Overall
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (#TORW) is a huge event. There are 5 races: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon and kids 2K. Over 48,000 people participated in these events. The city is alive with the festivities, and I was so impressed by how many people were out to cheer on the runners.

Packet Pickup/Expo
Probably the smoothest packet pickup ever, given the size of the race. You check you bib number on a printed list, pick up your bib, go upstairs and pick up your shirt, then activate your bib at the expo entrance. Done! Painless! Mind you, I went mid-morning on Friday, so I can’t speak for what chaos may have ensued on Saturday.

The expo was sizeable, with all the usual suspects – a bit more US presence than what I’ve seen in Vancouver, which means more variety. Great opportunity to sample Nuun products, as mentioned.

T-Shirt/Swag
I really like the t-shirt design – it just looks good. The medal has the spinny centre – maple leaf and parliament buildings. Great design. I like the lanyard as well – same design as the shirt.

Course
Mostly flat, with that ‘killer’ hill around 10km. Great scenery for most of the route. And I loved being able to run over the bridge into Quebec, and back again into Ontario – the dual-province factor really appeals to me.

Aid Stations
Lots of them, and I took advantage of most of them. Consistently Gatorade first, followed by water. 3 sponge stations. One orange & banana station. Plus a PowerGel station. Excellent work by the volunteers.

Post-Race
Snaps with Mounties – very Canada. Bagels (really dry), yogurt, Muscle MLK, granola bars. Pretty standard fare.

Race Management
Honestly, my only complaint was about the toilet situation. Men’s urinal station = problem solved. Waiting for 30 minutes to pee just doesn’t make sense. Other than that – excellent! Volunteers were fabulous. Race info, social media, pamphlet – all executed professionally. Kudos all around!

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