By Melanie McNaught
Ottawa fitness fanatics are taking winter in their stride.
Runners are using the Rideau Canal’s ice to their advantage by running on — and not just beside — the frozen waterway.
For Centretown runner Cheryl Gladu, being “among the people, where the excitement is” is more fun than running along the canal’s banks.
Gladu says it is safe as long as runners stick to the edges where there is a thin layer of packed snow.
In fact, some say the canal is safer than dodging cars on the road or negotiating slippery, uneven paths and sidewalks.
Roger Smith, manager of The Running Room at 911 Bank St., explains the choice depends on the weather.
When ice forms on the city’s paths runners choose the canal’s ice.
“Then traction is much better on the canal with snow and its granular surface,” Smith says.
“That’s when people say ‘to hell with it’ and run on the ice where at least traction is consistent, smooth and flat.”
At this time of year, snow builds up the sides of the roads, forcing runners into traffic.
Plus most roads are sloped to drain water, which means runners’s feet strike the ground on an angle.
Over time this wears on ankles and knees, increasing the risk of sprains and overuse injuries, explains Michel Somogyi, an avid runner and employee of The Running Room.
Another bonus on cold winter days: “Because it’s lower, you don’t get as much of a wind draft (at ice level),” he adds.
But isn’t it slippery?
“It does happen sometimes that your foot will slip a little. You’ve got to be cautious and take it in stride,” he admits.
According to Somogyi, regular running shoes are fine for the ice and he warns thicker treads are not necessarily better because it’s harder to feel the surface.
Despite these assurances, some runners prefer solid ground.
John Mazerolle started jogging a couple of months ago but he hasn’t tried running on the ice because he believes the footing would be too slippery.
Although Dale MacMurdo is speeding along the same path as Mazerolle, he runs on the ice when the canalside path isn’t cleared.
The seasoned runner smiles when asked if running on the ice is safe.
“Sure, if you watch where you’re going,” MacMurdo says.
Most runners stick to the packed snow along the edges.
Robert Lafleur, of Lafleur de la Capitale, the company which grooms the canal ice, says the narrow strip that runners call their own is “unofficially deliberate.”
“The canal is used for a whole bunch of things and as long as it isn’t dangerous we try to accomodate it,” Lafleur says.
Somogyi says he can usually run right down the middle after 5 p.m. because the ice is sufficiently choppy. Colder conditions improve the footing, he says.
Marion Lashley prefers to stick to the edges to avoid skaters.
Two weeks ago, though, her foot broke through the ice near Fifth Avenue. Sheepishly, she admits the canal was closed at the time because of thin ice.
Not to be outdone, her co-worker Somogyi recalls one of his most memorable canal runs.
“We were running in the pouring rain. There were puddles everywhere on the ice. It was just great! There was no one out there but us crazy people!”
The Running Room’s Ottawa club has about 300 members. On their Sunday morning runs as many as 150 turn out, with more of them taking to the ice when the path along the canal isn’t clear.