Emilie’s Run: Ottawa Women’s-Only Race Hotter Than Ever Special

The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5k Race for Women ("Emilie's Run") is set to kick off on Saturday 20 June at the Aviation Museum in Ottawa, ON. Touted as one of Canada's fastest women's-only 5k races, Emilie's Run will boast an impressive roster of elite runners including Tara Quinn-Smith, the current Canadian Half Marathon record-holder (1:12:08). Quinn-Smith's personal best time of 15:58 for 5k will no doubt challenge the course record of 16:29.7, set by Nicole Stevenson in 2006. Also entered is the 2009 ING Ottawa Canadian Marathon Champion, Lioudmila Kortchaguina (2:32). Founded by Race Director Ken Parker of Runner's Web, the race made its debut in June of 2006. Then called the RunnersWeb.com 5k Race for Women, Parker named the race after Mondor following her death in September that year. Mondor, who represented Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympics, was the first Canadian woman to break 15:00 for 5k. After setting her goal of racing the marathon in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Mondor relocated to Ottawa and started a training program with Parker. Parker, who also coaches the all-women's Ottawa Athletic Club Racing Team, recalls Mondor's first-ever training session with the group: "After every set, Emilie [who finished far ahead of the pack] would always high-five the girls as they were finishing. That was just Emilie." Parker also recalls Mondor's strength and endurance, noting that she would complete each interval faster than her intended goal pace, with each set faster than the previous one. "I even threatened to cut down her rest from 3 minutes to 1 minute if she didn't slow down," says Parker. In memory of a fierce competitor and Olympian, Emilie's Run will award $7,000 to the top individuals and teams. The race will also attract runners of all abilities, as it is meant to be a celebration of women's running in honour of a woman who was passionate about the sport of running. Fun for the whole family, the event also includes a 1K run for children 12 and under, who receive free admission to the Aviation Museum. The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is the official charity of the event. Sponsors include Runner's Web (www.runnersweb.com), the Ottawa Citizen, Majic100, New Balance Ottawa, iRun Magazine, Gatorade, Goodlife Fitness Clubs, Bagel Bagel and Ottawa Outdoors Magazine. The race is organized by Somersault Promotions (www.somersault.ca) and chip-timed. Online registration is available on the race website at http://www.EmiliesRun.com. The deadline for online and mail-in entry is Sunday 14 June. Late in-person registration can be done at the race site – the Aviation Museum - during race kit pick-up on Friday 19 June from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday 20 June between 7:00am and 8:30am.