As Winterlude kicks off this weekend, some of Ottawa’s braver athletes are preparing to face temperatures that would have most rushing indoors to their fireplaces and a mug of hot chocolate.
Among many events at Ottawa’s annual festival is the Winterlude Triathlon, where participants will cross-country ski, run and skate to the finish line.
However, with near record breaking temperatures in recent weeks, participants are taking extra precautions to keep safe.
Laura Moran, an experienced summer-season marathoner, recently pushed her running skills to the limit during the aptly-named Hypothermic Half-Marathon.
“Frost bite is a huge motivator to not stop,” says Moran.
“Even if you want to stop you won’t because it’s just too cold. But everyone at the end is covered in ice on their face and guys with beards will have it turn grey because it’s so crusted with ice.”
Moran was prepared for the race, which took place at near record-low temperatures for Ottawa, and finished frostbite free. While athletes may know the most about how to protect their bodies from the harsh environment, Chris Mamen, head coach of the Carleton Nordic Ski Team, says they are the ones who are actually the most at risk.
“Once you’ve started a race, you don’t want to stop," he says. "You need to take extra precautions to make sure you have extra clothes and unfortunately a lot of the time they don’t."
Mamen says athletes need to wear layers and take care protecting their hands, feet and face.
"A lot of the time [they] can’t even feel it because they aren’t thinking about how cold their feet or hands are. It’s our job as coaches to force them to stop even if they don’t want to.”
Despite the cold weather, Winterlude is expected to draw well over one million visits for the season, according to the National Capital Commission.
But with thousands of people enjoying the outdoor attractions, hypothermia and frostbite become far more serious risks, says JP Trottier, a spokesman with the Ottawa Paramedic Service.
“If you are in the middle of the canal with three to four kilometres left in your skate and you have wet mittens, that is a very bad and potentially dangerous situation.”
Trottier says that paramedic crews will be stationed by the Rideau Canal at Fifth Avenue, Dow’s Lake and near the downtown core, while the NCC will have several skate patrol crews on the ice.
For people looking to get active there are a host of sporting events taking place this year.
The annual Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Championship will see 40 teams from across Canada compete in a four-on-four tournament on Dow’s Lake on Feb. 11-13. Children can participate in ice slides, an obstacle course organized by the Canadian Forces and learn to skate or ski with professional instructors.
Meanwhile, fresh off the extreme temperatures from her first winter run, Moran will be participating in Winterlude’s Winterman Marathon on Feb. 20. “It’s not the most comfortable way to run, but there is nothing else like it. It is the ultimate challenge.”