A merry band of CFC warriors made their way to Ottawa for the Canada Army Run which took place on Sunday September 21st. Team runners came from as far away as Spain to run one of the various distances offered at this premiere race that provides much needed support to wounded army veterans.
Among us were several members who were running in their first Army Run, and several celebrated other firsts!… To paraphrase a Roman Emperor who was. Superfan of the Colosseum…”. Venimus, Vidimus et Vicimus! We came, we saw and we conquered!
- Irina, Ioana and Lukas: 5 km
- Annett, Antonio, Andrea and her cousin 10 km
- Nadine and Carmen who ran her first half marathon 21km!
- Simon and Paul – Commander’s challenge 26 km!
And a first time for me to experience a canon firing to start the race, and bag-pipers at the start line!
It was a humbling experience to be among such a huge crowd of runners and supporters. For this team CFC runner, it was an opportunity to run past some of the beautiful sites in Ottawa, including running in front of Parliament, through the grounds of Rideau hall, to the “scenic” stretch of the roadway to the airport, and along the Ottawa River, where we could admire the fall colours on the hillsides of Gatineau (across the border as Paul would say). The crowd was very supportive, with kids lining up for high fives while cheering on their parents. In the final kilometers, I was marked by the many pictures of those who died in the line of duty, reminding us of the sacrifices our soldiers continue to make to keep this country safe, and to keep the peace around the world, with a final touching finish beside the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Thanks for all of you who supported team CFC, and check out the awesome shirts Carmen designed!
– Nadine Benoit
Avaliable at cfc store