2004 National Capital Marathon

ING Ottawa Marathon, Ottawa, Canada, May 30, 2004
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It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the ING Ottawa Marathon, with over 23,000 athletes participating in running and skating events throughout the weekend of May 29-30, 2004 in Canada's capital city.

Visiting the Parliament may be the number one tourist attraction in Ottawa, but gambling is a close second and that's exactly what ILQ-9's Eddy Matzger did during the inline marathon. It took about 6 rolls of the dice before he threw in all his chips and played his hand with 6 K to go. Eddy countered a hard attack from Canadian short-track ice sensation Steve Robillard with one of his own, managing to open up enough of a gap to stay away and take the win just ahead of a surging pack.

Eddy nearly missed the race altogether, having got caught socializing with the half marathoners as the gun went off. It took about 500 passes and 6 kilometers to join the leaders, which at that point still had the company of a 4-wheeled rec skater!

Proving that workshops really do make you a stronger racer, Matzger was followed to the line by Canadian coach Barry Publow and Frenchman Thomas Desplanches.

Susan Longbottom put on a first class event that has arrived on the international stage. Organizers from countless other running and inline marathon events came to Ottawa to see and learn how to do it right. Congratulations to all who took part in an unforgettable weekend of sporting fun

Best booth	Men's podium	Rideau riding
Rear guard	Insured	Barry tries
Twisty turny	Lover's finish	Happy duo
Tremblay trio	Early acceleration	Tongue wagging
Streaming in	Streaking in	Top finishers

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