What you say? Yes you read that correctly. Pete Estabrooks aka the Fitness Guy, did his time in the clink. Time that molded who he is today, and why he is forever striving to not only be the best he can be, but to bring out the best in others.

At 66-years-old Estabrooks has a lifetime of memories with many more to come. But he has decided now is the time to document his life in a frank and revealing memoir to be published by the end of the year. Titled Happily NEver After: a Fitness Miracle, it is written in a style that is ‘just Pete’ – writing as he talks and as many know him.

From his first robbery at 18-years-old and his time in jail where the gym became his escape hatch—although not without its challenges—to his boxing career and beyond, the book is an exposé of his life—warts and all.

Estabrooks in his preface to his book says: “The goal of the book is to entertain, perhaps inspire you. My recollections of these events are
exactly that, recollections. I am an optimist.”

Optimist and a fighter—no pun intended— as he has been all his life.

His early life he says was: “hectic yet eventful,” with an independent dad, a funny mom and six “off the wall siblings.” Boxing was his passion—from an eight-year-old sparring at the Renfrew Boys Club in Calgary and tackling some punch bags in the prison gym, to turning pro and developing the TKO Sport Conditioning Program at his gym, The Fitness Guy.

“Boxing presented me my first taste of acceptance. It brought me the attention and admiration of my father. Further to that I connected with my true self in the ring. I loved to fight, I loved the emotional maelstrom that overtook me whenever I stepped through the ropes, that feeling was to me as good as drugs. It was the fear and the ferocity of pitting myself against another in the ring that brought me an immediate and overwhelming excitement I had never experienced before or since.”

And he took it seriously.

“The year after getting out of jail I won the provincial boxing title in my weight-class and went to the Canadian National Boxing Championships. I lost at the nationals but came home with a completely new and highly regarded social status. I was a positive role model.”

His path to being a fitness trainer wasn’t linear. While he worked out, he believes that he was on a path, one that was chosen for him.
“I pursued a physical education degree because I thought it would make me a better boxer.”

Estabrooks graduated from the University of Calgary in 1989. “I used that degree and started teaching aerobics, honestly because it paid money and exposed me to a lot of women! I didn’t consider it work. Personal training was an extension of that, not work, but because I was fascinated by the many ways that we could physically improve the human experience.”

Running has also always been part of his life. He ran five miles daily while boxing and after retiring from the ring, it became a life habit: “I realized that running was key to my sanity my vanity and my health.” A self-confessed slow runner, his passion is long distances: “longer distances give me a greater sense of accomplishment and provides me a calm background in which to order my thoughts.”

He proudly completed his first 100-kilometre race this past summer—an achievement made very special as it was in memory of his ‘running brother’ Gord Hobbins who passed away earlier this year. “What started as a tribute to Gord ended being a celebration of friendship, resilience, tenacity and joy,” he shared on Instagram.

His other passion is being on the water. “I have two happy places: waves or trails. Waves, surfing, is intensely in the moment, there is no time to think or strategize only to be, to react and to enjoy. It’s magic. Trails are the opposite in that there is nothing but time, each footstep is just a piece of an intricate mosaic.”

Estabrooks lives his life with positivity. The mistakes he has made are still in his psyche, but the impact he has made on others, and will continue to make, outweighs those regrets.

What does he want to achieve moving forward?

“Being a better father, friend and person. I plan through example inspiring others to movement. I am going to laugh a lot, love a lot, find some magic and live happily ever after.

IMPACT was granted exclusive excerpts from chapters in Pete Estabrooks’s new memoir. Warning: Contains adult material.

CHAPTER ONE:

Give Me All Your **** Money!

“No **** . . . pull the drawer out of the till and throw in everything including the big bills. You keep $50, the rest in the bag and I’m the **** out of here. For real! Hurry because I can just shoot you and keep the $50.

I’m yelling of course as much to convince myself as the youngster behind the till. It’s not a movie but it works like one. I am an 18-year-old in 1977 pre-internet, pre-support group, pre-young offenders act on a Wednesday night. I am wired to the point of near spontaneous combustion during this: my first ever attempt at armed robbery. It is seemingly an adventure of a lifetime. This spur of the moment event began three hours ago when Michael S stopped to grab a quarter ounce of cocaine with no cash in his hand. My line was, “Mike, I can’t front your ****. You are still $800 in the hole from last week.” So, Michael left. Oddly, he leaves, only to return 20 minutes later with a paper bag full of cash.

“What is up with that?” He spun a story of walking down the street to a gas station, pulling out a gun (air pistol) and walking away with money enough to settle his debts and get a couple of lines ahead. This tale of an easy and, more importantly, lucrative armed robbery lit up the room. That five-minute conversation sent a house full of middle-class kids out on a whim, a dare, from a coffee table in a shoddy house northwest-side Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ten of us, kids, singly, doubled up, or in groups of three, split from our homebase to rob stores and gas stations with knives, guns, and bats, only to return home unscathed with paper lunch bags full of cash and stories. This is the definition of awesome.

That night was my first robbery, ever.

I hadn’t as much as heisted a gun prior to this. No criminal activity. Well, I sold drugs but that wasn’t a crime, it was my mode of supporting myself, my rent, my groceries, my life. My enrolment into what was my definition of crime was as easy as walking five blocks from home to a gas station, long hair stuffed into a ball cap, sawed off 22 casually tucked into my down jacket. Lesson one? Armed robbery is totally as much fun and easily as spine tingling as cocaine.

The next night because I was on a roll and, I was on mescaline. I thought the obvious route was to go two for two. I brought a friend along. Marc was cooler than I, yet somewhat hesitant. Through the layered state of reality this hallucinogen provided, this was a far more colourful adventure than the night before. I watched things unfold in patterns, lines, and in mesmerizing film noir fashion. We were undersized Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid imposters. I really am a tiny human being, Marc not much bigger. We were aiming for a cash score while enjoying a buzz.

I devised a simple plan for Marc and me:

amble into a convenience store, grab an Oh Henry (chocolate bar), hand over a 20-dollar bill, and wait for the proprietor to open the till. Once the till was open, I’d instructed Marc to pull out his impressive looking hand-tooled BB gun, point it directly at the proprietor, look crazy and scream.

This had worked for me before. From there it was a matter of collecting a bag full of cash and running. We were four for five before the game went sideways.

Push-ups, sit-ups, and squats daily were my first fitness program. Its offshoot and its consequences would shape the rest of my life in the long run.

It took me a moment of just standing there, grinning, watching, thinking that maybe I should do something about the tug of war occurring in front of me. Marc was clutching the gun’s butt end, while the infuriated proprietor was pulling on the barrel. This was his store, and he was having none of our ****. Shaken out of my reverie, I leaned solidly over the counter and launched the straight right hand that Art Pollit taught me years earlier at the Renfrew Boy’s Boxing Club. Art’s advice was to start with your feet planted, pivot your hips, and then snap your shoulders into line. Like a bystander, I watched while the body I was occupying threw a punch that connected with a surprisingly solid thud.

The owner/proprietor pin-wheeled in a slow-motion arc of colour behind the counter only to emerge a year, a month, or a second later holding the gun confidently in his right hand.

The next moment, or thought I had, was a befuddled, “what the ****?” I am standing holding a door handle in my hand, just a door handle, the curved part with the thumb release. In my mescaline-induced, endorphin fuelled attempt at a quick exit of the premises, I had gripped the handle of the door and without engaging the release, I’d merely torn the handle out of its mounting. There was a closed door, there was an inoperable handle, and there was me. Trying to formulate a next step with my heart rate hovering around 200 beats per minute, I dug my fingers into a minuscule gap between the door and its frame and attempted to pry the door open. He punctuated each of the chants with pops of what, thank God, was only a serious looking BB pistol. He was emptying each round into Marc’s back and head.

I am in slow motion while Marc, and the shooter, more respectfully, the proprietor of the business, are moving so fast, there are traces of colour trailing their heads, shoulders, arms, and legs. Somehow, my slow trumps their speed as I peel back deftly and duck out of the way, Marc skids past me and dives, headlong through the pane of glass that makes up most of the door. I watch in awe while the screaming loud crescendos turn red, blue, yellow, and green. I remember smiling and feeling lighter than light. I jump through the huge hole Marc created, and I gleefully run off into the night, making a conscious mental note to thank Marc later for the opportunity.

CHAPTER TWO:
Two Years Less a Day

I’m in oversized clothing sitting on a steel frame bed staring at the toilet across from me wishing that this was how I could spend the next two years less a day. I’m not tired, I’m exhausted. I’m not scared, I am paralyzed.

I was not sure, at that age, how I would deal with life’s crossroads. I now know that I look at the absolutely most horrible thing that can happen in any given situation and start there.

I assume that’s it. It is over. From that point, anything better than the absolute horror that I imagine is a total score,
a win. I am an optimistic pessimist. I’m pretty sure I’m going to die, but confident it won’t hurt that much.

By day three, boredom overtook fear. The exercise breaks, the half hour walks in the open-air cement compound revealed that perhaps there were hardened criminals in here, but most of my compatriots were like me, less than laser focused guys just getting by. I did not talk to anyone, avoided eye contact and was succinct when spoken to. I decided from day one, these were not my people.

