When the opportunity came up to go to Ottawa for two weeks in winter for business, I wasn’t about to turn that down.
I almost regretted it the moment I stepped out of the airport at 8:30pm.
The temperature was reading –23°C but felt like –31°C with the windchill.
Being from the UK, I couldn’t help but marvel at how well organised the city was at dealing with snow. Especially on day two when there was a snowstorm which my Canadian colleagues described as “a small storm of only 15cm.” I obviously retorted with “of course that is small whilst” inwardly alarmed given that in the UK that would bring the entire country to a halt.
I need not have worried the city did not grind to a halt they gave off the impression that they barely noticed. They must of thought I was mad on my walk back from the office to the hotel stopping every few seconds to take another photo.
Before heading to Canada I did a bit of research into what clothing I might need for running. I quickly realised that I already had most of the kit required. The only things I was really missing were a merino wool mid-layer and some thermal leggings, as I normally run in shorts all winter back home.
check out my in-depth review of the clothing I wore:
Cold Weather Running Gear Review for Sweaty Runners
My recent winter running experiences have usually involved rain, flooding, mud, mist, more rain and the occasional colder frosty run of maybe -3or 4.
So whenever I travel somewhere that actually does winter properly, I try to take advantage of it.
I was relishing the idea if getting out on some snowy trails and using the YakTrax.
Then one of my Canadian colleagues said:
“You really need to go and check out the Rideau Canal. It freezes and turns into a huge skating rink.”
I don’t skate, well the last time was when I was a teenager so I definitely was not going to try that.
But the moment they mentioned it, another thought crossed my mind.
How cool would it be to run it?
So on my free weekend I thought I’d go and check this famous canal out.
The Rideau Canal runs through Ottawa out towards a lake called Dow. It is officially the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.
So armed with my cold weather gear I set off – merino base and mid layer, thermal running tights (which I never wear so that was a weird experience), plus a balaclava and neck gaiter.
When I got to the canal I was gobsmacked by how busy it was. There were families, couples, groups… it was really out of my comfort zone given I normally prefer more secluded trail runs.
The surface was quite crispy nearer the sides of the canal so it was fairly easy to run on without the Yaktrax.
So off I went, taking in the sights as I ran. And there were a lot of them.
I soon came across something that completely blew my mind… there was a pit stop on the ice.
There was seating and pop-up wooden huts selling refreshments like the famous BeaverTails, and even a bar…
And then I saw the most bizarre sight of the day.
A fire pit on the ice.
Wow. Just wow.
I have to say at this point my hands were out of my gloves more than in them with all the photos I was taking, so they were starting to get cold. But I ignored them because the whole thing just felt like a magical winter wonderland experience.
Then I reached Lake Dow, and that simply blew my mind with how big the expanse of ice was.
At this stage I should say I was in Ottawa last year in the Autumn (sorry, Fall) and I had run around Lake Dow just after sunset and managed to get a cool photo. I’ve posted both here for comparison – each one feels special in its own unique way.
After that I thought the rest of the run might be a bit boring… but how wrong was I.
There was a semi-frozen river and even a waterfall to see. I’ll let the photos do the talking on that one.
By this point my hands were really cold from being exposed to the air for so long. The temperature was around –15°C with a wind chill of –18°C, and I knew I needed to get back to the hotel fairly quickly.
Luckily the route back was pretty straightforward and only about 1.5 miles.
Safely back at the hotel I reflected on what I had just experienced. For a Brit this was so far removed from our usual winter running conditions that I almost had to pinch myself.
Then I remembered I had taken a screen grab of my run map deviation from route when on Lake Dow which just sums up the reality of what I had just run.
Run Stats
Distance: 11.85 miles
Time: 2:04
Temperature: –15°C (–18 wind chill)
Surface: Frozen canal ice, snow trails, icy pavement
Footwear: Normal running shoes (no Yaktrax)
So did the running gear work?
I have to say yes – apart from my glove choice, but that was more my fault given how many times I kept taking them off for photos.
If you want to know more, check out my in-depth review of the clothing I wore:
Cold Weather Running Gear Review for Sweaty Runners