The number of fans throughout the weekend was terrific and perhaps unparalleled in Canada.

This was a tough marathon in 2009 and for my debut:

1) Late May is a risky date for potential heat and this course has a little shade. It wasn't just me - I had a 39 second per K fade from the first 30K to the last 12.2K and didn't lose any position in the race doing so.

2) Merging with the half-marathon course for the last 5K is discouraging. I was 3:20 into a 3:53 marathon fade and had fresher halfers 1:20 into 1:40 - 1:45 halves joining our group in about a 5:1 ratio. Easy to feel trounced at that point.

A remarkable event with good organization and a splendid course.

This was my first marathon and I am very glad I chose Ottawa. The course was beautiful and I liked the ups and downs of the hills. The spectators were so supportive that they made me teary eyed at times when I couldn't believe I was really doing it! I felt that the volunteers were well informed and positive. The finish was electrifying and I loved the 750M... 500M... 400M countdown signs!! My only complaint was that the medical tent ran out of ice, which I badly needed for my knee by the end! Great medal After saying I would only do one marathon... I think I would do this one again!!

The race is very well done. I live and train in Ottawa, so I am aware that it is a beautiful city and course, and yet when I do it I am always reminded by how pretty it is. If you are coming from out of town, you can stay at many great hotels, in the center of town, all within 0.5K of the start line. No issue with getting exhausted just getting to the start. This year the organizers dropped the hated arboretum loop. I hope that it stays out. Who needs a hilly loop toward the end of a marathon - even though the arboretum is a pretty place to run?

I absolutely loved my experience and I will be back. The course is beautiful. I loved the fact that we run in two provinces!! The crowd at the end is unbelievable. They are the ones who "carried" me to the finish line. Thanks to the organizers and the volunteers; they did an amazing job!!

This was my first marathon, so I cannot compare it to other venues; however, here are the pros and cons I experienced:

Pros:
1. Spectators - I can't fault anyone who cheers me (a stranger) on. The last mile or so was pretty amazing - basically a sea of people on both sides of the road and on the overpasses above. Also, coming into the start of the canal after passing the halfway mark we encountered a wall of noise that really lifted the spirits.
2. Course - Very flat, which was nice as a first-timer. During the race I heard some people complain about the hills, but I'm not sure what they were referring to because there were only gentle rises - definitely no hills.
3. Organization - I'm going to nitpick later about the organization because I think my opinion would have been different had I not gotten lucky with the race kit pick-up. I went on Friday at midday, and I was in and out in under 2 minutes. However, when my wife went on Saturday, she had a much different experience.
4. Volunteers/staff - Virtually every volunteer I came into contact with was willing to help as best as they could. And the water/Gatorade station workers were great - I never had any issues with getting fluids, etc., though I was near the back and most of the runners around me were pretty relaxed. I would assume things might have been more intense nearer the front.

Cons:
1. Course - Yeah I liked it, but I hated the merge with the half-marathon people with 3-4 (?) KMs to go. Honestly, it was a letdown to run all that way and suddenly have the road get crowded. This may be over-analyzing, but I felt like the accomplishment of getting that far had been diminished. Plus, it more than doubled the number of people at the finish, which was a complete zoo. The merge was the only truly negative thing; I guess the other part I didn't like about the course was the section near the experimental farm, but I was hurting by that point, so I have a skewed opinion.
2. Race kit pickup at city hall - Saturday afternoon, the line was probably five-people thick and 150 meters long. It was pretty nuts. I guess the trick is to go early - no surprise.

That's about all I can think of. Overall, a very positive experience; you can't expect everything to be smooth sailing with that many people.

The National Capital Race Weekend is an experience everyone should take part in. We watched the shorter distance races on Saturday and raced the marathon on Sunday. Everything is within walking distance - the start, finish, and expo - which is really nice. The shirt and knapsack goody bag are both wonderful. The course is fairly flat, well groomed, marked, and patrolled by race officials. Beautiful scenery the entire distance. Lots of spectators along the route. Water and aid stations were well manned by amazing volunteers. The race is inclusive to all who want to participate, and the seven-hour time limit allows it - just choose your distance and method. We had ideal weather conditions to top it all off.

This was my first marathon. The event was well put on. For my first marathon, I found it difficult due to what I consider hills, but others may not agree about the hills. The support from the spectators was much more than I imagined. I will be doing this one again next year and am determined to cut an hour off of my time. Stay tuned for my comments in 2010.

Its a really nice course that takes you around a giant loop of Ottawa and the Hull in Quebec. You don't even feel the small hills in the beginning; you do notice how Gatineu (the Hull) appears like a ghost town at 7:00 a.m. Not only are there no fans at this point, but nobody was walking around either. But once you get out of there, it gets better. There's a killer bridge around KM 32 that just drains any last kick out of you. Other than that, it's a fairly easy course, though it's fairly windy near the water. Fluid stations are sufficient, but they rarely had any porta-potties nearby, forcing this runner to head for the bushes. They did hand out wet sponges twice in the final half, though, and it was amazingly refreshing. Tons of spectators towards the finish and several miles before the half splits off, so you're not bumping into the slow ones at the end. It's really quite an experience, and I highly recommend it. The whole city is in the spirit of it, as over the race weekend there are 7 races with 35,000 participants.

Not having race kit pick-up on Saturday afternoon/evening was inexcusable!!! Luckily the race experience was great.