2020 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend cancelled 

Virtual race will give participants the opportunity to complete and celebrate their efforts

Ottawa, March 30 – The organizers of Canada’s largest running festival, the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, today announced the event, planned for May 23-24, 2020, will be cancelled in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Run Ottawa told registered participants today they will be holding a virtual Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon this spring. 

While the details for the virtual event will be announced shortly, the more than 17,000 people who were already registered to take part in one of six running distances during the popular race weekend, can receive their Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend race kit, including their medal, t-shirt and a few surprises from event partners. Registration will re-open shortly to allow those who were not previously registered to take part in the virtual event. 

This virtual race will be an opportunity for runners and walkers to earn their 2020 medals and t-shirts by running or walking on their own, while respecting and promoting all public health physical distancing guidelines. Run Ottawa will partner with Sportstats to create a shareable virtual finish line as well as a comprehensive set of results.

“Cancelling the event is a tremendous disappointment for all of us, but it is the right and only thing to do given the ongoing COVID-19 containment measures,” said Ian Fraser, Executive Director of Run Ottawa. “We believe our virtual event will be a great opportunity for runners and walkers to put their winter and spring training to good use, and we look forward to welcoming our participants to the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend in 2021.”

Fundraising for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge continues

Over the years, the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend has been used as a fundraising platform for thousands of participants, with hundreds of thousands of dollars being raised each year for important local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. 

Participants who were using this year’s event to fundraise are encouraged to continue to raise funds and promote their favourite causes through the new virtual race and by using the hashtag #ScotiaCharityChallenge, from now until August 31, 2020.

Participants encouraged to register for 2021 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The organizers also announced today that all registered participants will receive a 50% discount code to be used in the fall to register for the distance of their choice at the 2021 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, which will take place May 28 and 29, 2021. 

“We want to do everything we can to both support our participants and ensure the sustainability of Run Ottawa and Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend through this crisis. Organizing an event like this is a year-round endeavour and most of the expenses associated with it have already been incurred, including salaries for our small but powerful team, and the tens of thousands of medals and t-shirts we have already purchased,” said Mark Sutcliffe, Chair of the Run Ottawa Board of Directors.

Run Ottawa, the organization behind the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, is a not-for-profit organization with a skeleton staff. More than 2,000 volunteers are responsible for putting on the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend each year. 

For more information, visit www.runottawa.ca. 

About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s largest running festival with six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the Ottawa 5K, the Ottawa 2K and Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon. In 2019, runners raised $800,000 for local and national charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2020, the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will be taking place virtually. The 2021 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 28-29. 

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend was named Event of the Year at the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards. It is one of only two running events in Canada to host a World Athletics (formerly IAAF) Gold Label Marathon. For more information or to register: www.runottawa.ca.