Run Canada Podcast

Ever wondered what it's like to run a 50K trail race? So did we. In 2025, Michelle Carey and I set a goal to run our first ultra trail race, and guess what? This October we did it. And we actually had an amazing time. We learned a lot about our own limits, saw incredible perseverance and strength in the runners around us, and faced our fears. (By "we," I mean me. Spoiler alert: there were a lot of snakes.)

Come along as we prep for and run our first 50K, then wrap it all up over coffee...

I had the privilege of sitting down with one of Canada's most decorated Olympians, Andre De Grasse, on the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Expo Speaker Stage, and honestly? He deserves the hype.

Seven Olympic medals. Co-flag bearer for Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Games. Canadian record holder in the 200 metres and the 4x100 relay. He's won World Championship medals and Diamond League titles, and he's currently ranked fifth in the world in the men's 200. And it all started with a dare: a friend challenged him to step off the basketball court and onto the track.

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At 19, Wendy Alexis was forced out of track by injury. Decades later, she came back and became a multiple Canadian and world record holder.

Wendy always believed she'd live a big life, full of travel and people. She never imagined a second career as a sprinter would take her there.

She's also one of the most humble champions you'll ever meet. She's quick to credit her family, her support team, and the people who first encouraged her on the track and became family along the way. She plays down being a role model, but she...

As we get deeper into fall race season, I'm happy to share this recording from the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Women's Training Group. Three years ago, Canada Running Series saw a need for more support for women training for the marathon and created this program to help fill that gap. It's an online community led by a coach, with weekly content designed to connect runners from across the country and provide support, encouragement, and connection throughout the training journey.

Two of those wonderful participants, Anjali Anadkat and Gabriella Bueno, were kind enough to share their experiences and...

Lisa Sweetman is the kind of person you connect with the moment you meet her. She's funny, upbeat, kind, and incredibly generous with her time and talent. You'd never guess what she's been through with her health to get where she is today.

Lisa wants to say yes to as much as she can and make her life as full and exciting as possible. That commitment to going wherever the trail takes her has made her an ultra trail runner, a teacher, an entrepreneur, co-race director of 5 Peaks Ontario, and a married mom of two. Calling her...

Suzie Boucher-Lemay is both very serious about her training and goals, and deeply committed to keeping running fun and enjoyable. This mother of two has to stay organized to find time to train and race ultramarathons while balancing work, home, and life's other priorities. She has a competitive spirit, but she's just as focused on being in the moment, having fun, and connecting with volunteers and other runners. That balance is the true gift of Suzie's personality: finding the fun in a tough race, taking a moment to turn off her headlamp and look at the stars during a...

Confession time. I love chocolate. I love it with a real passion. Like Bridgerton and Outlander kind of love. So when I found out I could use it to fuel my runs, all my dreams came true.  Kristyn Carriere is co-founder of 7 Summit Snacks, a line of chocolate energy bars built to fuel you on the run. She started out as a food scientist specializing in chocolate, living abroad and racing as a road runner. When life brought her home to Canada, she teamed up with her sister — Team Canada athlete Leanna — to launch 7 Summit Snacks: fuel for every adven...

Bonnie Zink was in a bad place. After crippling back pain led to subsequent surgeries, she found herself overweight, out of shape and taking medication for type 2 diabetes. After her last surgery at the age of 50, she was done letting pain run her life. So she started running it herself. It began with walks around the block and small lifestyle changes. It ended with her medications behind her and a half marathon finish line ahead. Bonnie's story proves that no vision for your future is too big—that with commitment and heart, at any age, you can take control of...

Thomas Fafard lived out his Olympic track dream in Paris, running in the finals of the Men's 5000. He calls it one of his best achievements, but also the end of one chapter and the start of the next. Thomas already holds the Quebec men's title in the half marathon, a mark he set in Houston and then broke again in Boston. Then, in his very first marathon at The Marathon Project in 2025, he smashed the Quebec men's full marathon record too. And still, this Brooks athlete knows he's got more to give. Now he's chasing something bigger: more fun...

If you know me, you know I love books — love looking at them on my shelf, love losing myself in them, love the people who write them. So I feel very lucky to have had the chance to talk with author Greta Lacroix.

Greta wrote Love on the Run, a romance novel focused around a Toronto run crew. But the real story here is one of perseverance. Greta is both a longtime runner and marathoner, and her path to becoming a published author followed the same rhythm as her running: ebbs and flows, stretches where she had to...

Trevor Hofbauer is a two-time Canadian Marathon Champion, a Canadian Half Marathon Champion, a Team Canada member at the World Cross Country Championships, and an Olympian. But that's not what he hopes you remember about him first.

