MEET THE TEAM
Laura fills many roles but her favourite by far is mom to 5 kids. A few years ago she made the choice to run 50 ultras by the time she is 50 with the goal of raising funds for Saffron Centre, her local sexual assault centre. As a survivor, this is an organization very important to her and many others in the community. She is looking forward to completing Sinister Sports 100 miler as her 45th ultra in July 2023, and although she may not be the fastest, she gets better and better each time and always makes friends along the way! Without Laura, this event would have never come to light and the team couldn't be happier to work with such an amazing and driven woman! Favourite shoes....ALTRAs on trail, track or road!
Phil has been involved with Survivorfest Running Event since Laura came home with the idea. They have been collaborating for over 25 years and married for 19 years. He is very detailed oriented so he is a perfect match for Laura's great ideas and ensuring our timing is set up correctly for our athletes' goals and records are achieved. Phil loves craft beer but continually returns to his favourite Guinness when he isn't perfecting his gaming skills on Diablo.
With Eva's infectious laugh and smile, Eva's passion is volunteering. She volunteered with Survivorfest in 2019 and couldn't stay away from joining the team when the opportunity arose. Eva loves to stay busy and has spent several years volunteering in a variety of positions with United Way, Corporate Challenge and currently volunteers with four other groups!!! I guess you could call her an Ultra Volunteer!! In between Eva still finds time to enjoy running, motorcycling, Pilates, golfing, OrangeTheory, walking,,,anything active with family and friends. Eva has a sweet tooth for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Erica has been both a runner at long ultra distance events (over 25 to date) and volunteers/crews for various members of the community and races. She has also been on the front-line as a health-care worker throughout the pandemic.
She is really excited to ensure our athletes have the best race day EVER!!
Erica took the lead on creating a virtual seminar series for our athletes in 2021 which will have short informative sessions on nutrition, race experience and more!
Charissa helped out as a volunteer in 2019 and loved Survivorfest so much, she wanted to come back in a bigger capacity. She is another BUSY mom with 3 kids, works with women experiencing domestic violence AND is working on her Sociology degree. We love that she's found some extra time to make sure that every cent goes to Saffron Centre!! Charissa is another hugger so if Laura isn't around, she's the next best one to hug!!! She may not be a marathoner but she's definitely a cheerleader!
Favourite thing to eat...mint dark chocolate, just in case anyone would like to bring some.
Kathy came on as treasurer for Survivorfest in 2023 after volunteering in 2022. She has been a runner for many years and started volunteering at running events after moving to the Edmonton area.
Amanda was first introduced to Survivorfest was in 2019 where she first volunteered and met the amazing team. She had so much fun that she wanted to join the team in a greater capacity as Volunteer Coordinator. Amanda has been running ultramarathons since she was 16 years old and finished her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Alberta in 2021. When she isn't on the trails or studying for anything you can find her working hard at her job at a busy veterinary practice or riding her horse, Storm.
After being introduced to Laura and Survivorfest in 2022, Laura wanted to get involved and what better way than to bring her marketing expertise to the table to help grow what is already an internationally recognized, community celebration of athleticism, grit, and perseverance!
Michael joined the Survivorfest team in 2020 after a brief conversation with Laura about the potential to live-stream the event in hopes to raise awareness for the cause as well as to increase the excitement around the event. As an avid runner, Michael enjoys speaking to others about their successes, struggles, and overall experiences with running. “If there’s one thing that every runner has in common, it's that they love talking about running”. On race day, Michael hopes to bring that excitement to the live stream, not only providing updates on the race itself, but engaging in stories on what motivates us to run! Michael enjoys a variety of beers and loves the holiday season when the Beer Advent calendars are released.
Bo is one of Laura and Phil's kids. He is very artistically gifted much like his siblings. He attends a local Junior High School where he is an Honour student. Although his home is filled with pets, he is very much a cat person. Like most runners, Bo enjoys his carbs, especially Sour Patch Kids, popcorn, and pretzels.
A now accomplished ultra-marathon runner, Stephen was first introduced ultras in 2022 at Survivorfest where he completed his first 24 hour race. As an avid runner, Stephen wanted to get involved behind the scenes at Survivorfest by bringing his business background to the table to help grow the reach and impact of the cause!