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The man who in March lost his entire family in a horrific, violent tragedy and the Ottawa mayor who wanted to help him put his life back together met in a prolonged embrace Sunday morning at the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe had just run the 42.2-kilometre race, his second marathon in a little more than a month, in 4:07. When Sutcliffe crossed the finish line, it was Dhanushka Wickramasinghe who presented him with his 50th annual Tartan Ottawa International Marathon medal.
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Wickramasinghe is the only survivor of a brutal attack in a Barrhaven home in March in which his wife, four children and a family friend were killed. Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, faces six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Sutcliffe, who before the race said he had still not fully recovered from running the London Marathon on April 21, said last week he would run the Ottawa event to support the fundraising organized by Ottawa Victim Services to help Wickramasinghe.
On Sunday afternoon, an online tally of the money raised through the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend for Ottawa Victim Services and Wickramasinghe was $2,625.
After the race, Sutcliffe said he was moved to run in support of Wickramasinghe, whom he had met several weeks ago, because he was touched by his story.
“He really wants to stay in Ottawa and contribute to our city,” said Sutcliffe. “He’s been through an unimaginably tragic event. He’s a wonderful person and there are many people in our community who want to help him.”
Wickramasinghe said that the support he has received from not just the mayor but so many Ottawa residents has left him speechless.
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