Ask anyone he works with at Run Calgary, and they'll tell you the same thing: Trevor is a really good dude.

He's also the epitome of "rise and grind." That work ethic — that obsession with finding the 1% — shows up in his training, in his life, and in every athlete he coaches.

This one's going to make you...

Safety on the run can be a difficult subject to talk about. We want to believe that the places we run and the people we run with will always help us feel safe and happy. But for many runners, thoughts about safety are always top of mind—whether because of lived experience or uncertainty about the spaces we're in.

I was lucky to be joined by three generous humans who are constantly looking for ways to help keep people safe: on the roads, on the trails, and during a race: SarahRose Black, Erin Doucette and Steve Dowler.

A record-breaking 14,000 participants trained for months for the 2026 Manitoba Marathon. At the office, we spent 11 months planning for them.

Ever wondered what it takes to get thousands of runners safely to the finish line? Who's thinking about medals, water stations, road closures, bananas, and porta-potties while you're focused on race day? The answer: a whole lot of incredible people.

In part two of this special behind-the-scenes episode, we're pulling back the curtain for a candid look at everything from race week through the days after the finish line comes down. It's a bit of a w...

A record-breaking 14,000 participants trained for months for the 2026 Manitoba Marathon. At the office, we spent 11 months planning for them.

Ever wondered what it takes to get thousands of runners safely to the finish line? Who's thinking about medals, water stations, road closures, bananas, and porta-potties while you're focused on race day? The answer: a whole lot of incredible people.

In this special behind-the-scenes episode, we're pulling back the curtain to introduce you to just a few of the nearly 2,000 people who make race weekend happen—from organizers and volunteers to race partners, contractors, and the ma...

After more than 250 episodes and one question asked over and over again—When did you first fall in love with running?—This special clip show brings together some of my favourite answers from the archives.

From Olympians and Team Canada athletes who seemed destined to run, to everyday runners whose journeys began with friendship, community, adventure, or self-discovery, these stories highlight the many ways people find their way into the sport. Along the way, you'll hear funny memories, unexpected moments, inspiring reflections, and reminders that running is about so much more than miles and finish lines.

F...

Like so many great stories in the running community, So Far So Good Run Club started with an idea shared on a long trail run. Greg Hanycz had an idea, and somewhere out on the trails with Brock Fraser, that idea started to take shape. With the help of a few key people, So Far So Good Run Club was born.

Talk to anyone who's run with So Far So Good and they'll tell you the same thing: it's people and vibes first, performance second. Sure, there are goals, training blocks, and progression along the way, but...

Lauren Gale may now live and train in Ottawa, but this Newfoundland-born sprinter, raised by two Nova Scotians, still carries the warmth and spirit of the East Coast everywhere she goes. Friendly, thoughtful, and deeply connected to her family, friends, and community, Lauren's positivity stands out just as much as her speed on the track.

Over the years, she's experienced the highs and lows that come with life as both an individual and relay sprinter, but her resilience and dedication to the sport have never wavered. A track athlete for more than half her life, Lauren continues...

Ali McPherson was born with running in her blood. What started as childhood bike rides alongside her mother during long training runs has grown into a remarkable career on both the trails and the roads. In 2025, she claimed first female at both the Sinister 7 Ultra 50K and the UTMB Challenge 50K in Fin del Mundo. On the road racing side, she won the Manitoba Half Marathon and returned to the Boston Marathon start line with her mother for the second time, running a new personal best along the way.

When Ali isn't chasing her own goals, she's...

Michael Betteridge is the kind of person who doesn't just show up for his community—he helps build it. In Regina, he's become a driving force in creating spaces where queer people and allies can be active, feel welcome, and show up exactly as they are. That vision comes to life through Queer Fit Club: a free, community-driven fitness pop-up built on collaboration and connection.

Spend a little time with Michael, and a few things quickly become clear. He loves his mom—who, by all accounts, sounds truly incredible. He also loves, as Amy Poehler likes to say...

In this episode, we're exploring the connection between grief and running.

When Marcella Sangregorio was just two years old, her mother, Lisa, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour behind her left eye and given two to five years to live. Remarkably, Lisa lived for another twenty years. Marcella and her father acted as Lisa's primary caregivers until her passing. Moving forward and finding her footing without that part of her life was a challenge.  She began by focusing on her own well-being—and in the process, discovered running.

She quickly moved from running her fir...

Need a little spring sunshine in your day? This is the episode for you.

