There are a lot of people in the world who see the change that is needed, but not a lot who become the change they need to see. Anita Cardinal is that change. Anita is a Nêhiyaw (Cree) runner who became a young mother, worked hard to support her family as a paralegal, and then attended school as a mature student to obtain her law degree. She is the founder of both the run group Indigenous Runner in Edmonton and the Orange Shirt Day Run, now on its fourth year and run in both Edmonton and Saskatoon. She is also an incredibly brave and dedicated ultra trail runner with a story or two to tell on the long winding roads that both take us to the finish line and change us as people.

Follow Anita on Instagram @runswiththewind

Follow Indigenous Runner and Orange Shirt Day Run @indigenousrunner

Follow Native Women Running @native_women_running

Register for the 2024 Orange Shirt Day Run: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/88301/orange-shirt-day-runwalk

Can't attend? Support the event charity The Orange Shirt Society: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/88301/orange-shirt-day-runwalk/fundraising-organization/56178#event-description

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EPISODE SPONSOR: TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon's Women's Training Program

If you are looking for a support system to get you from now to the start line of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 20, consider this your sign. The Women's Training Program is FREE to join, and will provide you with both a training program created by The Running Physio Lauren Roberts, but also a different guest speaker each week that will provide insight on topics specifically relevant to women who are in the throws of marathon training. From nutrition to injury prevention to mental resilience and race day strategies, this is the ultimate hack to help you achieve your race day goals. Visit @towaterfront42K on Instagram and use the link in bio to register.

Theme Music: Joseph McDade

This panel discussion on Adaptive Racing was recorded live on the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Speaker Stage. The session was moderated by Fannie Smith, Manager of Para Development for Athletics Canada. The panel included three para-athletes from a variety of backgrounds. Mike Greer has been participating in road races as an adaptive athlete for more than a decade and works with races to help make them more accessible to all participants. Josh Cassidy is a three-time Paralympian, Boston Marathon Champion and former world record holder. Cindi Davis is an American recreational hand cycler who has competed in a variety of events in North America. This panel of speakers will make you think about how you can help make the events you attend more inclusive for all participants, and give you some new athletes to cheer for on race day.

Follow Athletics Canada @athleticscanada

Follow Mike Greer @bloddsweatandwheels

Follow Josh Cassidy @joshcassidy84

EPISODE SPONSOR: We may be nearing the end of our recordings from the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, but now is the time to get yourself registered for the 2024 event! As you may remember, the full and half marathon sold out quickly and this year is on pace to do the same. Learn more about how you can register and get involved in race weekend at www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com.

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Theme music: Joseph McDade

It's time to hang out with three-time Olympian, coach, and all around cool human Malindi Elmore! Malindi is our female representative in the marathon for the upcoming Paris Olympics and she is ready to fly. We catch up on the races and the training over the past two years that have not only let her best the Paris standard, but gave her two shiny new PBs in both the half and full marathon. Malindi is working extremely hard, but she is also still loving the process and is so incredibly passionate about our sport. She also talks about her fundraising campaign for KidSport BC - find out how you can support the goal and help give all kids in Canada a chance to play.

Follow Malindi on Instagram @malindielmore

Find out how you can support Malindi's fundraising goal for KidSport at www.malindielmore.com

EPISODE SPONSOR: The in-person Oasis Zoo Run may be sold out, but there's still time to join as a virtual participant. And you aren't going to want to miss out on this super cute medal: it features two of the Toronto Zoo's southern white rhinos, mama Sabi and her little one, Kifaru. Don't wait and chance missing out - register now at www.canadarunningseries.com

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Theme Music: Joseph McDade

Today on the show I welcome back Olympian Jess O'Connell. Our last chat was what feels like a lifetime ago, so we talked about her post-COVID run at a spot in Tokyo and how healing from a longstanding injury made her discover how much running is a part of her soul. Jess coaches both independently, as the co-owner of Grit Coaching, and also as an Assistant Coach at the University of Calgary, working with the Dino's Distance Track and Cross Country program. Jess has a lifetime's worth of experience as an athlete, which she is excited to use to fuel her passion for coaching. As for setting some big goals for herself again on the track or road? Never say never.

