MY BIO
Every Olympian starts somewhere. For me, it was on the backroads outside of a small town called Lucknow, Ontario. I was not the kid who grew up watching the Olympics on TV thinking, “I want that to be me.”
EARLY YEARS
My love for running began on the gravel track behind Brookside Public School in 2000, and has been supported by my parents, Cathy and Mathew, and role modeled by my brothers, Cedric and Dominic. I can attribute a lot of my competitive spirit to being the youngest and only girl, just trying to keep up. My family revolved around an active, outdoor lifestyle. Each season meant a different sport: from track, soccer, and triathlon in the spring/summer, to cross country running, skiing and snowboarding in the fall/winter. Running was never the focus, but it was the common dominator to my athletic involvement, and eventually, my endurance set me apart.
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Cross country and track began to take on a bigger part of my life when I started at F.E. Madill Secondary School in 2008. I have been fortunate to have incredible role models in the sport, and this lucky streak began with Gary and Maureen Lisle, my high school coaches, who are mentors to this day. They taught me that the most important thing is not the outcome, but the journey, and to celebrate every personal best, no matter how big.
Throughout secondary school, I had a linear progression towards medalling at the OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) Championships. At the time, this felt like the Olympics, except I had not yet left the province. By senior year, I had led our team to an OFSAA cross country title, and I won the individual gold in the 1500m steeplechase. I was not sure how it could get any better than this.
The Lisles set the tone for my running career, and just about everything. It was no coincidence that their alma mater became my first choice for post-secondary, and Kingston, Ontario, was the next step in my journey.
QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY
In the fall of 2012, I was accepted to Queen’s University, and my athletic pursuits continued on the varsity cross country and track team, under head coach, Steve Boyd. Upon arrival, I did not set any expectations for running, I was just genuinely happy to have made the team. School was the priority (or at least that’s what I told my parents). Studying and running became a one-to-one ratio for me, I worked hard in the classroom to get good grades while training just as hard for my upcoming races.
By sophomore year, I won the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport, now U Sports) Championships in both cross country and track. I made my first national team, representing Canada at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships that spring. This planted the seed that I could one day, compete at the Games. But the following years were some of the hardest and most formative for me as a young and stubborn athlete. I faced my first injury and dealt with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).
Running demands a great deal of focus and discipline, but it also requires patience, in trusting the process that if you put in the work, the results will come. Rather than maximizing my enjoyment in the sport, I minimized myself to being disciplined.
In attempt to control every aspect of my lifestyle, it began to control me. During a period of relentless setback, Steve said something to me that I will never forget: “I just want to see you healthy, happy, and running fast - in that order.” I repeated his motto, and still remind myself of it to this day. The big picture and long-term approach became our focus. No amount of success would trump my well-being, and I was lucky enough to come out on the right side of this experience.
I became the first 5-time All-Canadian in Queen’s history, placing top-14 at every national championship. I had 12-podium finishes and was awarded the Alfie Pierce (Female Rookie of the Year), OPY (Outstanding Performance of the Year), and PHE ’55 Alumnae (Female Athlete of the Year) trophies. I completed a Bachelor of Honours in Health Studies and a Masters of Science in Sport Psychology. I achieved everything I could have wanted in those years, and up to that point, this felt like the pinnacle of my career.
“I just want to see you healthy, happy, and running fast - in that order.”
- Steve Boyd
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
In 2018, I moved to London, Ontario for new opportunities. I began my teaching degree while continuing to train from a distance with Steve. This felt like the next chapter in my journey, but a lot of life changes were still waiting. I debated what I wanted to do with my education and whether I wanted to continue competing. Was it time to focus on a career or try to pursue running? These felt like big questions without any clear direction. Life was at a crossroads, but then it came to a standstill.
In February of 2019, my family lost my oldest brother, Dominic, to suicide. Nothing prepares you for this, when life suddenly feels insignificant, and no amount of sweat or tears will help you clear the wave of emotions. It was a defining moment when I truly learned the value of the people in your corner, and how to lean into those you love when life gets hard. Running became a release, and Dom became a reason to keep chasing the dream.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
The beginning of 2020 was big. I ran the second-fastest indoor 3,000m by a Canadian woman and broke through the nine-minute mark for the first time. But as the world shut down and the Games were postponed, I turned inward, and decided to use my strength and focus on what I could control, the rest was now noise. This was a time in my career where I felt like all odds were stacked against me, but I held on to hope that “this too shall pass,” and if it’s meant to be, I can make it happen.
Heading into 2021, I had only previously broke 16 minutes in the 5,000m two years prior, but this was my best shot at making the Olympic Team. I packed my bags and flew to the US to chase the qualifying time of 15:10. By May, over the course of five consecutive personal bests, I ran under the Olympic standard in California, then went on to break 15 minutes for the first time in Oregon, running 14:57.50. On July 3, I was named to Team Canada. This moment, and the entire season, will forever be a highlight in my career. My dream of being an Olympian became a reality, and since then, I have turned it in to a living.
After competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, I joined Team New Balance Boston, led by Mark Coogan, and now train full-time as a professional athlete. I recently competed at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, representing Canada in the 3,000m and 5,000m respectively. It’s a long way from Lucknow to Boston, literally and metaphorically, and many miles from Brookside gravel track to the Olympic stadium. I now come home to this small town where my journey all began, and run the same country roads that led me to Tokyo, hoping that they will continue to Paris 2024.
CONTACT
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