To kill time, I took advantage of the library cart and read voraciously. I read a smorgasbord of what was available. I read Papillon, ironically, the greatest prison escape book ever and that inspired me to become fit in my cell, as if there were some correlation between a French penal colony and a suburban North American provincial jail. Push-ups, sit-ups, and squats daily were my first fitness program. Its offshoot and its consequences would shape the rest of my life in the long run, but its immediate effect set my next eighteen months in motion.

Day fourteen of incarceration was big, I’d seen the councillors, done the tests, and was marked as fit for the south wing: kitchen duty. I was out of cell block and onto the floor. South wing, like all wings, was dormitory style living. Beds, desks, and metal lockers for rows and rows. A guard walked me down, showed me to my area, my bed, and gave me the drill about what’s allowed not allowed, cleanliness, noise, cleanliness expectations and cleanliness. There was a theme, “you may be a criminal, but you’ll be a neat one while you are here.” The guard escorted me to the councillor who covers behaviour expectation, work hours and recreation hours, TV, library, gym. No work was assigned on the first day, so I lounge, I read, and around 4:30 I go to the gym. Fitness is my goal, but wouldn’t you know it, trouble follows me like a lonely puppy.

There is a guy doing bench press on the incline bench to my left, so I pick up a straight bar loaded with maybe all of twenty pound and begin to crank off a set of biceps curls.

“Pssst, hey cutie!” I pretended not to hear.

“Hey, cutie!” I heard that. I heard it and ignored it.

“Cutie talk to me. I know you must be in south wing; I’ll see you later.

”The word “later” had barely cleared his lips as I turned. I watched him **** himself knowing what was coming and not having time to get out from under his own bar. I lifted my bar overhead and it sounded like a sledgehammer cleanly striking a spike as it clashed and both bars formed an iron cross and crashed into his chest.

His legs were still astraddle the bench he was sitting on while his torso draped to the floor pinned by bars. Bending over him, I dug right in with both hands. Bam, bam, bam, pop bang, boom. Leveraging all 125 pounds of me with each punch. The BOOM coincided with a strange anti-gravity moment. It dawned on me my feet were lifting off the ground because my ragtag haircut was now entangled in the clenched fist of a previously unnoticed guard.

He lifted me deftly with one hand the other delivering an open-handed splat to the side of my face and dropped me ungraciously off the stage to the gym floor. I had just enough time to put two and two together, taste the rusty trace of blood in my mouth before being frog marched out of the gym, out of the wing, down a hall and dropped into a windowless cement cube.

This is solitary confinement. It is a room full of nothing. A cement room with a metal bed frame hanging from one wall a toilet sitting on another. Room service, no books, no conversation. 6:00 am breakfast. 12:00 noon lunch. 6:00 pm dinner. 9:00 pm a thin mattress and blanket delivered. 11:00 pm the lone light bulb turns off. 5:00 am lights on. 6:00 am mattress and blanket removed. Two weeks on my own.

My push-ups, sit-ups, and squats cranked up to twenty sets of ten each. That, and lots of curled up sleeping in a corner on the floor. Papillon, the amazing French prison escapee, I was not. 

Happily NEver After: a Fitness Miracle by Pete Estabrooks, will be
self-published and available by Christmas from www.thefitnessguy.me.

Photography: Brian Bookstrucker

Clothing: Less 17

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Read This Story in Our 2025 Fall Fitness Issue

IMPACT Magazine’s Fall Fitness Issue 2025 featuring the The Fitness Guy, Pete Estabrooks, telling all with his shockingly candid new memoir revealing a story you never expected, as well as former pro soccer player Simon Keith and Paralympian Erica Scarff. Find your ultimate guide to cross-training for runners, no jump cardio and superset workouts along with the best trail running shoes in our 2025 Trail Running Shoe Review, and so much more!

Born in Chilliwack, B.C., and raised in Vernon, B.C., Hill spent much of her teenage years and young adult life competing in BMX racing. And she was good, achieving titles in various categories across national BMX events.

But Hill’s BMX dreams were stopped in their tracks one fateful spring day in 2003. The young athlete was riding her bike on a road near her hometown when a Chevy Blazer 4×4 SUV, weighing some 4,000 pounds, hit Hill from behind, sending the 21-year-old BMX rider flying from her bike.

The accident left Hill with a traumatic brain injury and severe trauma to her back.

The future was suddenly uncertain. There was no assurance that she would fully recover. She was told she wouldn’t race again. Hill’s memory was impacted, her equilibrium, depth perception, and quick-twitch timing—an essential response needed for split-second reactions in BMX—were all damaged.

Hill admits that about five years into her rehabilitation, she came to a realization:

“I had been expecting that at some point medical professionals would be able to put my life back together,” she says. “And I came to a point where I realized there was nobody who was going to give me back what I wanted, which was my life before the accident.”

Hill decided that the only way forward was to pick up the pieces and move on with what she had. Eventually, that meant turning to running.

The rest? It was all just happenstance. A friend suggested Hill try a triathlon. A few short years after competing in her first triathlon—an Ironman distance—another friend suggested that she look into an ultra. Then an ultra became a double-ultra and then a triple and now Hill is shattering records everywhere she goes.

She’s currently the only person on earth to complete three double deca triathlon continuous races, which is equivalent to 20 Ironman triathlon distances completed in one effort. That’s a 76-kilometre swim, 3,600-kilometre bike ride, and 844-kilometre run.

She is also the first woman ever to complete a triple deca triathlon continuous, consisting of a 114-kilometre swim, a 5,400-kilometre bike ride, and a 1,266-kilometre run. And on top of that, Hill holds the women’s world record for the most International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA) Ironman distances completed.

But for the B.C. native, it’s not about the records.

“It’s about searching for excellence inside my soul to know what I’m capable of,” says Hill.

And she keeps proving time and time again that she’s capable of phenomenal things.

In March of this year, Hill competed in the Ultra Tri South Africa, finishing the 10x continuous ultra in 279 hours and 30 minutes. She was the first and only woman to cross the finish line and finished an incredible second overall.

Amazingly, ultra triathlons are not Hill’s day job. Between races, she works for a natural food store in her hometown and does landscaping work in the summer. She lives on a farm with her teenage son, two dogs, three goats, one miniature horse, and two cats, providing a peaceful yet spirited environment that is much-needed between races.

As for training?

Hill acknowledges that her landscaping work could be considered cross-training as it’s hard on the body, but that’s certainly not why she does it.

“I’m not a big believer that more miles are going to make me a better athlete,” she says. “I think that rest and recovery is the most important thing.”

Citing nine hours of sleep—much more than the maximum three hours she gets during races—as crucial to her recovery, Hill attributes her success in triathlons to figuring out how to nourish her body properly.

“I believe the key component to everything exercise—and life in general—is when you can find good nutrition. When you can put good nutrition into your brain, you can make good choices, and every other area of your life will benefit from it. We can make our lives better.”

As for what that nutrition is? Between races she gets most of her protein from tofu. Nuts and carbs are also important to her diet—with bread and chocolate two of her favourite staples.

During races, it’s all about the calories. Hill takes in thousands of calories a day, constantly eating when she has the chance. Her go-to is a special cashew and vegetable soup mix that she crafted herself, paired with tofu and piles of veggies.

Another critical element for the ultra-triathlete in between races has been oxygen therapy, which she says is the only real training she gets besides work. Hill explains that twice a week she sits on a bike while wearing a mask, and a trainer flips a switch to reduce oxygen to 11 per cent. Then, they perform intervals of flooding her body with 80 per cent oxygen.

The biggest impact Hill has seen with oxygen therapy is in her sleep. Managing sleep was one of her biggest struggles when she was first starting out in ultra triathlons. Due to her brain injury, Hill suffered more than most people with the lack of sleep. Six hours a night was the minimum her body required to have maximum performance.

“What’s fascinating is that since I started doing oxygen therapy, I’ve been able to get my sleep down to three hours a night and not have fatigue,” says Hill.

Hill’s oxygen therapy is provided at a discount by one of her sponsors, Eve Volve Wellness. But astoundingly, Hill isn’t backed by any major sponsors. Rancho Vignol provides food, and The Starting Block hooks her up with shoes. But it’s all thanks to donations on her website—shandahillultra.com—that she is able to travel the world and compete.

“[Donations] have mostly been by Canadian people who have stepped forward and said, ‘We want to see you achieve your goals,’” says Hill.
And it’s not hard to imagine why Canadians are getting behind their superstar from B.C. Hill’s grit and resolve are unparalleled, and she’ll stop at nothing to compete.

In 2016, during Hill’s first year racing ultras, she tore her quad muscle during the USA Ultra Triathlon Quintuple Anvil, which consists of a 19-kilometre swim, 900-kilometre bike ride, and 210-kilometre run, all to be completed within a 132-hour time limit.

“To date, it’s been the most painful injury I’ve ever had. I didn’t know how I would continue,” says Hill. “I was so invested in that race. I sacrificed so much to be at that race, and there was a desire in me to finish.”

Despite the injury, Hill made the decision to keep going. She says that within half an hour, her torn quad went numb. Not only did she finish the race with 15 hours to spare, she was the first woman to cross the finish line.

