Ottawa Race Weekend director making tracks for tech world

There are some sore muscles and tender feet in the capital after thousands of people competed in Ottawa Race Weekend.

The event's director, John Halvorsen, has also crossed a finish line of sorts.

The former Olympian and president of Run Ottawa has been at the race weekend's helm for the past five years, shepherding the event past several milestones, such as the year it attracted a record-breaking 49,400 runners.

But now Halvorsen is giving up the job to return to a career in the high-tech sector, where he worked for 20 years before moving into the full-time job at Ottawa Race Weekend.

"The tech sector was always there as a draw — and having lots of friends and colleagues, having worked there for almost 20 years, eventually an opportunity just surfaced and I said, well, if I'm going to go back, now is a good time," he told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday.

'I don't anticipate I'll disappear'

"I don't anticipate I'll disappear from the race weekend event ... I just haven't figured that out yet," he added.

Halvorsen has been part of race weekend since 1999, and took the helm as director five years ago.

About 32,200 runners registered to take part in the 2019 race weekend, a significant drop from years past. Organizers have noticed a sharp drop in attendance from people in Quebec in particular.

Halvorsen said he believes higher rates and two-night minimums imposed by hotels during race weekend have contributed to the decline. 

"Beyond that, there's a general I think flattening, if not a small decline, in the running industry," Halvorsen said, citing a proliferation of race events.

Last-minute changes

This year, the ongoing construction on Elgin Street and the last-minute closure of the Chaudière Bridge made planning a little more difficult, but the team is happy with the results, Halvorsen said.

It was unclear whether the bridge — which was closed in April due to rising floodwaters on the Ottawa River — would open in time, and eventually they decided they couldn't take the chance.

• Bridge closure forces Ottawa Race Weekend route changes

"A couple of weeks before the race we just said OK, let's just plan on Portage [Bridge instead], which is what we ended up on, and do the necessary measurements," Halvorsen said.

He said an experienced team made it easier.

"Knowing that I'm stepping down, I sort of purposefully stayed away from a few things, making sure everyone's doing their part — transitioning off to a certain extent," he said.