Gelete Burka sets new best time for Canadian women’s marathon
Two Ethiopian athletes shined during Ottawa Race Weekend Sunday, finishing first in both the men’s and women’s categories in Canada’s largest marathon.
Yemane Tsegay, 33, won the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon with a time of 2:08:52 Sunday.
The first woman to cross the finish line was 32-year-old Gelete Burka with a time of 2:22:17 — a record run for women on Canadian soil.
More than 3,300 runners participated in the 42.2-kilometre Ottawa marathon, which got underway at 7 a.m.
Tristan Woodfine was the first Canadian to cross the finish line, with a time of 2:18:54.
Kait Toohey, the top Canadian on the women’s side, finished with a time of 2:45:05.
Last year, Kenyan Eliud Kiptanui won the marathon with a time of 2:10:14.
Ethiopian athlete Yemane Tsegay at the finish line of the 2018 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. (Audrey Roy/Radio-Canada )
Ideal weather conditions
Organizers said more than 200,000 people, including runners from around the world, were expected to arrive in Ottawa for the weekend’s races.
They also said weather conditions were ideal Sunday, with cool temperatures and low humidity.
It was a sharp contrast to 2016 and 2017, when the scorching heat had organizers thinking about cancelling some of the races.