And in June of this year, while racing the Bretzel Ultra Triathlon in Colmar, France, Hill had an accident when getting off her bike. Her shoe didn’t unclip in time and she hit her ankle on the pedal, opening a deep cut that required stitches.

She was asked to stop and go to medical. She said no. Luckily, one of her support crew was able to stitch her up so she could power on.

With a bruised and stitched ankle paired with extreme temperatures climbing into the mid-30s, the 422-kilometre run took a toll on the unyielding athlete. Despite the injury and relentless heat, Hill still came home to finish first place among the women and second overall.

Hill repeatedly demonstrates that there is no limit to what the body and mind can achieve. She’s breaking barriers, setting records, and showing that determination and resilience are key ingredients for reaching our potential.

“I’m in awe of what our bodies can do,” she says.

And on whether she will continue chasing incredible feats in ultra triathlons, she has this to say: “I still have a love for it. I still have a passion for it. [I wonder] what else is possible? And so, I am still exploring what my own potential is.”

One thing is for sure: Canadians and the world over should keep an eye on Shanda Hill from Vernon, B.C., because she is a fighter—a powerhouse—and she will continue to achieve greatness. 

Photography: Paulo Henrique Pigozzi

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Read This Story in Our 2025 Summer Outdoor Travel Issue
IMPACT Magazine Summer Outdoor Travel Issue 2025 featuring Shanda Hill, a Canadian Ultra Triathlete who is redefining the sport. Run on some epic trails in our own backyard or join a run club. Eat your way for Mental Clarity, fueling while travelling, seasonal eating and some kitchen must haves. Become strong and fit in only 20 minutes a day, and enjoy some tasty drinks guilt free and so much more.

All have recorded impressive results from 50-kilometre to 100-mile races, many in North America, but also in Europe and beyond where they have taken on tough opposition and challenging terrain and conditions.

We talked to six of the best about their race experiences, their love of trail, what they eat and their future plans.

Geneviève Asselin-Demers

At 36-years-old Geneviève Asselin-Demers has only been running trail races for three years yet has had some prestigious wins. From Repentigny, Québec, she has won the Québec Méga Trail (QMT) 110, Ultra Trail Chic Chocs 40 (UTCC), Ultra Trail Harricana 125 (UTHC), Grand-duc 50 km and Puerto Vallarta by UTMB 100K. Her first venture into international racing was in the 2024 season, when she collected top 10 finishes including the Black Canyon Ultras100K, Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 115 and Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K (UTCT). These finishes projected her to eighth position in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings.

Her proudest moment? “The QMT 80 with a course record because I was surrounded by my friends, my parents who had come to see me for the first time at a race were at the finish line, my race management, my food management … all the stars were aligned.”

The most memorable moment was at the final of UTCT100K in 2024. “The descent towards the finish, the landscape, my energy and the beauty of the race made me vibrate, and this feeling will be anchored in me and will serve as a lever in the more difficult moments of training or racing.”

Asselin-Demers feels at one with nature when she is on the trails. “It’s a moment with myself, reading the terrain and surpassing oneself. My body, my mind, my heart align when I set foot on the trail.”

This year she plans on running the Desert Rats 100K by UTMB in Colorado, Transvulcania in La Palma (73 km), Swiss Canyon Trail 111 km, QMT 135 and several races in Quebec. “There are so many races, adventures and trips on my bucket list.” She would also like to represent Canada at the next world championships.

Favourite trail food/snack: Naäk products suit me and allow me to cross the finish line without too many gastric difficulties. My favourite product is the apricot hydration powder.

Favourite place/trail to run: I love running on the national trail in Val St-Côme where my chalet is located, otherwise I love discovering new landscapes during my weeks of travel for competitions.

Anne Champagne

Anne Champagne hails from Lac-Beauport, Québec. The 30-year-old discovered trail running six years ago. “I fell in love with the sport and the possibilities to run super long distances and discover new places,” she says. Her background in triathlon and track—and tackling obstacle courses since she was 12—was a good pre-cursor for her to take on some gruelling ultra trail races.

Placing second at the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings is one of her proudest moments as was winning the Grand Raid des Pyrénées 168 km race. “I realized I had what it takes to achieve big scary things.”

But it is competing in her hometown that is the most memorable. “There’s nothing like a finish line feeling and the Québec Méga Trail (QMT)100 miles in 2024 was one of my most memorable trail moments. Achieving my first 100 mile, being in my hometown, seeing all those faces clapping hands and screaming got me really emotional.”

Champagne plans on continuing her 100-mile streak. Last month she competed in the Chianti Ultra Trail UTMB, which is a ‘golden ticket’ for the Western States 2025 and UTMB 2026. Then she will run QMT 135 and the Diagonale des Fous 100 miles in October in the French protectorate, Réunion Island. “I dream really big; I’m working hard to achieve my goals.” Her other bucket-list races? “There is so much! I want to explore the world with running. Western States and Hardrock 100 are my dream races.”

Favourite trail food/snack: I’ve been having some stomach issues so right now I fuel with SIS’s gels and Upika’s sports drinks, bringing on all the carbs!

Favourite place/trail to run: Going back to the trails near my hometown. I really love Parc Régional de la Forêt Ouareau. It’s where I started trail running and my passion started.

Kelsey Hogan

Kelsey Hogan’s fifth place in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings was largely due to her second place in the Québec Mega Trail (QMT) 100 mile, a race she won in 2023 and 2022. The 29-year-old from Steady Brook, NL—who now calls Fredericton, NB home—is also a two-time finisher of the UTMB Mont Blanc 171 km race and a top 10 finisher in the Diagonale des Fous – 165 km. Closer to home she won the Rompin’ Rockwood 50 km, Saint John, NB in 2024 and was second in the Squamish 50 in 2023.

For Hogan, who started trail running in 2016, the exhilaration of the sport makes it a meditative and spiritual experience. “I am in awe of the natural world and the beautifully wild landscapes. Trail running is a place where I get to explore, to challenge myself, and to stay ever curious about the world around me.”

She will be back competing at Mont Banc again this year with a bigger goal: “putting more pieces of the puzzle together from lessons learned during my 2024 finish.” She also plans to do the QMT 80 kms Canadian Trail Championships in July, and some local races. But Hardrock 100 is the bucket list race. “I’d love to race in those mountains, and I’m intrigued by the energy and history of both Hardrock and the Western States Endurance Run.”

The overnight races are Hogan’s love: “After running all night, surrounded by darkness, I’m always tuned into the first signs of the world waking up: birds twittering, the silhouette of trees becoming defined against a glowing blue-morning sky, and the warmth and energy of a new day.”

Favourite trail food/snack: I crave anything frozen or cold during long races! Smoothies, slushies, ice cream, and popsicles are often top of my list (and tricky to get at aid stations, but my support crew is pretty crafty)!

Favourite place/trail to run: Steady Brook will always be my favourite place to run. I’m excited to run up by the waterfall to the top of Marble Mountain, make the traverse along twisty forested trails with views of the Humber Valley, or explore the trails in Gros Morne National Park.

Marianne Hogan

Marianne Hogan has overcome some adversities in her nine years of trail running, but coming second in the 2022 UTMB 176K in Chamonix with a torn psoas takes the ticket. “The last 45 kilometres had been pure agony, every step a battle. The mix of emotions was overwhelming—disbelief, relief, pride, and sheer exhaustion. It was one of those moments that defined not just a race, but everything I love about this sport: resilience, pushing beyond limits, and finding strength even when there’s nothing left.” Her podium finish was the first for a Canadian woman at UTMB for 19 years.

The 34-year-old, originally from Bedford, Québec, had to take a break from competition when the injury developed into a stress fracture. She made a comeback last year in the same race finishing third, but a fall on the course resulted her completing it with a dislocated finger! (Despite this she placed 14th in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings).

Hogan is hoping for a less eventful 2025. She is hoping to do Canyons 100K as a golden ticket to run Western States again. (She placed third in 2022, just two months before her UTMB race). And there is that “unfinished business” she says at UTMB.

Her long-term plans would like to include exploring Norway and Argentina. “The idea of weaving a race into a longer adventure there is definitely tempting.” In the meantime, she will continue to explore her love of the outdoors. “Trail running is a way of moving through life. It’s about finding joy in the simplest things: the rhythm of my breath, the crunch of dirt underfoot, the vastness of the mountains. Whether it’s a race, an adventure, or just a quiet solo run, every step is a reminder that we don’t need much to be happy—just a good trail, a bit of curiosity, and the willingness to keep moving forward.”

Favourite trail food/snack: I love the Naäk purees (apple cinnamon), they are so yummy and easy to digest.

Favourite place to run: Any coastal trail where mountains meet the water—that’s my kind of paradise. There’s something special about running with the contrast of rugged peaks and the endless horizon of the sea, especially on a warm summer day.

Jazmine Lowther

Jazmine Lowther discovered cross-country running when she was five years old and has since been running: “Very casually throughout my life.” Always physically active and competitive this ‘casual runner,’ from Nelson, B.C. turned into an ultra-trail runner six years ago, and now at 32 years is a dominant force in the sport. Her wins include the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K and Speedgoat 50K, both in 2024, and the Canyon Endurance 100K in 2022, where she set a course record.