Nat Severino is a Toronto-based runner who grew up loving sport, but like so many, drifted away from it in adulthood. It wasn't until the stillness of the COVID era—through virtual run challenges and a search for calm in the chaos—that Nat found their way back.

Now, Nat shows up as their full, authentic self: a proud nonbinary athlete running with the Queer Run Crew and embracing the power of community. Hearing them speak about the belonging they've found—throug...

Tanya Desrivières arrived at the start line of her first ultra trail race in a pretty unconventional way. She had always been active outdoors in a variety of sports and is a self-proclaimed Gym Rat. But when the Spartan Ultra she had trained for was first cancelled mid-race due to weather and then shut down the following year by COVID, she decided to channel all that hard work and training into an ultra trail race instead. It was love at first sight.

Her drive, competitive nature, and refusal to quit quickly became the foundation for tackling lo...

Ceili McCabe has always known she wanted to be a professional athlete. From a young age, her goal was simple: compete at the highest level, no matter the sport. She began in soccer, but after an injury in her teens made it clear that reaching the top of that sport might not be possible, she recalibrated and shifted her focus.

That competitive drive—and her love of being part of a team—eventually led her to distance running, where she's built an incredible career in cross country and on the track. Along the way, she's also found the...

When athlete Leanne Taylor was involved in a mountain biking accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down, her world changed. While she was navigating the emotions that come with a life-altering injury, Leanne decided she would focus on finding a new way to continue to bring back confidence and goal-setting through sport. Just eight months after her injury, she was on a start line competing in her very first paratriathlon.

Leanne lives by the motto: Why not just try and see how far you can go? That mindset, along with a relentless work ethic and...

This week, I'm bringing back 42 Questions—a segment I haven't done in a while—and there was only one person who came to mind to relaunch it: the sunshine-filled Joyce Law.

Joyce is a run and strength coach dedicated to empowering women, and she's a vibrant force in run communities across the GTA. No matter where she shows up, though, her heart belongs to her home crew, We Run North York.

I loved this conversation. I love Joyce. And I think you're going to love this too. Get ready for some great coaching tips, some grea...

TRIGGER WARNING: Today's conversation includes a discussion of substance abuse and a suicide attempt. I feel that it is important to share this story, but I also recognize that these topics can be heavy. Please listen in a way that feels safe for you, and don't hesitate to step away or join me for the next episode if you need to.

If this episode brings up difficult feelings, support is available. In Canada, you can reach Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566 by phone or text, or contact 911 if you're in immediate danger. If you're a...

Kelsey Hogan started running outside as a kid in her hometown of Steady Brook, NL. That early love for being outside and exploring has grown into a passion for elite ultra trail racing. 

After talking with Kelsey, it became clear that connection sits at the heart of everything she does: connection to the natural world and the way it feels to move through it on the trails, connection rooted in gratitude for the people and experiences that have shaped her journey, and connection to community through her work as a mental performance coach. 

Kelsey pours he...

At the Banff Film Festival in November 2025, a short film titled Becky Bates, Not a Running Story, premiered. The documentary followed Becky Bates, a 62-year-old BC ultrarunner, as she prepared for her third startline at the legendary Hardrock 100. This title perfectly captures Becky's humble take on her place in the sport: she doesn't see what she is doing as remarkable, even though many (read: me) would disagree.

Becky started ultrarunning later in life, lining up for her first race at 50 after decades of biking, climbing and mountaineering. Twelve years on, she's racing in the front of her...

Today we're hanging out with Quebec trail phenom Maïka Lamoureaux. Maïka somehow makes balancing life as a PhD candidate at HEC Montréal and a fiercely competitive trail running career look easy.

In 2022, she was selected to represent Canada at the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in Thailand—and at just 24, she was the youngest athlete in the 80K. That experience lit a fire, building confidence and a hunger to explore just how far her limits can go (spoiler alert: she's still finding them).

These days, Maïka's sweet spot is a vert-heavy 50K, tho...

Giddy up—because today, Michelle and Kim Krezonoski are back! Kim and Michelle have been crushing their own running goals—most notably finishing as the top two Canadian women at the 2024 Boston Marathon—yet they stay grounded and remind us that life is full of different pursuits that fuel us.

Beyond their own training, they've spent the past few years inspiring athletes through their coaching company, Startline Strength. And now, they've added a brand-new venture to their roster: Pairr Socks. Pairr is the result of nearly two years of passion, testing, research, and fine-tuning—and the result is prett...

