2026 Ottawa Race Weekend - The Full Recap

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Ottawa always hits different. There's something about running through the streets of the nation's capital, the crowds, the course, the energy of Race Weekend, that makes it one of my favorite weekends of the year. And this one did not disappoint.

Coming in just five weeks after running a 2:06:04 PB at Boston, I wasn't sure exactly what my legs had left. The goal was simple: execute a smart race, compete hard, and close out my marathon season with something I could be proud of. On a cool, rainy Sunday with over 16,800 runners filling the streets of Ottawa, that's exactly what happened.

The lead pack stayed together deep into the race, all the way through 35K before things really started to split apart. When our pacer stepped off, I pushed to the front and found myself in the mix with some serious competition. Elvis Cheboi eventually made his move and nobody could answer as he ran a hell of a race. I crossed the line in 2:09:43, third overall and top Canadian on the day.

This one felt like a proper cap on what's been an incredible marathon season. Sub-60 in Houston, a PB in Boston, podiums in Ottawa back-to-back years. I'm proud of this chapter. Now it's time to recover and start thinking about what's next.

Thanks for following along, this video takes you inside Race Weekend, the race itself, and everything that went into it.

🔔 .

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Strava:
Tuesday. May 19th, 2026
7x1k, 5x400m
strava.com/activities/18570742639

Sunday, May 24th,
Ottawa Marathon- 3rd in 2:09
strava.com/activities/18637715548

Puma Shoes:
Workout/Race Shoe (FAST-R NITRO™ Elite 3)
Daily Training Shoe (Velocity NITRO™ 4)
Easy Mileage Training Shoe (PUMA ForeverRun NITRO™ 2)
Long Run Shoe (Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4)

Produced by Scott Barker, STAMINA MEDIA, LLC
▶ Instagram: instagram.com/stamina_media
▶ Website: stamina-media.com
▶ Contact: scott@stamina-media.com

Ottawa Videography by John Liu
▶ Instagram: instagram.com/johnwithlenses
▶ Portfolio: johnliu.ca

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0:00 Intro
0:37 Tune-Up WO in Flagstaff
5:17 Back in Ottawa
6:48 The Shakeout Podcast with John Gay
9:55 What to Expect for the Race
14:35 Prepping the Bottles
21:03 Talking about Dream Shot from the Feed
22:26 Race Day
29:00 FaceTiming Jill
30:30 Awards
31:36 Getting Fresh Ink
33:05 The Finish From The Broadcast
34:05 Outro - Post Race with Friends

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