Her fourth-place finish in 2022 UTMB World Series Final CCC 100K is a particular highlight as is her podium-placing third at the 2023 TransGranCanaria Classic 128KM.

Is there a memorable moment? She says there are a few but one stands out. “During my first 100 miler, it was the halfway point. I really wanted to quit. I felt awful. I was sick. I didn’t have a “why” to go on. My crew, all with their wide eyes, excitement and energy rallied me on to keep going. And thanks to them I finished the full 100 miles.”

Ultra-trail running takes a lot of mental strength, which is one of the reasons Lowther likes it so much. Her background in alpine climbing and back country skiing instilled a love of the outdoors and adventure—a natural fit for trail running. “Trail running means a lot to me. Its mental health, its meaning, its exploration, its challenge, its connection. “It makes me a better human being.”

She has two major races in sight for 2025—Canyons Endurance 100K in Auburn, CA in April and the 100-mile UTMB in Chamonix, France in August. But says: “The race schedule is rolling out as it comes.” It could also include Western States, Speedgoat and the World Championships.

Favourite trail food/snack: Naak waffles on training days. They just make you smile like a kid again, always delicious.

Favourite place/trail to run: Everywhere. But if I had to pick one, Switzerland has been the most magical.

Jenny Quilty

Jenny Quilty has experienced trail running from many perspectives—as an athlete competing in some of North America’s most challenging races, and as a coach supporting and helping others reach their goals. At 36-years-old she has 15 years of trail running under her belt, 10 as an ultra runner.

From Chilliwack, B.C. she placed first, setting a course record, at the 2021 UTHC 125 in Québec, second at the Canadian Death Race the same year, won the Squamish 50 and placed second in the Chuckanut 50k (Bellingham, WA) and the Mammoth Trail Fest 50K in 2022.

Her proudest moment was running her first 100-mile race, the Doi Inthanon in Thailand in 2022, where she was the first female. The race was a real stand-out for her particularly the 20 hours of running through the jungle. “I remember running into the night with my headlamp, just looking around the jungle, hearing the sounds, and thinking it was so incredible to be there, by myself. It was so incredible to get to follow flags through this place and have the support needed to be there safely, essentially wandering through the jungle for 100 miles.”

Quilty’s win enabled her to capture a golden ticket to the 2023 Western States 100-mile race. After placing 11th at that race, she has a goal: “I would love to go back and place top 10.” In 2024 she ran the Gorge Waterfalls 100K and the Black Canyon Ultras 60K. This year she has her sights on Diez Vista 50K (Port Moody, B.C.), QMT 50, and Pine to Palm 100 mile in Southern Oregon.

She says she has learnt a lot about trail running. “It has allowed me to learn about running and endurance, and all of the different components of successfully traveling pretty far by foot. I love how training for races brings up different speeds, terrain, and challenges. Trail running is sort of like 10 different sports in one, so I find there is always a new skill to develop or build upon.”

Favourite trail food/snack: I use gels. It’s not the most exciting or glamorous but they are effective and chewing while running is just too hard!

Favourite place/trail to run: Where I live. We moved recently for access to the trails in the Chilliwack area, I truly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. 

Photography by: Gabrielle de Rossi | Connor BurkeSmith | Matt Bolam | Flash-Sport | Guy Fattal

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Some might say that skating was in Baldé’s blood. His mother had been a skater in Russia in her youth, and so had his older sister, who was eager to one day teach him how to skate. Tragically, she passed away from leukemia at the age of seven, before she ever got the chance.

Born in Moscow to a Russian mother and a Guinean father, Baldé moved to Montreal with his family when he was just two years old, shortly after the loss of his sister. When Baldé turned six, his mom took him to an outdoor rink where he discovered his own love of skating, following in her footsteps and those of his late sister.

“I felt very comfortable very quickly,” he recalls. By the time he was six-and-a-half, he was already competing. He had a Russian coach to push him hard and the weight of the world on his small shoulders. “It was ingrained at a very young age—you skate in order to be the best. It’s not just for recreation. It’s not just for fun.”

As the 34-year-old explained, a lot of Russian people took their families out of poverty through skating, so the pressure to perform was immense from the onset. As a result, he immediately hated competing and would pray for delays on the way to competitions, hoping they would arrive too late to participate.

It all changed when he discovered jumping. He had a unique ability to land jumps that kids his age couldn’t match. When he incorporated these jumps into his performances, he started to win competitions. With each victory, his belief grew: this could be his path. He was destined to be a champion—an Olympic champion.

“That’s what I believed I was going to be and nothing less. A silver medal would have been devastating,” he says. “That’s a lot to carry as a kid who is just starting to skate.”

Through the years, the pressure continued to mount. His love of jumping—and his natural ability to do it well—carried him through the categories of the sport. Although he had medalled in and won competitions, none of that mattered to Baldé. It was to be Olympic champion or nothing.
He can clearly see the mental health implications such a mindset had through his pivotal years, but he also believes he needed that mindset to push himself and get the job done. Eventually, however, that mindset wasn’t enough.

Baldé had his first shot at the Olympics in 2014. It wasn’t just any Olympics though; it was the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It would have been perfect. Baldé would return to the country of his birth for the first time to compete for glory. He would finally reach that pinnacle of skating he had worked so hard to achieve. But he didn’t make the Olympic team.

“My entire self-worth and validation were built around this idea that I was going to be an Olympic champion, and when I started to realize maybe that wasn’t my path, things got pretty dark,” says Baldé.

The turning point in his life came after he competed in the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Not only did he place sixth, losing the competition he was confident he would excel in, but he didn’t even place high enough to make the national team.

At the same time, Baldé’s father was encouraging him to come to Africa to meet his 99-year-old grandfather, who was in ill health. After the loss at nationals, he decided to make the trip—a decision he says transformed his life.

He went to Africa, vowing not to step on the ice again until he found a deeper reason to perform. He skated to please his mom and his coaches. He skated to win. He skated to feel validation, and he skated to become an Olympian. But there was no motivation coming from within. That all changed on his trip.

Being around his family, he recognized their unconditional love and their connection to each other and to nature. Witnessing that deep connection in the mountains of Guinea, far from the world he knew and far from a cellphone signal, Baldé’s perspective changed. He realized there was something so much more important than his own goal of winning. No longer would he skate solely for the results. He would skate to tell his story and let his authentic self be free.

As a biracial skater, Baldé says he was forced to fit into a box during his career. He couldn’t dance to his favourite hip-hop music. He couldn’t wear the clothes he wanted to wear. He recalls he was told to cut his hair short because the judges wouldn’t like “curly, nappy hair.”
“I was giving parts of myself away for the sake of success.”

Now settled in Calgary, Baldé has found an outlet to share himself with the world. With the help of his now wife, Calgary native and professional choreographer Michelle Dawley, he has become a sensation on social media, expressing himself with the moves he wants in the place he feels most free—under the wide-open sky on the majestic frozen lakes in the Rocky Mountains.

“It opened me up in ways I never expected. It started to heal my relationship with skating,” he says.

Baldé faced another pivotal moment in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. He connected with Black skaters around the world, and they shared their experiences in the sport. What they found was that regardless of where they came from—Australia, France, South Africa, Canada—they all shared similar stories of racial oppression.

It was then that Baldé and several of his skating colleagues founded the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance (FSDIA). The organization was founded to create a safe space for Black athletes and hold the sporting organizations accountable for their promises of inclusivity.

With the dream of bringing about even more change, in 2021 Baldé and Dawley created the Skate Global Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focusing on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), mental health and climate change.

“Those are three things Michelle and I are extremely passionate about,” says Baldé, explaining that most of the projects have so far focused on EDI. “That’s where I feel I can have the most impact right now.”

One of the foundation’s first projects was partnering with a construction company in Calgary to refurbish an outdoor rink in an underserved community. The foundation is now working on a project to provide grants to competitive skaters of colour to alleviate the sport’s financial burden. As Baldé explains, it’s easy to get priced out of skating, and it often happens to families of colour. Grant applications closed in August 2024, with recipients to be selected in the coming months.

Baldé and Dawley have big ambitions for the Skate Global Foundation, and they want to expand operations to support more athletes. Baldé admits they have to be patient as they continue to build, as the kind of exposure and support they need won’t come overnight.
“This is important, so we’re going to start small and keep building and building,” he says.

Another passion project of Baldé and Dawley’s is the Art of Performance, their training camp for figure skaters. The camp touches upon the technical side of skating—the jumps, the spins, the skating skills—but the deeper intention is to create a safe space for young skaters to develop themselves as artists and allow them to tell their own stories.

The Art of Performance teaches skaters to embrace discomfort, helping them learn to cope with the pressures of competing in a judged sport. “You’re constantly in your head about what people are thinking. You constantly feel like you’re not good enough,” says Baldé about the toll competing can take on mental health. “We encourage [the skaters] to believe in themselves.”

The camp will be back at Winsport in Calgary in May of 2025 for the second year in a row, thanks to an incredible partnership with the Canadian Sport Institute Alberta (CSIAB), who teach the skaters off-ice essentials like nutrition, proper warm-ups and cool downs, mobility, strength and conditioning, and body positivity.

