Embarking on the
Rideau Canal Skateway
defines a quintessential Ottawa winter, but for Anthony Balatti it doesn’t involve skates.
Venturing onto the Skateway in running shoes, a light athletic top and sometimes shorts, he says the frozen surface has become his favourite running route in the sub-zero temperatures.
That’s right. Even in -20 C winter weather, he runs in shorts.
“It’s not like I freeze,” Balatti told the Ottawa Citizen. “My tolerance is pretty good to it, but I always advocate to see what it’s like when you wear certain clothing and test it out, and you notice your body will adapt.”
Balatti, who is also the founder of The 25th Hour run club, is one of a growing number of people taking advantage of the walking lanes on the Rideau Canal Skateway to shake up their running routines.
Every Thursday evening for
as long as it’s open
, he takes his running group down onto the Skateway. Often, he says, he’ll have more than 50 runners show up to participate.
The designated walking paths have been a new addition to the Skateway by the National Capital Commission in recent winters, offering people an opportunity to experience the canal without having to lace up skates.
Marked with designated signs spanning from Waverley to Bank and from Lakeview to Dow’s Lake, the snow-packed and scraped surface isn’t particularly slippery since it’s not flooded like the rest of the Skateway surface, runners say.
“The biggest thing is getting over the fear of running on ice and thinking it’s going to be really slippery, but it’s actually really good,” Balatti said.
While pavement running routes are often plagued with slush, black ice and snowbanks in winter, Balatti says the canal actually offers a safer winter running experience free from these obstacles.
“It’s low-impact and easier on the joints. It has a lot of benefits, plus it’s a unique experience,” he said. “I would say it’s as soft as a treadmill, if not even softer impact.”
While shorts might not be part of the wardrobe for all Skateway runners, Deirdre Hendrick also describes her canal runs as a summer-like experience, despite the temperature difference.
“Running along the Rideau Canal in the winter feels like a beach run, Canadian style,” Hendrick said. “The sun is warming your legs and the cold air encourages you to keep moving. There’s no better feeling than being outside in a true Canadian winter.”
Hendrick’s history of Skateway running long predates the designated walking paths the NCC has implemented within the last few winters. For more than 30 years, running on the canal has been her favourite way to get away from her desk over lunch hour.
For as long as the surface was open each winter, she’d run between six and eight kilometres daily on the snowy edge that was typically packed down by the maintenance vehicles that would also traverse the surface.
Her running attire, she said, also doesn’t change much for a Skateway run, with the only difference being an extra layer on cold days. She wears her normal running shoes and says she doesn’t feel the need to wear crampons or anything else to enhance her grip.
The only slippery parts on the canal tend to be around the bench and rest areas where the Skateway stretches out to meet the access points. Runners say they tend to slow down and walk when they reach these parts of the Skateway.
While both Balatti and Hendrick both say they understand runners’ hesitancy to try the Rideau Canal Skateway as a winter running route, they say it’s all about building confidence and realizing that the surface is not as slippery as you may expect.
Hendrick suggests starting on the paved bike paths on either side of the canal before venturing onto the ice surface itself.
But, with the Skateway only open for a limited time each winter, anyone wanting to try it is urged to get out while they still can.
“The fact that we have this in our backyard is awesome,” Balatti said. “I’m going to run anyways, might as well make it the best experience possible.”
Related
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