Follow Jess on Instagram @jessmoconnell

Follow Grit Coaching @grit_coaching

EPISODE SPONSOR: The in-person Oasis Zoo Run may be sold out, but there's still time to join as a virtual participant. And you aren't going to want to miss out on this super cute medal: it features two of the Toronto Zoo's southern white rhinos, mama Sabi and her little one, Kifaru. Don't wait and chance missing out - register now at www.canadarunningseries.com

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Theme Music: Joseph McDade

For our next installment of recordings from the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Speaker stage, welcome to Sustainability in Sport. This topic is huge: with more and more runners finding their first start line, ensuring that race events can be around for years to come is more vital than ever. Canada Running Series's guru of green, Jen Cerullo, introduces Tina Muir, author of Becoming a Sustainable Runner: A Guide to Running for Life, Community and Planet. Tina speaks with Mike Hurley (Trees for Life), Jeff Packer (Carbon Neutral Club) and Ainsley Munro (Trans Canada Trail). This session is full of real talk and a focus on how the accumulation of the actions we take when we have the opportunities to make choices are what make the biggest impact. So snuggle up with your signed copy of Tina's book and join me back at the speaker stage to find out what we can do to keep our earth ready for all generations.

Follow our guests on Instagram:

Tina Muir @tinamuir88

Carbon Neutral Club @carbonneutralclub

Trans Canada Trail @transcanadatrail

Trees For Life @cdntreesforlife

EPISODE SPONSOR: The Vancouver Half Marathon may be sold out, but spaces still remain in the 5k, taking place on June 23, 2024. All the fun packed into a shorter distance.

The Under Armour East Side 10 on September 22, 2024, is also filling fast: this iconic race runs through the historic east side of Vancouver. Double up and run the Vancouver Special Challenge: complete a virtual and an in-person 10K for bonus swag.

Go to www.canadarunningseries.com to register

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Theme music: Joseph McDade

For our 200th episode together, we are going to love all over our run community. I was joined for my birthday party by Mofope Oyekunle from TeamUltra Black and Kayla Hunt and Emma Ferguson from OCRC (Ottawa City Run Club). What an amazing group of community leaders: these three humans care deeply about our sport and encourage all the people to join them. We talked about what it takes to make a truly welcoming environment, where runners can show up, know what to expect, and find their place for the long haul. And that is precisely how we build community in this sport. That and spilling our guts to each other over long runs.

Eric Chéné has loved sports, both playing them and watching them, basically forever. He has spent his adult years working his way through various sports logistics jobs, which grew his skill set to land him in the job he's had for the last decade: Race Director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society, host of the BMO Vancouver Marathon. Eric is at the epicentre of Canada's largest running boom in decades. This was evidenced on May 7th: the BMO Vancouver Marathon hosted over 20,000 runners, a great many of which were running their first ever half and full marathons. Eric and I dig into the awesome things about welcoming all of these new, enthusiastic runners, but also what challenges they bring to a race of this size. I hope our digging into some of the details that make a race like this happen highlights for you how much care and attention go into all of the details that work together to keep every runner safe and happy on race day. It's an awesome time to be a member of the run community!

Follow the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Instagram @bmovanmarathon

THEME MUSIC: Joseph McDade

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EPISODE SPONSOR: Vancouver Half Marathon

The swag has dropped, and excitement is high for this year's Vancouver Half Marathon, taking place in person on June 23, 2024, or virtually from June 1-30, 2024. THIS RACE IS 90% SOLD OUT! Secure your spot and run a gorgeous 21 km or 5 km. Your prize? A beautiful medal, souvenir ASICS participant shirt, access to the Runkeeper Go premium experience and more! Register today at www.canadarunningseries.com

Many things make our local run communities amazing, but one of those things that has the power to take it up a notch is a fantastic local run shop. Caroline Fisher, co-owner of Big Sky Running Company in Winnipeg, was hooked on running as a teenager when she first logged miles with her mother and her run group at Running Room. It inspired her to reach for big goals early on, running her first marathon as a teenager and then joining the Bisons track team at the University of Manitoba. She continued to develop as a runner, became a mom twice over, and has now shown her skills as an ultra trail runner. She even placed third at the Manitoba Marathon last year, with her home crowd cheering her on. As Big Sky recently celebrated its first birthday, Caroline talked about her huge love for the run community and some of the trials and triumphs of being a small business owner.

Follow Big Sky Running Company on Instagram @bigskyrunco

Photo credit: @therunningkat

EPISODE SPONSOR: Vancouver Half Marathon

The swag has dropped, and excitement is high for this year's Vancouver Half Marathon, taking place in person on June 23, 2024, or virtually from June 1-30, 2024. THIS RACE IS 90% SOLD OUT! Secure your spot and run a gorgeous 21 km or 5 km. Your prize? A beautiful medal, souvenir ASICS participant shirt, access to the Runkeeper Go premium experience and more! Register today at www.canadarunningseries.com

THEME MUSIC: Joseph McDade