“The Art of Performance showcases how performance is not just about technical skill but also about emotion, creative storytelling, and expression,” says Kelly Quipp, exercise physiology lead and sport physiologist at CSIAB. “Elladj uses the Art of Performance to share his talent of pushing the boundaries of performance and inspires others to do the same.”

Baldé might not have set out to be a role model for skaters of colour but by shining the spotlight on inclusivity and mental health in the sport, he’s inspiring many and sparking big change in the world of skating.

Photography by Paul Zizka

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I’m bringing those years of experience that my family has—and the joy that that brings me—and people can see that shine on the mat. It’s the joy that seems to help me perform really well.

Skylar Park

From the beginning, Park’s father coached her through training, and even progressed his own skills to be able to grow with his daughter as she entered an elite level. To this day, Park’s career is still a family affair: Her dad remains her coach, her two younger brothers are on the national team (one will be her training partner at the Olympics), and her grandfather—a grand master himself—observes her fights, lending tips and advice.

And while some athletes may feel the pressure of a legacy of that magnitude weighing on them, for 25-year-old Park, it’s only added joy to her journey. “When I qualified for Tokyo, and then Paris, it’s almost like it was our family that qualified. Everything that we do as a family revolves around this dream, so there’s an added level of teamwork and support,” says Park. “I’m bringing those years of experience that my family has—and the joy that that brings me—and people can see that shine on the mat. It’s the joy that seems to help me perform really well.”

Park’s career skyrocketed when she took home the gold medal at the 2016 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Burnaby, B.C. Deemed “the new face of taekwondo,” she was favoured to medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. At those Games, Park was at her physical peak—the strongest she’d ever been at the time. But her mental strength wasn’t a match; she suffered a loss in the quarterfinals, ending the hope of a medal. “The Olympics are a completely different atmosphere than any other competition—the stakes are higher, the pressure is higher,” says Park. “Physically, you can be 100 per cent ready—but if you’re not ready to deal with those pressures and expectations, the rest of your preparation doesn’t matter.”

After the loss, Park was faced with the challenge of climbing her way back—she took it head on, and overcoming those obstacles have proved to be some of the most fulfilling times in her career. “It’s not only the highs that I’m proud of,” she says. “I’m most proud of the times I felt like I was at rock bottom, and I climbed my way out—I rose to the occasion.”

And rise she did. In 2023, Park took home gold at the Pan Am Games. “It was a huge confidence boost going into Paris,” she says.

Now as she prepares to head back to the Olympic stage, she knows her mental training needs to be just as strong as her physical training. Through intense physical training which includes up to four hours on the mat six days a week and grueling conditioning sessions on the assault bike or running hills, Park has a team of specialists in her corner to ensure she’s performing at peak condition through the bumps and bruises that come with every fight.

Working with a mental performance coach, Park’s training includes navigating some of those pressures she’s sure to encounter in Paris. “I’ve been working on mental strength leading into Paris. I’m excited to bring that strength with me,” she says. The expectations of being in the ring, the anticipation of going into the fight, and how she’s going to decide on approaching the fight are all scenarios that she works through to be ready when the time comes. “In physical training, I’m very intentional,” says Park. “When my dad tells me to execute something, I create that pattern of executing on demand.” In her mental training, the same principles apply: “On that day, you need to be ready to perform at your best, on demand.”

But there’s an elephant in the room for any Olympic athlete: The fear of losing. And Park admits she’s not immune to this feeling. But for her, it’s the beginning of the story that keeps her moving forward: The authentic fun and joy she’s cultivated for her sport. “When I started competing on the world stage, no one knew I was a girl from Winnipeg with her dad coaching her,” she says. “I’ve struggled a little with the pressures and expectations of what people were saying, but I’ve found my way through that. I love to fight. I love to be in the ring. I can shut out the noise of the rest of the world, fight freely, and perform my best every time I step out there.” 

Photography by Jocelyne Hebert

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Up until then the 5000 and 10,000 metre specialist had many honours to his name including two NCAA championships, a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, and numerous national podiums. But what could have been a bleak future ahead Levins took it in stride. “I was thinking of trying the marathon distance anyway, particularly as my ankle could no longer handle the track turns. It was easier for me to do workouts on the road.”

He wasn’t unfamiliar with road running—growing up on Vancouver Island he had always interspersed track with the occasional five- or 10-kilometre race: “just for fun.” But he did have to mentally adjust his training and admits he wasn’t a natural at tempo runs, which are the backbone of marathon training. But adjust he did, kicking off his career in style by debuting in the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon by breaking Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-record, finishing in 2:09:25. The kid from Black Creek, B.C. was on the marathon map!

Like many kids of his age in elementary school he followed the cross-country running path, although he attributes this to his older brother: “He was a good cross-country runner so I just followed him.” At the end of his second grade he competed in his first race, with the third graders, and never looked back. “My parents joke that there was never a moment when I wasn’t running since I was able to walk!”

In the seventh grade he joined the Comox Valley Cougars, one of the top track clubs in B.C. and by the time he left high school he was a top ranked runner in the province. His success took him to Southern Utah University on a scholarship where his running was elevated to a new level under coach Eric Houle. He didn’t choose that college for any particular reason—his one goal was to be a NCAA athlete.
“I chose Southern Utah because it had a good geology program which interested me at the time. I could see they had some success at the track level, it was a nice campus and felt it was the best spot,” he recalls.

I was always told that having a positive experience
with your first marathon was important, it’s that core memory of the race that you would always have.

Levins thrived under Houle moving up to the 5000 and 10,000 metre distances. (At high school the longest distance was 3000 metres). His training hit new heights— literally as he was training at high altitude—and his weekly mileage increased. The results paid off. His banner year was 2012 when he won back-to-back NCAA races awarding him the Bowerman Award, given annually to the best athlete in American collegiate track and field—he was the first Canadian to receive the honour. That year he also represented Canada in the London Summer Olympics in the 5000 and 10,000 metres, finishing 14th and 11th.

“I didn’t have any expectations in London and felt it would be good experience for the world championships and the future. It was very cool and an atmosphere I hadn’t experienced before,” he remembers.

Levins was getting noticed. In 2013 he moved to Portland and joined the Nike Oregon Project (NOP) under Alberto Salazar. Levin is reflective when he talks about his time there admitting he had a lot of ups and downs and lacked some consistency. His high-volume weeks were reduced and he started weight training.“I didn’t perform when I needed to and even though it seemed the right move at the time, ultimately it wasn’t the right fit,” he says.

At college Levins was used to training as a team but at NOP everyone was treated individually and there was no camaraderie. He cared about his training and performances but came to learn he wasn’t a priority. “My success didn’t ultimately matter to the coaching staff. What was important to me wasn’t important to the program.”

Apart from the bronze medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Levins wasn’t performing to his potential and then the ankle injury happened. He admits having the injury forced his hand: “switching to marathons had kind of been the plan all along.”

He soon adjusted to his new training regimen including the longer workouts. “I was feeling rewarded for the effort I was putting in and the more marathon training I did the more success I could find in it.”

He has good memories of the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. “I was always told that having a positive experience with your first marathon was important, it’s that core memory of the race that you would always have. I went in with that mindset and had a good first one. I felt I could draw on that in the future although I have struggled in others since.”

After 2018 all of Canada’s hopes were on him to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 but a disappointing race in Toronto in 2019 dashed that—temporarily. The postponement of the Olympics to 2021 gave him more opportunities and it was at his third attempt in May 2021 at a marathon in Fürstenfeld, Austria that clinched his place in a time of 2:10:14.

The Tokyo Olympics was another challenge. Held in the intense August heat in Sapporo, Japan, he suffered a crushing defeat, mentally and physically, finishing in 71st place.

Levins has an amazing ability to bounce back after disappointments. When asked how he overcomes them he says he draws on the positives and realizes tough races are going to happen. His coach, Jim Finlayson concurs. “He is impacted by them, no question. He’s a passionate man. But if a race doesn’t go the way we’d hoped, he reflects on it and looks for ways to be better the next time. He is always looking for ways to be faster, even when races go well, but the sub-par races ignite him.”

The fire came back at the World Championships in Eugene in 2022 when he set a national record and lowered his best time by three minutes to 2:07:09. But he wasn’t done. In March 2023 he became the fastest man in North America at the Toyko Marathon with a time of 2:05:36, giving him a berth to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Just as with all of his marathons, Levins had prepared well for Tokyo and this time everything went according to plan. “I was on for a 2:04 – 2:05 finish from the beginning and at 30 kilometres I continued to feel good,” he recalls. “I was focussing on a win but couldn’t quite pull it off, but was very excited to get a top five in a major.”

Finlayson has been coaching Levins since November 2019 bringing a wealth of experience. A two-time Canadian marathon champion with multiple masters age-group records, he lives in Victoria, B.C. so coaches Levins virtually, who still lives in Portland. The arrangement works well for them with Finlayson able to plan workouts and see the results on platforms such as Strava.

Levins explains he doesn’t focus on mileage volume—although it is in the region of 170 – 180 miles per week—but has a structure that works for him. He has triple runs days, totalling 4–4.5 hours, double run days which he will combine with lifting weights three times a week, and a single run day.

