Canada·2026

Ottawa-Gatineau

Running in Ottawa-Gatineau centres on the Rideau Canal, a flat 202km waterway that freezes solid in winter and hosts the Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women and RCAF Run as anchor events, though serious distance runners tackle The Maple Leaf March, a brutal 65km winter ultra along the canal and Rideau Lakes. Cyclists have it better for variety: the Tuesday Night Crit series offers urban racing downtown, while the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour and Navy Bike Ride (520km) push into rolling terrain east toward the Canadian Shield and the Gatineau Hills, which climb steeply to 300–400m and dominate any serious training route north across the Ottawa River.