Sarah Deeb, along with her sister Maysoun, launched Womensfitsauga in 2020 to get more women moving together in a social, supportive space - and to become the role models they wished they had had growing up in sport. The journey hasn't been without bumps (looking at you, COVID), but every pivot they had to make and new activity they had to try helped shape the dynamic, welcoming run space they have today. Sarah's outlook on showing up as you are and moving together reminds me of my favourite run quote from the amazing Alexi Pappas: "Running is a team sport...

Regular listeners of the show might already know, but I have had something on my running bucket list for a very long time: crewing at a trail ultramarathon. My amazing friend Jenn Walton granted my wish like a fairy when she ran the 48-hour race at the Beaudry Fall Classic. And of course, I brought my microphones so you could come along for the ride. 

I can now proudly attest that I know firsthand that trail races and the trail race community are MAGIC. The volunteers, the vibes, the snacks, the setting. It's all so wonderful. I h...

This episode makes a three-peat for one of my all-time favourite guests, Gabriela DeBues Stafford. Gabriela has had an extremely challenging few years, focused on injuries that were so consistently unresolved that she actually contemplated retirement. However, the resilience that defines this remarkably unstoppable athlete, paired with the support of healthcare professionals and the boundless love of her partner and coach Rowan, has helped her rediscover her fire, and she is back chasing big goals on the track all over again. 

Follow Gabriela on instagram @gabrielastafford

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EPISODE SPONSOR: TCS Toronto Wa...

Alex and Vince Huynh have a bit of a competitive streak. They are constantly seeing how far and how fast they can go. But their drive goes beyond personal goals: they're passionate about welcoming new runners and helping people challenge themselves. They also saw a need for more Asian role models in the sport, which led them to create the Asian Toronto Running Club just over a year ago. Vince, Alex and their dedicated team of volunteers embody leadership and inclusion: everyone is welcome at ATRC, Asian or not. The club hosts a social run on Saturdays and a...

I'm excited to bring it to you today's chat from the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon's Women's Training Group. After the pandemic, Canada Running Series and ASICS Canada set out to address, and work to find solutions to, the considerable gap between the number of women and the number of men running marathons. In 2024, they launched the Women's Training Group to support and empower more women to chase big goals on race day.

Last year, Heather Garner and I followed Mandy and Joan on their inspiring journey to the finish line. This year, we're back with two new...

Today we're getting optimized with Nicole Sifuentes. We might keep things casual in our chat, but don't let that fool you—Nicole was an absolute force on the track. She's a twelve-time NCAA All-American, a five-time Canadian Championship medalist in the 1500 and 5000, and she repped Team Canada at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. She also still holds the women's record for the BAA Invitational Mile, just for fun. These days, Nicole pours her energy into Sifuentes Coaching, where she helps athletes dream big and go bigger.

Follow Nicole on insta @sifuentescoaching

Find out more about Sif...

Crossing Lines founders Kortnee Borden and Matt Geofroy had spent many years running with Parkdale Roadrunners: they had always been able to find ways to push for their own goals while helping others feel the magic of getting out in equal measure. But when they entered the ultra endurance trail space, they noticed something missing: people of colour. So they decided to take action and create change.

Crossing Lines is a movement that is making the ultra endurance space more welcoming for BIPOC runners: they teach people the skills they need to be set up for success...

After graduating from the University of Tulsa, Ben Preisner took his years of track and cross-country training and started testing them out on the roads. Following a couple of progressively faster half marathons, he set his sights on the full. 

When COVID derailed his original plan to debut at the London Marathon, Ben applied for and ran The Marathon Project in 2020, where he ran a remarkable 2:10:17.

In this episode, we discuss qualifying for and racing at the Tokyo Olympics, his rise from being the fifth fastest Canadian marathoner to now being the second fastest, and h...

Creating a Culture of Safety for Runners was put together by three passionate leaders in the running community—people who not only love the sport but are deeply committed to building connections within their groups. Their passion for people naturally extends to a shared commitment to safety. After all, you can't create an inclusive and joyful space if people are showing up in fear.

Our speakers are:

Sarah Rose Black from Chix Run the 6ix

Alejandro De La Cruz from Running Waters

Erin Doucette from Toronto Trail Runners and The Trail Col...

I use the word resilient often on this show, but today's guest Samantha Powderhorn truly redefines it. Raised in the remote Sayisi Dene First Nation in Northern Manitoba, Samantha faced an incredibly tough childhood marked by addiction, neglect, and becoming a mother at just 15 years old. Later, after a cancer diagnosis and the devastating loss of her brother, she found herself battling addiction, trapped in an unhappy marriage, and trying to find a way forward.

But Samantha's story doesn't end there. She has transformed her life by learning to love and care for herself and discovering strength...