“We are very aerobic-based, so we’ll often have some sort of a threshold state workout, something at marathon pace, half-marathon pace, or 10-kilometre pace if the intervals are shorter,” explains Finlayson. “I have ideas of the workouts I’d like to see, and then we fill in the in-between days with easy running. He builds his own easy days by feel, based on recovery from a previous workout, upcoming sessions, and an idea of where he wants his volume (high!) The main thing is getting in the appropriate work and respecting recovery, but to remain dynamic, moving workouts by a day or two if needed or changing workouts.”

With the Paris Olympics in August Levins has a few months to prepare for the marathon. He has a half-marathon at the end of April then the build will begin. “We’ll have somewhere around 11 weeks of pretty specific marathon training, but of course before this his volume will already be good so we will be able to move right into the marathon build seamlessly post-half marathon, ”says Finlayson. The marathon course is hilly in the middle part, he explains. “We’ll be tackling this with hillier tempos and targeted workouts. In the past most of our training has been over relatively flat terrain, so this will be new for us. The early and late parts of the marathon course will be flatter, so we’ll still need to practice rhythmic running for this, but the hilly kilometres will likely be a determining factor.”

Levins is philosophical about the marathon and feels if his training goes well he will be ready to contend for a medal: “Looking to medal is now always the goal going into any championship.” At the time of going to print, two other Canadians have qualified for the Olympics: Malindi Elmore and Rory Linkletter. Asked who inspires him it is Elmore and fellow marathoner Natasha Wodak, as well as 800 metre specialist Marco Arop who is favoured to win Olympic gold.

In the meantime, Levins is clocking up the miles in Portland and although he sometimes wishes he has some training partners, he is enjoying his life there with his wife Elizabeth. Even though he has lived in the U.S. for a number of years he has never been tempted to become an American citizen. Always ready to wear the Canadian shirt at competitions, he proudly recalls setting the national half-marathon record in 2023 in Vancouver because it was on Canadian soil. “I am a Canadian through and through,” he says. 

Photography by Sean Meagher and Victah Sailer

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Featuring Canadian Olympic, National & North American Marathon Record holder Cameron Levins. Run your way around the world with some cool, quirky and unconventional races. Train for 10 km right up to a marathon – plus a 25 km trail run and 70.3 program. Strength workouts for runners, spice it up to improve your performance and so much more.

It was Season 9 of The Amazing Race Canada and the challenge was the OCAD pole climb in Toronto. “My physical side was going and that is when the mental side started creeping in and honestly, I was ready to be done,“ he says. “I was ready to accept the fact that I had ruined it for us, but it was more for me personally, as it was quite the test as I had to dig in and find that inner strength, but a lot of that strength also came from my partner on the ground.”

That partner is Kat Kastner, Smith’s girlfriend and teammate, and together they took on the epic cross-Canada challenge in Season 9, which ended last month. The Calgary couple— both 25-years-old—but more mature beyond their age, decided to apply for the contest: “to challenge our relationship.”

“It gave us opportunities that we wouldn’t have
learned from in everyday life. We can hold that very
close and offer that up to family and friends and say
to them that they matter and their stories matter.”

They met on social media five years ago and immediately became soulmates. “We both were athletes and the time seemed right for us, so we sent in a video application and went through the process,“ Kastner explains. “We didn’t know what it was going to be like or what the challenges were going to be—we just embraced it all.”

Not knowing what to expect they couldn’t really do any prep: “We learnt how to tie some knots and brushed up on our French,” Kastner fondly remembers. And they watched re-runs of the shows but from a different perspective— from a competitive standpoint.
They didn’t want to overprepare and they really didn’t have a strategy. “We wanted to stay true to ourselves, have a lot of fun and enjoy every moment as best we could,” says Smith. “We wanted to show the love and support and foundation we have as a couple.”

Their camaraderie and support for each other was evident in every challenge. They knew when to push each other, when to lean on each other and whose turn it was to take on a challenge. “Like the bungee jump in Whistler, Kat knew and understood when this needed to happen and that she needed to do it.” This trust and faith in each other grew as the season progressed, as did their strength knowing that: “16 angels were looking down on us.”

On April 6, 2018, Smith was with his Humboldt Broncos teammates in that ill-fated bus crash that killed 16 players and injured 13. He was one of the lucky ones, coming away with a broken collarbone and shoulder blade and some nerve damage, and while the physical scars have gone, the mental ones remain. So much so that he is now a strong advocate for mental health and dedicated The Amazing Race Canada to his teammates.

Originally from Leduc, Alberta, he played 10 games for the Broncos after the crash and regularly keeps in touch with all 29 families affected by the tragic accident. “Knowing they were laughing and crying with us throughout the contest made us speechless and created a lot of emotion. We were racing not just for us but for those supporting us. We are connected for life. That bond will never break.” That bond is always with them as the couple wore Broncos wristbands and hats throughout the episodes.

Kastner also has had mental health challenges. A promising ringette athlete growing up, she suffered from depression and anxiety as a young adult and at university. At 19 she was able to get therapy and medication. Looking back, she says that her anxiety stopped her from doing anything physical, but being in the series changed all that. “In the race I didn’t have that option. It was eye opening and empowering for me to be able to accomplish the challenges.”

While many challenges were extremely hard, there were also some fun moments. “I loved the tree dancing in Tofino and would do that again,” says Kastner. And there were some uncontrollable times. “The traffic in downtown Toronto on the way to Sunnyside Beach was something we couldn’t control and prepare for,” adds Smith

They agree the most stressful challenge they faced was the last one—the crossword puzzle. Knowing from watching previous seasons that the last challenge would be about testing their knowledge and memory of what they had done over the episodes, they knew this challenge was crucial, particularly as they were in first place. “You get to the puzzle and it is hard for your mind not to go blank,” says Smith. “We knew we were in the spotlight and this would be the last challenge, and so we had to tune out and just focus, go from leg to leg and think about everything. Looking back, it was probably one of the most stressful things we have been a part of.”

Smith and Kastner became quite close to the other couples competing, in particular their fellow finalists—Tyler Turner and Kayleen Vandervee and Ben Chutta and Anwar Ahmed. Over the weeks they shared touching, moving stories that will always resonate with them. “Everyone in the cast had an inspiring story and we have a special connection with them which will stay with us forever,” said Kastner. Smith agrees. “We were fortunate to race against them, they all have powerful stories, and we learned a lot from them.”

They also enjoyed meeting host Jon Montgomery. The Olympian has been hosting The Amazing Race Canada for 10 years.
“He is such a unique individual—I would love him to narrate my life,” said Smith, smiling.

Montgomery has nothing but praise for the winners. “Ty and Kat are brilliant ambassadors for the show, their families,
and the communities they represent. They were a lot of fun to watch this summer and the way they supported each other, dug deep, and had some fun while they were doing it all, is commendable.“

“Watching the racers approach and then push past their fears and boundaries that we all have is inspiring,” adds Montgomery.

With the airing of the last episode also came the big secret reveal—who won? How did Smith and Kastner manage to keep the secret from their families and friends? “It was really hard but we felt we had a power over them by keeping the secret.”

Looking back at the series, its challenges and its highs and lows they both agree the experience hasn’t really changed them, although Smith did voluntarily bring up the million-dollar question everyone is asking—when are you putting a ring on her finger? “It will happen,” he says noncommittally. But they reflect on their journey and how much they have learned about themselves. “It shows how much you can empower your partner and it gave us opportunities that we wouldn’t have learned from in everyday life. We can hold that very close and offer that up to family and friends and say to them that they matter and their stories matter.”

With becoming the latest winners of The Amazing Race Canada comes an around-the-world trip, $250,000 cash and two 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2s. “The win hasn’t quite sunk in yet but when I am behind the wheel of my new Chevy it will,” Smith quips. Their first trip though is to Portugal, Greece and Italy, a prize they won by winning one of the legs. They look forward to furthering their adventures and particularly want to visit Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Once everything is settled, they do want to continue to be mental health advocates—Smith is already an accomplished public speaker—using their experience from The Amazing Race Canada to share their story.

Any tips for future contestants interested in applying for The Amazing Race Canada?

“Choose a good partner and never leave your backpack in a car!” says Kastner. (In the final episode they left their backpacks in their taxi not realizing they needed ID for the next challenge).

“Face it head-on, throw yourself into the experience, get as much enjoyment as you can. There are so many things you will never do in your life that this race offers. It’s a unique journey bringing lifelong memories,” adds Smith.

He knows contestants face their own challenges going into The Amazing Race Canada. His advice? Take one step at a time.

“In life it is so easy to diminish your own story and to look so far ahead and forget the present. The race meant we were present at all times. You need to know you are not alone and will find ways to light your candle, even though it may flicker sometimes. Use your story to offer that light at the end of other’s people’s tunnels.” 

Season 9 of The Amazing Race Canada is available to stream on CTV.ca, the CTV app, and on Crave. CTV has announced that The Amazing Race Canada will be returning for a 10th season with casting details to be announced soon.

