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. In December 2023, she completed ultra#46 and her first in-person timed running event at Sinister Sports' The Dark 24 Hours. At Lost Souls Ultra in September 2023, she was surprised to receive the Jack Finley Memorial Award for "Running ultras for the sheer love of them, helping others enjoy the ultra experience, promote ultras to new and veteran runners, maintains a positive outlook, expresses gratitude to race volunteers and gives generously of oneself". 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 beer...Electric Unicorn
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. Phil works alongside Mike Melton from MCM Timing and Results LLC to ensure 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!
As a lover of ultramarathons, Andrea was is search of a different type of challenge and heard about Survivorfest. She decided to take on the 24hr event in 2023. So many people on the Board supported her through the race and made it even more enjoyable. She was totally hooked on the format and environment, and reached out to Laura to see how she could get more involved.
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.
Sam was first introduced to the amazing Survivorfest team as a volunteer in 2022. The following year, she decided to challenge herself by participating as an athlete in the 6-hour format, an endeavor that culminated in her conquering her first marathon. Beyond her personal achievements, Sam is a co-leader of the local Edmonton chapter of the Trail Sisters running group. Her leadership in this community underscores her dedication to promoting inclusivity, empowerment, and a love for the outdoors. Sam is gearing up for an exciting new role in 2024 – stepping into the position of volunteer coordinator for Survivorfest. With her experience as both a volunteer and an athlete, she is uniquely poised to guide and inspire others.
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.
Gwen is the second daughter of Laura and Phil and the middle triplet. She was recruited through helping out Laura with social media and other technology- related problems. She enjoys do art in her spare time as well as playing video games. In her free time she also plays guitar and harmonica. During Suvivorfest she can be seen doing photography or helping at the timing tent with her dad. Gwen's favourite beer is the Sea Change Irish Red Ale!