the national anthem, during which I could really feel the pride that Canadians have for their country. One thing that I really learnt about Canadians during this trip was that they were all very proud of their identity and their huge desire to distinguish themselves from the Americans.

The race was flagged off on time, in waves. I liked how there was NO bottlenecks throughout the entire race, unlike Singapore’s flagship marathon, and the weather was super fine! The route was mostly flat and wide, and there were awesome performances along the way! Imagine seeing an orchestra playing on the streets!

The route first took us along the famed Rideau Canal, then past multiple quiet neighbourhoods before reaching the banks of the Ottawa River. Then we crossed the river via the Chaudière Bridge, taking us to the Gatineau area of the neighbouring state, Quebec. It’s unique how all the road signs and road markings became predominantly French at this side of the river, where it had been historically a majority French-speaking area. After running through quiet French-speaking neighbourhoods, we crossed the Ottawa River again via the Alexandra Bridge to return to the state of Ontario. Here, we did a big round at the northern part of the city, before coming back to the central area. 

One thing I always enjoyed about overseas races, was not only the refreshing new route and sights that I got to see as I ran, but also how the routes would include local neighbourhoods and towns, where residents will be out and standing along the streets to cheer runners on. Here, I managed to accept high-fives from countless kids as well, and it really gave me the extra boosts! 

I didn’t think I prepared well for this race in the run-up to the event, but I was quietly confident to be at least close to my personal best. Hence I placed myself in sight with the ‘pace bunnies’, or known as ‘pacers’ to most of us. At some points, I found myself with the 4:10 pacers, then 4:20 pacers, and eventually among the 4:30 pacers nearer the end. As the sun continued to rise, it became sunnier and hotter by the hour, and sometimes it was a little glaring. I kept my time in check, although it was with thigh cramps hitting me in the final 10km.

I texted WL to inform her of my ETA. Eventually I realized that I was doing the final 10km ahead of my own estimation, and I found myself in good chance of breaking my own previous personal record last December. I decided to give myself a little additional push.  

It paid off! I completed the race in a net time of 04:26:56 (average speed 9.48km/h), coming in 2737th in a field of 5285 competitors. The day’s average temperature was 18 degC, with 7km/h wind conditions and at 53% humidity. I had outdone my previous best timing set in Singapore, just half a year ago, by a mere 3 minutes. 04:30 had been a milestone target for too long and I was really glad to have finally crossed it!

Surprisingly, the euphoria wasn’t as great as I had expected, probably because I was a little exhausted too. WL was there by the time I exited into the public area, and we took the customary we-fies with the Singapore flag. Not wanting to queue for the free beer (that comes with the race bib), we headed off for lunch.

The rest of the day was slow and less eventful than previous days. I had a nap back at the condominium. By the time I got refreshed after a rest, it was time for us to head out for a nice dinner near the Byward Market. 

Ottawa’s not usually a city that would be on the tourists’ radars, but I did enjoy my time here. If we had gone according to the initial plans, we would have spent the time at Quebec City or Montreal, which would comparably be more culturally-unique and interesting to visit. It was solely because of the marathon that we came here and stayed for 2 nights. On this, I felt a little apologetic to WL as I knew that she would have preferred NOT to do a race, but instead visited the cobblestone streets of Quebec City. I owe my personal achievement to the sacrifices that she made to accommodate my passion. :)