Cover Photography by Graham McKerrell
Additional images courtesy CTV

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Read This Story in Our 2023 Fall Fitness & Food Issue
Featuring this year’s winners of the Amazing Race Canada, Ty Smith and Kat Kastner on our cover. Inside our latest issue, you’ll find all the inspiration you need to carry you through the autumn season. From delicious high-protein recipes and how to resist the crunch of potato chips to running through the high peaks of the Colorado Rockies and the latest in nutrition and fitness, these pages are packed with expert knowledge and advice.

As a young girl growing up on a grain farm and bison ranch in the small Alberta town two hours east of Edmonton, Jackson, 34, had what she endearingly calls “a lot of outdoor energy.” 

Besides putting that energy towards farm chores, Jackson’s mom decided to put her in all the sports possible. 

“When you come from a small town, if you become a sports kid, you basically have to play all the sports so that you have a team,” Jackson says with a laugh. “So, that’s what I did.” 

The list of sports she was involved in reads like a shopping list: soccer, volleyball, track and field, gymnastics, ballet, and jazz. A proud “yes-person,” Jackson has always loved trying new things and further to that, she loves mastering them. 

“A lot of what I learned from the farm is if you want something to happen, then you work hard to do it. That’s the lifestyle of a farmer. You’re your own boss; you manage your own time and effort.” 

Jackson continued to pursue her passion for activity and the outdoors by relocating to British Columbia for university, where she added rock climbing, caving, various snow sports and sailing to her already long list of activities. 

With an interest in learning to surf and wanting to become a stronger swimmer so she could spend all day in the water without drowning, Jackson hit the water to practice her strokes. 

At the same time, she was running to prepare for a trek in the Indian Himalayas, and after a visit home to Vermilion, she picked up an old Canadian Tire bike that a farm employee had left behind, and she rode it 20 kilometres into town. 

It was at this time that someone asked Jackson if she was training for a triathlon, something she had never heard of but that immediately piqued her interest. Back in British Columbia, she found a small triathlon club and went with them to a race where she qualified for the amateur World Championships. 

The Vermilion native found her way to competing in sports later than many others surrounding her, but she chooses not to see that as a hindrance.  

“Do well with what you have now,” is Jackson’s life motto. 

“We might think some people have more advantages than us in something but instead of looking at all [our] disadvantages, try to look at what’s really good and then exploit that.” 

And she did just that by joining local swim, cycle and run clubs in British Columbia to advance her skills. At this time, she was offered a running scholarship to Trinity Western University, where  she became quite a good runner. She competed as a runner, winning the Canada West Championships in 3000 metres before competing in her first local bike race, which she also won. 

“I just wanted to be a pro athlete,” says Jackson. “I have had the Olympic dream since I was a kid.” 

Jackson didn’t see a future in triathlons as she admits her swimming wasn’t strong enough. Decidedly, she had to choose between pursuing running or cycling as her professional career, but when she was offered her first professional cycling contract in 2015, the choice was made for her. 

“I thought, alright, I’m going to go all in and see what happens,” she says. 

And what happened is that Jackson was not only fulfilling her dream of being a professional athlete, she was beginning to thrive. While with her first team, TWENTY16, Jackson won stages at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche and the Trophée d’Or Féminin. 

For her 2017 season, Jackson joined BePink Cogeas, a cycling team based in Italy, and then moved to TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank in 2018, a team owned by another Jackson—retired Canadian professional cyclist Linda Jackson. 

Jackson continued to add to her accolades, winning the second stage of the 2019 Women’s Tour of Scotland and receiving a last-minute spot for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics due to a late race withdrawal. She placed 32nd, seven minutes behind the gold medalist, but the result wasn’t everything. Another life-long dream had been achieved. Jackson was now an Olympian. 

With a few more years of shuffling between teams, she found her way back to the now-named EF Education-TIBCO-SVB at the end of her 2022 season, announcing her return to the team in typical Jackson style—with a dance. 

Besides her accomplishments in sport, Jackson is well known on social media for busting out her moves on camera wherever the opportunity presents itself. Always the entertainer and an avid storyteller, Jackson brings people together with her exuberant personality. 

“In the world of cycling and in women’s cycling in particular, she is paving the path for other people to be comfortable putting themselves out there to say, ‘I can be my own person and craft my own trade,’” says Adam Pulford, Jackson’s coach. 

According to Pulford, Jackson’s atypical cycling persona is also working to improve the visibility of women’s cycling in Canada, and with more visibility comes more support and opportunity for Canadian women to compete at a high level. 

When Jackson’s career in cycling first began, her mother would have to source information on the races from the most obscure Twitter accounts, and for a long time, the only women’s cycling event of note that many Canadians were aware of was the Olympics. 

“Cycling as a sport, there’s such a disparity between men’s and women’s events,” says Jackson, citing  that when she competed in triathlons or running events, all events were the same distance with the same prestige for men and women, and the men were equally interested in the outcome of the women’s events.  

However, in the world of cycling, wages, prestige, race distances and TV coverage differ greatly for the competing genders. Although this is improving and Jackson’s mom no longer has to tune into her daughter’s races via obscure Twitter accounts, there is still a way to go for the sport to be considered equal. 

Another step towards that equality was celebrated this year at the third edition of the Paris-Roubaix Femme. The Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest cycling races in the world, dating back to 1896. The race was finally given a women’s counterpart in 2021. 

Aptly named the Hell of the North, it is one of the most famous cycling races due to the notoriously difficult riding conditions. Riders must brave treacherous terrain and cobblestones as they push their bodies to the very limits. 

At 1:35 p.m. on April 8, 2023, under the sombre, cloudy skies, Jackson took to the starting line of the Paris-Roubaix Femme, surrounded by 139 racers. 

Competitors would race 145.5 kilometres along the French roads with 17 cobbled sectors of varying difficulty to tackle. Conditions were dry, but heavy rains the day before left some of the roads wet, adding to the complexity of the race. 

Jackson was among a group of 18 riders to break away in the opening stages of the race, which also included British national champion Alice Towers and Elynor Backstedt, daughter of 2004 Paris-Roubaix champion, Magnus Backstedt. 

Jackson remained in the leading group for the entire 145.5-kilometres, with seven riders duking it out in the final stage—the velodrome. As they neared the finish line, French rider Marion Borras led the pack, Jackson in second. They came around the final bend, and Jackson put everything she had left into powering her pedals, narrowly crossing the line to finish first, securing her name in history as the only North American rider to win the famed cobblestone-like “rock” trophy.  

“It’s every cycling fan’s favourite race,” says Jackson. “There’s no other race like it, and the type of person that wins is always really resilient, determined and tough. All these characteristics you get associated with by winning the race, it’s a real honour to be in that.” 

Coming out of what she considers the biggest win of her career, Jackson is more motivated than ever, and her coach is there by her side to keep pushing her limits. 

Pulford, who is located in Washington, D.C., uses an app to communicate with Jackson on her training program. He schedules between 18 and 22 hours of training each week, including sessions on the bike, core-focused sessions and strength training. And, of course, knowing the Canadian well, he also schedules some dancing. 

Although Jackson is currently based in Girona, Spain, she always returns home to Canada a few times a year, both to race in the Canadian National Championships in early summer and to keep up her status as “super-fun aunt.” 

And for Jackson, whilst she may have raced around the world in countries across Asia and Europe and even in the land down under, she still considers Abbotsford and Chilliwack, B.C. her favourite places to ride. 

“I think a lot of the times we dream of going to, like, Italy and other places to ride bikes, but actually, Canada is really awesome,” says Jackson, and there is no doubt that Canada feels the same about her. 

Canadians will be happy to hear that our superstar from the West has no plans of slowing down. 

“After coming out of this win, it just makes me dream bigger dreams and think, what else is possible?” says Jackson. “I just love what I get to do. I love racing. I love the chaos.”

“I’m going to do it as long as I love it, and as long as I can be a difference maker to my team, it makes me want to stay in the sport.” 

List of Professional Victories

Photography by Todd Duncan

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Read This Story in Our 2023 Summer Outdoor & Travel Issue
Featuring Alison Jackson, Canadian cyclist and only North American male or female to win the famed Paris Roubaix. Travel the country’s most stunning hot spots by campervan. Become a better trail running by improving your ascents and descents—plus, train outdoors with Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers. Enjoy plant-based summer recipes and so much more. 

Looking a lot younger than his 26 years, the Calgary-born Linkletter calls Flagstaff, Arizona his home, and although he became a U.S. citizen in 2020, his loyalty and running for Canada is something he is very proud of. “I have competed for Canada since the World Juniors in 2015, and it is something that I will continue to do,” he says.

With a goal of competing in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he is training for the London Marathon on April 23 and if that goes well, possibly Chicago in October. But he is very practical and level-headed, taking one race at a time, knowing that anything can happen in training or in a race. He also likes to leave the training to his coach, former U.S. long distance champion, Ryan Hall. But he admits he would like to “take a bite” out of his marathon 2:10 PB he set at the World Athletics Championships last year in Eugene, OR. “Flirting with a 2:09 goal would be awesome, but I will let the training and Ryan dictate my goal.”

