“It's been a true honour to have met with the Minotaur again. The event in Crowsnest Pass is special beyond words. From the race directors who have worked tirelessly over the course of many years, to the volunteers, to all those who come from far and wide to participate – it really is something unique to be part of. The course itself is as good as it gets.

A good piece of gear is something I wear without feeling it or needing to think about it. I want the shoe to be something I can trust my life with, by having grip on rock, being durable, and ultimately not being the thing to hold me back. I enjoy building rapport with gear, wearing it over and over and over again, and appreciating it for helping me get out and do what I love.

When relaxed about the race and there for the right reasons things can feel really sweet. When the heart is in it, the mind and body have a heck of an easier time being in it too. Slowly building the experience and figuring out how to race in a way that works well for me. Endless gratitude!!”

“High performance sport is all about curiosity. Especially the realms that we run in, there's a curiosity about what our potential is and also a curiosity to explore the areas around us. When selecting a race or a mountaineering objective, a large part of it is trying to find really beautiful places to go… and I feel the same thing with our designers. They have this really deep curiosity about pushing the limits or the capabilities of the product.

It’s been really interesting learning the other side of the business and how shoes are made. Designers always get all the credit and all the respect and the glory, but through getting to work with the developers as well - the people that actually put the pieces together and make them - and the realities of how these shoes are made is actually incredibly complex. Our feet are full of nerve endings - they’re really, really sensitive. Every foot is quite different, and we are trying to make shoes that fit many different types of foot shapes while still responding reliably in very challenging environments.”

“The best part about the relationship between the athletes and the designers at Arc’teryx is that they're coming from two different mindsets. As an athlete, you might think about what's causing the problem, and you might think you have a solution for it… but when you bring it to the designer they can tell you why that might not work in execution. We can solve it together and figure out how best it works out from a design point of view, as well as a functional point of view. That close collaboration is really important and unique to the brand.”