Week of Ironman Canada Review

Introduction and Initial Surprises:

Ironman Ottawa was unlike any race I've done before for one simple reason: it was in an entirely different country. Racing internationally was eye-opening, but it also introduced a lot of logistical challenges that simply don't exist when racing in the United States.

Obviously, things like passports and travel documents were important, but understanding the culture, local customs, and day-to-day differences ended up being just as important.

The first surprise was the currency. The Canadian dollar is worth less than the U.S. dollar, which initially made everything feel much more expensive than it actually was. I was shocked to learn that the exchange rate was roughly 1.4 Canadian dollars for every 1 U.S. dollar. In other words, spending 140 CAD was really only about 100 USD.

Gasoline, however, was genuinely expensive. We were paying around 170 cents CAD per liter, which works out to roughly seven dollars per gallon in U.S. dollars. Coming from Indiana, where I was used to paying around $3.30 per gallon, that number felt criminal.

There were plenty of other adjustments too. Distances and speeds were all listed in kilometers, which took some getting used to. For example, everyone talks about a marathon being 42.2 kilometers instead of 26.2 miles. Thankfully, my watch was still set to miles, but for my parents, trying to follow me through the tracking app became surprisingly confusing.

Even grocery stores and convenience stores had some interesting differences. A Bang Energy, for example, only contained 180 milligrams of caffeine instead of the 300 milligrams found in the United States. Products also had warning labels for sugar, sodium, and fat content that we don't typically see back home.

Alcohol and tobacco laws were fascinating as well. In Ontario, all alcohol stores are operated by the LCBO, a government-run organization that controls alcohol sales. Tobacco products weren't openly displayed either. Everything was hidden behind the counter with virtually no advertising. Not that I'm a tobacco user, but it was interesting to see how differently another country regulates, taxes, and markets products.

Travel Logistics:

Getting to Ottawa was an event in itself.

The race was nearly twelve hours away, so my family rented a Jeep Wagoneer to fit all of my gear along with everyone's luggage. Having the extra space made packing much less stressful and made the drive considerably more comfortable.

We left Indiana around 7 a.m. after I squeezed in one final swim to maintain my feel for the water. From there, we drove north toward Detroit, stopping once for gas and food before crossing into Canada over the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Canadian customs ended up being surprisingly relaxed, and we got through without any issues.

What struck me most was how quickly the scenery changed. Detroit's factories and industrial buildings disappeared almost immediately, replaced by endless farmland. And when I say endless, I mean endless. There were stretches where it felt like there was absolutely nothing for hundreds of miles.

One fun surprise came when we passed through Norwood, Ontario, which proudly advertises itself as the hometown of Three Days Grace. Since they're one of my favorite bands, driving through their hometown made the trip feel even more special.

We finally arrived in Ottawa around 8 p.m., checked into the Westin downtown, dropped off our bags, and grabbed dinner at the steak and seafood restaurant inside the hotel. It was fantastic and ended up being the first of many great meals during the trip.

After that, it was straight to bed because race check-in and Ironman Village opened the next morning.

Ironman Village:

Thursday morning started with a quick shakeout run through downtown Ottawa. Afterward, I brought my parents around to some of the sights I had found during the run, including the Rideau Canal locks, Parliament, and the Senate building, which happened to sit right across the street from our hotel.

By the time we reached Ironman Village, the line was absolutely insane. Reports suggested that more than six hundred athletes had already checked in within the first few hours.

Thankfully, my AWA status allowed me to use priority registration, which meant I was able to skip most of the line and grab my bib much faster.

The athlete bag this year was one of my favorites ever. It was duffel-style and featured a laptop sleeve, a separate compartment for wet gear, and side pockets for bottles. Out of all the athlete bags I've collected, this one easily cracks my top three.

The merchandise was also surprisingly good.

I picked up a Lululemon zip-up with an awesome graphic on the back, my usual race stickers, and the athlete name towel. As the weekend went on and more merchandise cleared customs, they released even more items. Naturally, I got suckered into buying another sweatshirt and the royal blue Hoka race shirt.

The village itself felt much more complete than some other Ironman expos I've attended. Vendors like Precision Fuel & Hydration, Ekoi, and local shops filled the space with everything from nutrition to tri suits.

Most importantly, it felt official.

The volunteers were bilingual, accommodating both English and French speakers, which was another culture shock coming from the Midwest, where hearing French outside of a classroom is pretty rare.

Restraunts We Ate At:

Pelican Seafood and Market:

• This restaurant sat a bit outside downtown Ottawa, but it was absolutely worth the drive. To carb-load, I ordered the crab linguine, which was both filling and surprisingly loaded with crab. If you're not a seafood fan, the menu isn't incredibly broad, but if you enjoy seafood, this place is fantastic.