Linkletter is firmly committed to the marathon distance, but with his physique he could equally concentrate and succeed at middle distance. He excels at speed workouts which could be attributed to his early years competing in cross-country and track. He didn’t start running until Grade 9. “I was really a ball-sport athlete and was undersized going into high school.” But he joined his school’s cross-country team and immediately liked it. “I started low in the rankings and then saw myself progressing up the ladder. There is gratification in seeing your times and your rank improve among your peers.”

School was in Utah where he and his mother moved to from Calgary after his parents divorced. With the state being known as a classic running hub, it took Linkletter a while to get on to the varsity team, which he eventually did for cross-country and track. 

It was then that he knew he wanted to pursue running seriously and made the decision to attend Brigham Young University (BYU). Admitting it was a “rational decision based on my goals to continue to run,” he found success in college, coming second in the 10,000 metres at the NCAA track and field championships— “the highlight of my collegiate career”— and becoming the 3x all-American in track and cross-country. “I had higher finishes in track so the 5,000 and 10,000 metre events were definitely my calling.” 

The leap—which essentially it was—to the marathon was necessitated by his desire to make the 2020 Olympic team. “I graduated in 2019 and at that time the Olympics were set for 2020, and I had a better chance of making the team running the marathon than another discipline.” Such was his confidence, he plunged straight into marathon training and debuted at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a credible 2:16:42 performance.

A move to Flagstaff to work with HOKA Northern Arizona (NAZ) Elite followed and the opportunity to run some half-marathons, which he admits he had more success with. But in 2021 he experienced some challenges and seemed to lose his way. The death of his father that year hit him hard but was softened by the birth of his first child, Jason (he met Jill at BYU and married in 2018). He had some bad results and felt “something was off.” 

“I felt I had to leave (HOKA NAZ Elite) to be able to reach the next level I wanted,” he reflects. To walk away from a comfortable sponsor was a brave move for Linkletter. He knew that and looking back, is proud of his decision. “I was comfortable there but felt something was wrong and I had to change.”

In late 2021 Ryan Hall came into his life. Hall, the U.S. half-marathon record holder, retired in 2016 to coach. “Ryan was a perfect fit for me. I admired him and approached him to coach me. He is smart and a motivational figure in my life.” 

Hall knew that Linkletter was in great shape. “I was grateful for all the great coaching he received before he came to me as it all laid the foundation for the next step that Rory was ready to make,” he says. But there were skills he wanted to work with him on from the outset. “I wanted him to have a healthy body so I re-enforced to him the necessity of eating enough food to be at a healthy body weight, and making sure he nailed his sleep. I also initially reduced his volume as he had been running high mileage for a fairly long time, and I wanted him to focus on his 5 km/10 km development at a lower volume before bringing it back up for marathon training.”

The unsponsored Linkletter said he ran the best races of his life in early 2022, including setting the then Canadian half-marathon record in Houston (1:01:08), a record that had stood for 23 years. Sponsors were noticing and he signed with PUMA shortly afterwards. He realizes he is lucky. “Not many get to have a second chance. I am excited to have PUMA take me to the Olympics and beyond.” 

With the World Athletics Championships taking place in July 2022, it was time to put the new coach/athlete partnership to the real test. Linkletter had a good track season leading up to the event. “We hit the 5 km work hard all winter and spring, which set up a nice, short and surprise build for the marathon,” explains Hall. “We worked hard in the gym to increase the power in his legs for not only the shorter distances, but for the marathon as well. I believe one of the reasons marathoners slow down over time is because they lose a lot of power in their legs from years and years of high volume.”

Linkletter didn’t go into the championships with a goal in mind. “It is hard to set a goal in a World Championship. Unlike a major marathon where you know other people’s paces, at the Worlds it is a wait-and-see. You find out on the day who is in good shape.” Linkletter was on form setting a personal best and enjoying every minute: “It was fun and exhilarating and I just went with the flow.”

With a focus on London next month—he will also be running the New York City Half-Marathon on March 19—Hall is working on his speed. “I need him to keep and increase his 5 km speed.  If he has that in place and continues to develop his aerobic capacity, then good things will happen.” Recovery is a strength of his.  “He typically responds to high volume and a heavy training load very well. He is as diligent with his recovery—sleep, nutrition, massage, etc.—as he is with his training.  It doesn’t matter how we train if we aren’t able to recover and absorb that training.”

Linkletter’s typical week consists of two runs a day, some days incorporating sprints or track work; a long run and two strength/cross-training sessions a week. Five weeks of hard training will be followed by a down week that may include a race. It’s gruelling and tough but Linkletter enjoys it. Hall says he is a workhorse: “he has the ability to ‘bring it’ to the workout.”

His favourite workout Hall calls ‘K’s for Days.’ These are 20 x 1 km repeats with a 200-metre jog recovery between, each at a little faster than marathon pace. “Kilometre repeats are the staple of any training. For me it is easy, I focus on running for three minutes and get through them one at a time,” say Linkletter.

Not surprisingly Linkletter doesn’t have to worry about what he eats. He admits he is constantly eating, never counts calories and isn’t on any nutrition plan. “I don’t have any rules, I eat until I am full!” His indulgence—or some would say quirk—is to eat breakfast at odd times of the day. “I will have lunch or dinner then follow up with waffles and syrup or cereal.”

The 2024 Olympics may be 17 months away but the qualifying window opened in January and ideally Linkletter wants to nail his place early, in London. But he is very pragmatic about it. With the selection based on ranking and time he knows he will have competition. “I am trying not to get caught up in it. I may run the best marathon of my life but if three others run faster then so be it.”

Then there is that little rivalry between him and Ben Flanagan who broke his half-marathon record in October 2022 by just eight seconds. (The record has since been broken again by Cam Levins in February in a time of 60:18). “I see it as a carrot to chase down the road,” he says.

Having gone through a few hurdles in his life, Linkletter is now settled and content with his life. Being Christian is the forefront of who he is, he says. He is running well, has a supportive coach and a happy home life with a second child expected this year. “I get up every day and love my training and I get to come home to be with my family. I live in this beautiful place surrounded by people I love. It is perfect.” 

Training week

Twelve weeks out from the London Marathon Linkletter started his marathon training block – here is a typical week. 
Monday: a.m. – 10 miles; p.m. – 6 miles 
Tuesday: a.m. – 5 x 2 miles @ half-marathon effort; p.m. – strength and cross-training (included squats, lunges with dumbbells, hip thrusters, stairs, stepper)
Wednesday: a.m. – 10 miles; p.m. – 6 miles
Thursday: a.m. – 10 miles; p.m. – 6 miles
Friday: a.m. – long run, 36 km (22 miles) @ 3:30/km pace; p.m. – strength and weights (similar to Tuesday)
Saturday: a.m. – 8 miles easy; p.m. – 5 miles easy
Sunday: a.m. – track, 8 x 800 metre @ 5km / 10km effort with 400 metre jog recovery/some fast
200 metres /cool down; p.m. – 5 miles

Personal BESTS

3000 Metres (indoors) 7:49.13…..Louisville, KY – 2022
5000 Metres 13:29.67…..San Juan Capistrano, CA – 2022
10,000 Metres 28:12.42…..Palo Alto, CA – 2019
10 Kilometres 28:43……Charleston, SC – 2022
15 Kilometres 44:41…..Jacksonville, FL – 2021
Half Marathon 1:01:08…..Houston, TX – 2022
Marathon 2:10:24…..World Athletic Championships, Eugene, OR – 2022

Photography by Mike Van Mierlo

Read This Story in Our 2023 Running Issue
Featuring Rory Linkletter, Canadian long-distance runner. Add to your bucket list with the top Destination Marathons Around the World. Train for 10 km right up to a marathon – plus a 70.3 program. Increase your strength and work your core with Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers. Enjoy plant-based, post-run breakfasts and so much more.

Welcome to IMPACT MAGAZINE’S Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers & Instructors!

We are committed to finding and recognizing the most outstanding fitness instructors from across Canada!

At the beginning of each year we select the top 10 trainers or instructors in each region to be profiled in our Inspiration Issue. We receive hundreds of nominations for the best in their fields and each nominee is scored by merit. Areas include education, certifications, years in the industry, philanthropy and community service. 

These industry professionals have a wealth of education and expertise to share, but above all they are genuinely passionate about helping others live their healthiest lives. 

Judging / Scoring

All potential nominees were screened, and submitted additional information to be blind scored and judged by our expert panel to keep the process as unbiased as possible. To narrow down the nominations and make the process fair and impartial, all trainers were ranked based on the same series of criteria with a range of points given to each category. The total number of nominations received for a single trainer did not affect the outcome of our scoring system. 

Meet the 2023 Panelists

2023 AWARDS GALA – Live and Virtual!

Instructors & Trainers
Each year this feature alternates focus between one-on-one personal trainers and group fitness instructors to ensure everyone in the fitness community is included, recognized and celebrated. 

SEE PREVIOUS YEAR’S CANADA’S TOP FITNESS TRAINERS & INSTRUCTORS

Read This Story in Our 2023 Inspiration Issue
Read about our 2023 Canada’s Top Fitness Instructors – our top 30 from across Canada! How to Train Smarter in 2023, Yoga Nidra for What Ails You, Racing the World’s Highest Ultramarathon, our favourite plant-based recipes and more!