Thousands of people braved the rainy weather Sunday to paddle in the final day of the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.
More than 200 teams took part in the annual event, bringing a lot of excitement and noise to Mooney's Bay.
"It's an amazing, amazing weekend. There's so much energy at Mooney's Bay," said Sam Cruz, the coach of Team Stroke It. 'It's jam packed with a lot of activities, not just dragon boating, but the whole community comes out."
In addition to good competition and close races, the four-day festival featured numerous free concerts, featuring popular artists like Hey Rosetta, Tokyo Police Club and Hollerado.
"There's a competitive edge in me, so I do it for that but also because it's a great way to meet people and to do something athletic," said Julie Nadeau, a member of team P'sidens.
The festival was started in 1993, with a charitable component added in 1998. Since then, it has raised more than $3.4 million for local charities.
For breast cancer survivors like 80-year-old Ruby Elver, the race is a chance to show strength and to remember those who didn’t win their battle with cancer.
“My sister always said when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So paddling is my lemonade,” Elver said.
Dozens of women in pink raced in a category solely for breast cancer survivors. Following the race, survivors and friends threw pink carnations into the water as a symbol of hope.
The four-day festival wrapped up Sunday.
