Blog

Another guest post:

My name is Sarah; I grew up here in the Comox Valley. My running journey really starts with my first trail race; the Perseverance Trail Run in 2013. I thought it looked fun, so I signed up with my best friend, we trained for 7 weeks with no experience, and I was instantly hooked.

I tore my meniscus skiing that winter, and after a few years of recovery and rehab, I slowly got back to running.
I joined CVRR in summer of 2016 after being introduced to the TNT (Thursday Night Trails) run. For the next few years, I’d join Fred Bigelow’s run/walk group – I was so slow and often at the back. I wondered if I just wasn’t cut out for running, but I kept showing up and here I am. The last time I ran with Fred, I was at the front of the group, keeping his pace the whole time, and I was so proud of myself. That will forever be a special run for me. Fred was an amazing run leader, and a man full of incredible stories.

In 2022 I got serious about my running. I was at TNT consistently and quickly became a part of the community. I added the Taste of Trails Sunday run to my calendar, and started leading group runs in recent years. I also go with the Saturday group when I’m not training extra km’s for The Cumby or other events. The best part of the weekend groups is going for coffee after and being surrounded by these extraordinary people who were running before I was even born. The stories, the lessons, the laughter. They are truly inspiring, and I’m honoured to sit at their table.

I joined the CVRR Board of Directors in 2025 as Registrar, I’m also the current Race Director for the 5th Street Mile. I’m excited to be co-hosting TNT for the 2026 season, coming full circle and sharing the experiences that shaped my love for running. I feel incredibly lucky to have met people who are not only my mentors, who recognize what I’m capable of long before I do, but have become lifelong friends.