Tigist Tufa celebrates with the Ethiopian flag after crossing the finish line first in the women’s marathon on Sunday,
It was a record-setting weekend in Ottawa.
A record 47,500 athletes in totalย registered for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend events, up from about 44,000 last year. Some 7,000 runners enjoyed perfect weather Sunday morning for the 40th annual Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, Canadaโs biggestย marathon event. Another 12,500 ran the half-marathon.
โWeโre thrilled,โ said Race Director John Halvorsen of the turnout as the weekend wrapped up. โItโs a great way to celebrate our 40th anniversary.โ
Ethiopiaโs Yemane Tsegay shattered records Sunday, finishing with a time of two hours, six minutes, 54 seconds. It was the fastest marathon ever run on Canadian soil and shaved more than a minute off the Ottawa Marathon record set last year by another Ethiopian, Tariku Jufar.
Tigist Tufa, also from Ethiopia,ย was the fastest woman in Sundayโs marathon, with a time of 2:24:31. She beat her own personal best by more than 3 1/2 minutes and beat last yearโs record by almost a minute.