The Grand:

• Located in Ottawa's market district, The Grand was probably my favorite pre-race meal. My family shared shrimp Alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, and a wood-fired meat pizza. The portions were huge, the prices weren't outrageous, and there was plenty of food to go around. If you're looking for a good carb-loading spot before race day, I'd highly recommend it.

Milestones:

• This was my post-race meal, and honestly, after an Ironman, I probably would have eaten just about anything put in front of me. We started with spinach and artichoke dip, which was surprisingly good, especially coming from someone who doesn't normally order it. I followed that with blackened chicken Alfredo and seafood chowder. The Alfredo was excellent. The chowder wasn't. That being said, after ten hours and fifty minutes of racing, everything disappeared from my plate anyway.

Attractions:

Canadian War Museum:

• The Canadian War Museum was the only major attraction we visited, and I found it incredibly interesting.

  Coming from the United States, there are so many Canadian stories that we simply don't hear. One thing that surprised me was learning how dramatically the Canadian military changed after World War II, shifting toward peacekeeping and United Nations operations.

  If you're planning to visit, set aside at least three to five hours. There's a tremendous amount to read and plenty of artifacts to explore.

Rideau Mall:

• Connected directly to our hotel was the Rideau Centre mall.

  The mall featured stores like Arc'teryx, Nike, Apple, and a Lego store showcasing their new Lego Road Bike. Since it happened to be my birthday weekend, I couldn't resist buying it.

  I'm excited to finally put it together.

Nature Museum:

• While we didn’t go to this one is one of their museums that had a lot of hype behind it. Ottawa has many museums that you can go to but this and the war musuem were on locals top 2 spots to him.

Bike Check-in, gear bag logistics, and race day logistics:

This is where things became complicated.

Bike check-in took place at Britannia Beach Park, roughly twenty minutes from downtown. Between athletes driving themselves, family members, and Ironman's shuttle system, the entire area became incredibly congested.

Thankfully, my family found parking, but several athletes told me that the shuttle system was chaotic.

One thing I didn't expect was Triathlon Canada officials checking bikes before entry. Their job was to verify bike numbers and inspect brakes to make sure everyone was racing safely.

The process itself was quick, but lines quickly formed behind me.

The bike gear bags were dropped directly behind transition, which was convenient and kept traffic flowing smoothly. The run bags, however, had to be dropped off in an entirely different location near Ironman Village. It wasn't a huge inconvenience for us since we stayed downtown, but athletes staying farther away probably had a much tougher experience.

Race morning logistics were probably the weakest part of the entire weekend.

Spectators and athletes were separated to ensure that competitors reached transition before it closed, which unfortunately split up my family. My mom eventually found me again, but my dad and sister didn't arrive until just minutes before the race began after waiting in the rain for more than an hour.

Judging by social media and the Ironman forums afterward, we weren't the only ones frustrated by the shuttle system.

Unfortunately, things didn't improve after the race.

Heavy rain caused many gear-bag labels to peel off, leaving bags out of order and athletes scrambling around in the dark trying to find their equipment. There were also reports of bottles, wetsuits, and swimskins disappearing from transition.

I personally spent nearly thirty minutes searching for my swim bag.

The entire pickup process was chaotic, and many athletes voiced their frustration online afterward. There were definitely better ways to organize post-race gear retrieval.

Leaving Canada:

Since the race weekend also happened to fall on my birthday, my family planned a stop in Niagara Falls on the drive home.

We stayed at the Hyatt on the thirty-sixth floor with a direct view of the falls. It was beautiful, incredibly loud, and perfectly timed with Niagara's nightly fireworks display.

The hotel also housed STK, a high-end steakhouse found in cities like Miami and Las Vegas. I ordered surf and turf, which was excellent, although Niagara is definitely a tourist town and the prices reflected that.

The next day, we took the Canadian boat tour beneath the falls.

Getting up close to both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls really puts the power of the water into perspective. We got completely soaked, but seeing the rainbows forming in the mist created an incredible backdrop for family photos.

If you're driving to Ironman Ottawa from the United States and have the extra time, I'd absolutely recommend stopping in Niagara Falls to break up the trip.

Once we got to Buffalo, New York it was time for a meal. We stopped at the original buffalo wings restraunt called The Anchor Bar. It was very good and worth the stop. 60 wings in retrospect were a lot for a family of 4 but made for some fantstic leftovers once we got back to Indiana.

It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable week in Canada.