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Canadian Forces Elite Compete in the Ottawa Race Weekend
CFPSA: May 25, 2006
OTTAWA, ON - A year of dedicated training will be put to the test the weekend of May 27 and 28, as 75 Canadian Forces (CF) runners congregate in Ottawa to compete in the 2006 CF National Running Championship, held in partnership with the Ottawa Race Weekend.
The CF has a long-standing connection to the ING Ottawa Marathon. The first race director was a former CF member, as is Mr. James Robinson, a retired Physical Education Officer from the CF, who has been the General Manager of the race for the last 10 years. This is the second year that the Ottawa Race Weekend includes the CF Running Championship.
New for 2006, Ottawa Race Weekend will also serve as the Continental/ Invitational Running Championship for the International Military Sports Council (Conseil international du sport militaire, CISM) - of which the CF is a member. Military competitors from Algeria, Barbados, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Morocco, Netherlands, USA and Venezuela will compete. Many of these military athletes are Olympic-level runners who are enrolled in their nation's armed forces. The CF has 12 runners entered in this international event.
"The Canadian Forces are proud to host these nations and to be a partner with the Ottawa Race Weekend," says Roy Hillier, International Sports Manager, Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency (CFPSA). "With such high calibre runners, there is no doubt that spectators will be treated to world class performances."
In addition to its international military competitors, the CF has entered over 70 runners in the 2006 CF Running Championship, qualified from all five CF regions; Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic, Pacific, and Prairie, broken down as follows:
| 5 km runners: 26 | 10 km runners: 8 |
| Half marathon: 29 | Full marathon: 13 |
| Total CF Runners: 76 |
"The Canadian Forces provide all of its members with an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports," says Switch Rousseau, National Sports Manager, Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Division, CFPSA. "We have events for all different skills levels, from intersection to international, to foster and develop confidence and athleticism throughout the CF community."
One racer to keep an eye on at this year's Ottawa Race Weekend is Captain Joseph Boland from Edmonton, Alberta. Capt Boland finished second overall in the MDS Nordion 5K in 2005, with a time of 00:16:03.5 - which translated into a CF Running Championship gold medal.
The Running Championship is one of thirteen national sporting championships held on an annual basis to promote health, fitness, and teamwork, and esprit de corps amongst the CF. Still to come for 2006: ball hockey, slo-pitch, and soccer national championships to be hosted this fall in Halifax, Nova Scotia and CFB Borden, Ontario, respectively.
With a mandate to raise morale and encourage physical fitness the Personnel Support Programs division of the CFPSA provides and promotes fitness, sport, and health programs for CF members in Canada and abroad.
For more information on military sport programs visit www.cfpsa.com http://www.cfpsa.com/.
For more information on the International Military Sports Council visit www.cism-milsport.org.
Contact:
Brenna Morell, Media Relations Coordinator
Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency
(613) 996-6204
brenna.morell@cfpsa.com