Alberta’s Heidi Frehlich could also be solely 24, however she boasts an astounding athletic resume and is rapidly rising up the ranks of Canadian ultrarunners. Frehlich, who grew up within the Alberta Rockies and Singapore, started her skilled athletic profession in triathlon however lately made the transition to operating full-time. She gained the Misplaced Soul Extremely 100-miler in September, taking second general, and hit the rostrum in third place at each the 2023 Elk Valley Extremely 50K and the Calgary Marathon 50K—and she or he’s solely getting began.
Frehlich lately partnered with Brooks and says her targets and priorities mesh effectively with the corporate’s. “I’m very excited to work with Brooks, as I align effectively with their missions and values,” says Frehlich. “Brooks’s long-standing Run Glad resonates carefully with my private the explanation why I run.”
An early begin
Frehlich says that whereas rising up she participated in a “plethora of sports activities,” and she or he developed a ardour for operating via her mother and father. “My entire household runs, and I started becoming a member of my dad on his lengthy runs after I was in center faculty,” she says. “I’ll all the time be thankful for the affect he had in sharing his love of the game with me, each as my first coach and operating buddy.”
Frehlich competed in swimming and cross nation from the ages of 5 to 17. She shifted to triathlon after she needed to full one for a highschool phys-ed class. “I had grown up a aggressive swimmer, so mixed with my knack for operating, the game appeared to essentially match my strengths,” she says. Frehlich raced as knowledgeable Ironman triathlete from 2021-2023. “At that time my targets have been set towards half and full Ironmans, the place I used to be capable of compete professionally for a number of years till switching to ultras and path this previous 12 months,” says Frehlich.
Work as cross-training
Frehlich is initially from Okotoks, however says she now resides between Lethbridge (the place she accomplished her honours BSc in biochemistry and physiology) and the Crowsnest Cross, the place she works for Sinister Sports activities, which is understood for internet hosting difficult ultras like Sinister 7, the Canadian Demise Race and The Divide 200, and which she says she was drawn to due to her love of the path group and for being exterior. “My major place is engaged on the path crew, clearing and setting the paths for every of the occasions, which means I get to spend most of my days exterior getting in some strong cross-training,” says Frehlich.
Transitioning from triathlon
“Between my love of operating and fervour for pushing my limits of endurance, I’ve all the time felt a pull in the direction of ultras,” says Frehlich. “That, mixed with my love of the mountains, appeared like a really pure shift away from triathlon.”
She finds parallels within the mindset of pushing limits, each bodily and mentally, in each sports activities. “The largest distinction I’ve discovered between the sports activities has been the additional degree of psychological perseverance it takes to compete in ultramarathons,” she says. “There are such a lot of extra shifting components that go into racing for a day or longer, and it has been a really attention-grabbing studying expertise.”
Frehlich loves virtually any kind of motion, and may be discovered climbing, snowboarding, climbing and biking within the mountains throughout her spare time. She makes use of her background in swimming and biking to cross-train and keep health with out overly stressing her physique.
A house within the path group
Frehlich has discovered a house within the operating group. “The path and extremely group is unparalleled, in my view,” she says. “The camaraderie and help from each single particular person at these occasions is unbelievable. Whether or not you’re a seasoned veteran or it’s your first kick on the can, everyone seems to be on the market supporting each other and having fun with the sufferfest collectively.”
Lethbridge’s Misplaced Soul Extremely has a particular place in her coronary heart: “As each my first 50K and first 100-miler, I’ve performed a big quantity of studying about myself at this occasion,” she explains. She loves that the operating group is so welcoming, and celebrates everybody’s efforts equally.
Operating completely happy
Frehlich says her partnership with Brooks is “positively a giant step in a dream I’ve been working towards, ever because the begin of my operating journey as a child, and I’m stoked to take it with the Brooks Crew.”
The Brooks motto, “Run Glad,” resonates. “Operating has all the time held a particular place in my coronary heart, and I’ve frequently liked sharing my ardour for it with others,” she says. “It has persistently been my completely happy place, the place it doesn’t matter what else is going on in my life, I discover solace in lacing up my footwear and heading out the door. Although not each run is straightforward, the flexibility to take action is all the time a present.”
