Athlete of The Month: Noer Wuisman

Along with our NEW newsletter we are also starting a new blog for Strides Canmore!! One new feature we will be highlighting in the blog is an athlete of the month where we are able to showcase a local athlete connected to the store and community and ask them questions about their sport and learn from their experiences!

Our first athlete we will be highlighting is Noer Wuisman! Noer is a Canmore local runner, mom, and teacher who started running just 3.5 years ago with the Strides Learn to Run club.  In just 3 years of dedicated running and hard work, she recently completed her first 60k Ultra running race in Shuswap.  She has been committed to learning about the sport, staying injury free by increasing her mileage gradually, and exploring our mountain trails with the Run Club and with new running friends.  A huge congratulations to Noer for an amazing accomplishment and for inspiring others to reach their goals!  

How long have you been running?
My running journey began 3 1/2 years ago in January 2019. I signed up for the Running 101 clinic for beginners at Strides Canmore, where I started with the basics: walking and running 1 minute intervals for 20 minutes along the Canmore river pathways. The clinic was invaluable as it taught me about running techniques and injury prevention. My running spark got ignited, and I continued to grow as a runner by taking a few more running clinics with Strides and setting personal running goals that excited me. My running goals gradually progressed from running up Mt. Douglas/Pkols, a small mountain in Victoria in my first year, to running the Iceline Trail (21K) in my second year, followed by the Skyline Trail (46K) in my third year and then the Shuswap 60K ultra this fall.

What inspired you to tackle an ultra?
What guides me in trail running is my sense of adventure and curiosity. Spending an extended time moving through various landscapes of natural beauty makes my heart sing! I love endurance and spending time in nature, and long distance trail running gives me the opportunity to do both. I also wanted to challenge myself; doing something I never thought I would be capable of doing, something that physically, as well as mentally was going to stretch me. I find it immensely rewarding to work towards a goal that initially seemed impossible, but with hard work, I was able to succeed.

What are your biggest challenges?
Work-life balance is a challenge with being a parent, working full-time, and needing time to train for long distances. Sometimes this means waking up at 5:30am for my long runs - even if I am tired or the weather isn’t great.

What would you be your advice to new runners?
1. Focus on injury prevention: start slow, use walk/run intervals, learn about maintenance.
2. Be curious! Ask questions about gear, nutrition and hydration, follow advice and tips from experienced runners, sign up for clinics and
read books.
3. Set running goals that truly excite you so you stay motivated!
4. Build community and find fellow runners with similar goals and running pace.
5. Be inspired, but don’t compare yourself with others. Define your success by your own progress.
6. Cultivate a love for running! In my opinion, running with a smile on your face is more important than what your watch says.

Thank you!
I would like to thank Strides Canmore, in particular Kylie, Pamela and Tim, for nurturing and supporting my running journey with such enthusiasm. You have created a very welcoming and inclusive culture, where everyone can work on one’s running goals no matter how small or big.
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