Wood and Chelangat to run in Ottawa

The highly anticipated marathon, taking place this year on Sunday, May 25, will feature these accomplished athletes as they compete against a strong field on a course known for its rich history and enthusiastic crowd support.

Wood, a decorated distance runner and 2022 U.S. Marathon Champion has demonstrated her strength over the 42.2K distance with standout performances on both national and international stages. In December of 2020 she finished seventh at The Marathon Project, where her finishing time of 2:28:43 was the fastest marathon ever by a U.S. woman under the age of 25.

Having recently returned to racing under her married name, Wood is eager to test herself against some of the world’s best on Ottawa’s new, flat and scenic course. Her postpartum return to racing in 2024 included wins at the Ferguson Twilight Run 10k (36:12) and the Wyoming Valley Run 10 Mile (56:15) along with strong performances at the Boilermaker 15k (53:16) and the Wharf to Wharf 6 Mile (32:04). Earlier this year, she achieved a personal best at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon placing 14th with a time of 1:09:20. “I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to race 26.2 in Ottawa,” says Wood. “It has been over two years since I’ve run a marathon and getting back to the marathon distance has been a huge motivator for me in training, as I’ve navigated returning to competition since having my son. One of the main reasons we chose Ottawa was to have the opportunity to run on a fast course. The goal will be to run my fastest marathon yet while also competing for the win!”

Chelangat, a rising star in the distance running world, is set to make her marathon debut after an impressive collegiate career that included an NCAA cross-country title and multiple All-American honours. She began her professional career in November 2023 finishing 18th at the B.A.A. Half Marathon (1:11:37). Just three weeks later, she placed third at the Cross Champs in Austin (26:54.50), helping HOKA NAZ Elite secure the team title.

In January of 2024, Chelangat set a HOKA team record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, finishing in 10th place (1:08:58). She continued her strong performances in March, crushing her 10,000 meter personal best with a time of 31:15.39 at Sound Running’s The Ten. Spring included an eighth-place finish at the Boston 5k (15:32), and a sixth-place finish at the Bloomsday 12k (40:11) for Chelangat, and she continued into the fall with a second-place finish at the Philadelphia Distance Run clocking 01:10:21. In January of this year, she placed 9th with a new personal best of 1:08:57 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. With a growing list of impressive performances, Chelangat is ready to take on the challenge of her first marathon, making her debut a highly anticipated moment in Ottawa. “I am super excited to debut and am looking forward to racing in Canada,” says Chelangat. “The main reason why we wanted to debut in Ottawa is to have the opportunity to race in a competitive field, and have a good overall first experience with the marathon distance.”

“We are very excited to welcome Paige and Mercy to Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend,” says Stephen Andersen, Run Ottawa elite athlete coordinator. “They are two of the up-and-coming stars in the marathon world. We hope to provide them a great opportunity to run fast and compete against some of the world’s best. I am grateful they have chosen Ottawa as their spring marathon.”