愛污传媒

Skip to main content

How a 65-year-old Canadian earned a spot on the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon course

Ottawa resident Kitdapawn E is one of thousands of runners from around the world who will take part in the 'Marathon Pour Tous,' a mass participation marathon scheduled to take place Aug. 11. (Genevieve Beauchemin/愛污传媒) Ottawa resident Kitdapawn E is one of thousands of runners from around the world who will take part in the 'Marathon Pour Tous,' a mass participation marathon scheduled to take place Aug. 11. (Genevieve Beauchemin/愛污传媒)
Share

Kitdapawn E is one of 20,000 runners from around the world who won a spot in what Paris 2024 Olympic organizers call the 鈥淢arathon Pour Tous," a mass participation marathon that will take place on the marathon course after the women鈥檚 race on Aug. 11.

Organizers set up challenges for runners around the world, encouraging runners to sign up and win a spot, which the Ottawa resident did.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lifetime experience for me, it is an honour,鈥 the sixty-five year old said. 鈥淚 was told we would run through one of the five Olympic rings, and that the Eiffel tower will be all lit up. This is such an honour.鈥

A room in her Ottawa home is devoted to the countless running medals she has earned participating in races around the world. When anyone asks how many marathons she has run, she answers with a broad smile.

鈥淲ell, not many. Sixteen. This will be my 17th.鈥

We caught up with her in Paris, where passers-by encouraged her, congratulated her like an Olympic athlete, and where one French woman, who says she saw her on the Facebook group for the marathon, took her picture and said she is an inspiration.

Kitdapawn E says this time, she will be inspired by the athletes, but also the majestic views she will encounter, including of the Seine.

Ottawa resident Kitdapawn E is one of thousands of runners from around the world who will take part in the 'Marathon Pour Tous,' a mass participation marathon scheduled to take place Aug. 11. (Genevieve Beauchemin/愛污传媒)

But whether the Seine will remain that backdrop, or become a venue safe enough for Triathlon and open water swim athletes, will depend on sunshine hanging around a city where rain is part of the landscape.

Paris rain stopped falling onto the Olympic host city Sunday, but it caused enough damage to the river Seine for Olympic officials to cancel a practice event.

The question now is whether rainclouds will steer clear long enough for the Seine to be a venue for competition, like so many other landmarks in Paris, of will it be relegated to the role of backdrop, albeit a majestic one.

IOC and World triathlon officials announced they would cancel a swim designed to familiarize athletes with the site, after two days of rain flushed bacteria into the river, including E.Coli. This marks a significant setback, as nearly $2 billion and years of work have been invested in de-contaminating this body of water that was so polluted for so long, it was illegal to swim for a hundred years.

鈥淲e are still very confident that, with the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, the water quality will improve,鈥 Anne Deschamps, a member of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, said.

Officials will continue to test the water, right up until hours before what could be a historic triathlon swim scheduled for Tuesday. Organizers of these games have banked on the Seine and several of the French city鈥檚 landmarks myriad landmarks of the city of lights, to not just be background wonders, but be part of the games.

For instance, Place de la Concorde, at the site where Marie-Antoinette was guillotined, will host the new sport of breakdancing: a new Olympic sport meets a venue that鈥檚 hundreds of years old.

The marathon course will follow the footsteps of a historic march of the French Revolution, the Women鈥檚 March on Versailles, from October 1789.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Stay Connected