Joanne Merrett, who runs several clinics to prepare runners participating in the winter marathon, gets ready to lead her team for a practice run.
Shifts from mild to freezing temperatures in the capital are creating dangerous conditions for local runners.
Ottawa’s first full winter marathon is quickly approaching and some runners are finishing their training while others are on the long road to Ottawa Race Weekend in May.
The event website suggests runners begin training 18 weeks prior to the race which means many have been training since the third week of January, or sooner.
There are few routes long enough for marathon training in Centretown.
The best is the pathway along the Rideau Canal but it can be almost impossible to get to, especially after a large snowfall.
Andrew Greenlaw, a longtime runner, says the thick snow “creates a lot of extra work and sometimes it can make it very tough to get home.”
Keith Hardiman, the manager of roads and operations in Ottawa, says the city clears snow in a series of beats.
The first beat includes arterial roads such as Bank Street and Elgin Street which have too much traffic for good running routes.
The Rideau Canal paths are owned by the NCC, which contracts pathway maintenance out to the city.
Hardiman says that although the canal paths are listed as a final priority, he dispatches machines to clear the snow at the same time as the main roads.
It takes between two and three hours for these main sidewalks to be cleared, says Hardiman. And residents should expect it to take even longer when the snowfall is heavy.
For the serious runners who train daily in sub-zero temperatures, the roads are not cleared fast enough – or to the standard required for safe runs.
Hardiman says the city only clears to a standard that makes sidewalks safe for pedestrians because it lacks the resources to clear for the niche group of runners.
Without proper clearing and with more ice on the sidewalks, Greenlaw says he has seen that it is now, in early spring, that runners are at their peak risk for injury.
The constant thawing and freezing leads to a booby-trapped mix of wet and ice.
He says some people feel a tearing sensation in their hips and ankles. Others slip, bruising and cracking hips.
“Some people even throw out their shoulder just from the bizarre efforts they have to do to balance themselves,” he says.
There are few downtown routes during the winter, says Greenlaw, because most of the paths and some of the sidewalks are left snowy all season.
“I don’t think we tend to be too selfish,” he says.
Runners appreciate having the canal, but many who train with the Running Room would like to see the paths along the Rideau and Ottawa rivers open next season.
In Ottawa, runners who are ravenous for marathon bragging rights will have to continue to brave the chill and risk overturned ankles on paths and sidewalks that aren’t always completely clear of snow and ice.