YourSaskatoon Blogs

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Brainfreeze over the weekend! Be sure to scroll all way to the very bottom of this edition to check out photos of the event submitted by Times readers! In this week's Q&A we're learning more about an upcoming Brainsport Running Academy course that may be perfect for you, or somebody you know who's interested in getting to know the fundamentals of running within an encouraging and welcoming environment. Coach Cara Mazurak is here with the scoop on this course. So let's get to it! Q&A with Cara Mazurak Tara: Before we get into some of the specifics of the upcoming Learn To Run course, would you mind telling us a bit about your background as an athlete and coach? Cara: I became a runner about 15 years ago. I had lost 65 pounds and decided I wanted to start running. I joined a 10K running clinic and...

Tonight the Brainsport Walk/Run Club is celebrating the Wintershines Festival! This is going to be a great opportunity to bring out a friend who has yet to experience what we have to offer every week at the club. Check the "Upcoming Events" section below for more details about this evening.  In this week's Q&A we're speaking with a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Margo Killham is embarking on an exciting study and she's looking to some of you to help her out with her research. Let's get to it! Q&A with Margo Killham Tara: Let’s start by learning more about your study. What can you tell us about the focus and goals of your research? Margo: Like most graduate students I have many goals for my Ph.D. research in the College of Kinesiology, but the main goal of my ongoing study is to find out more...

Happy New Year to everyone! Hopefully you are all having a wonderful start to 2017. For many, a new year marks a time for new beginnings. In this week's Q&A we speak with a local physiotherapist who's embarking on a new endeavour in 2017. Juliet Sarjeant has spent her career working at the Saskatoon Health Region; and is now excited to be starting a private practice part-time at McInnes Physiotherapy - starting tomorrow. As you will read further down, Juliet is looking forward to reconnecting with the Brainsport community in the months ahead. Q&A with Juliet Sarjeant Tara: What was your motivation for venturing into private practice at this time in your career? Juliet: I’m looking forward to starting work in private practice primarily to broaden my client base. At the health region, I only see women with urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. At McInnes Physiotherapy, I’m hoping to continue working with those...

Merry Christmas to you all, and Happy Holidays! As Christmas Day nears and many of you are still hustling around tracking down those last minute gifts, be sure to keep Brainsport in mind. Our staff is full of fantastic ideas for the runner, walker, swimmer, hiker and triathlete in your life. And, of course we are also home to a wide selection of fantastic casual footwear, from warm boots to work shoes, and a whole lot more. In this week's Q&A we're speaking with James Funk, co-director of the Brainsport Brainfreeze, about the race coming up in March. James also has a solid Christmas gift idea near the end of the interview, so stay tuned all the way through - it involve signing someone up for the race! Q&A with James Funk Tara: This is the ninth year for the Brainsport Brainfreeze, so clearly it's a successful event. What do you think...

Congratulations to Tarrant Crosschild on being named the 2016 recipient of the Ric Hanna Leadership Award. Through his love of running Tarrant has become a very positive influence in the province; inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds. Click here to read CBC's story about Tarrant's recognition as this year's award winner. From inspiring personal stories of running to the industry that surrounds it - we now shift our attention to The Running Event. Each year running industry folks flock to this trade show and conference where hundreds of exhibitors strut their latest and greatest. In this week's Q&A we speak with Brian, who recently returned for this massive event in Orlando, FL. Q&A with Brian Michasiw Tara: Before we get to more of the specifics about your time at The Running Event, what are your thoughts on the event as a whole from year to year?            Brian: The Running Event is an annual trade show that is designed for small...

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! Hopefully you all had a great holiday weekend and are now back into the swing of things.  In this week's Q&A we're speaking with Brainsport's Jamie Epp. For those of you unfamiliar with Jamie's background, he's a former U of S Huskies running star, with a seemingly endless list of national championship titles to his name - in events from the 1,500m to cross-country. He has also represented Canada in five international competitions, most notably placing fifth in the 10,000m at the 1999 Pan American Junior Championships. Last year Jamie's remarkable career was recognized with his induction into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. Jamie is now passing along his knowledge and experience to the next generation of Huskies, holding an assistant coaching position with the cross country team for the past four years. The team is having a standout season this fall, so we thought we would get the scoop from Jamie on...

Whether you're all about running, or more into the swim, bike, run trio, there are plenty of big-time events to look forward to in the fall season. Berlin and New York marathons come to mind, and on the triathlon the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii stands out as the main event. In this week's Times we're introducing you to a locally-born and raised triathlete we can all get behind this season - David Stirling. If you're a regular at the Brainsport Run Club you may have run with him, and likely you know his wonderful mom Jan who's a Run Club mainstay. On Oct. 8 David will be lining up with the best in the sport at Kona.  Q&A with David Stirling  Tara: First, let’s start with a bit of background. How did you get your start racing in triathlons? David: My very first triathlon was a Kids of Steel event back in Saskatoon, where we swam at the Harry...

Experienced runners and triathletes alike understand the importance of cross-training. Whether it's hitting the eliptical machine, pool, or bike there's plenty of options available. However, it's kind of nice to try something new every once in a while. There's an interesting opportunity to do just that - at Breathe Cycle Studio, which just opened here in Saskatoon.  In this week's Q&A we speak with Clay Sparks, Co-founder of Breath Cycle Studio, to learn more about this unique form of cross-training.  Q&A with Clay Sparks Tara: Let's start with what exactly Breathe Cycle Studio is all about. This is not your average spin class - would you mind telling use more about it?   Clay: Breathe exists primarily as a reminder to tap into the power deep within each of us. We've built a special room for you to reconnect with that power through movement. The tool we've chosen to use is a RealRyder "un-stationary" indoor-cycle....

Thanks to everyone who came out to run and volunteer at the Brainfreeze on Sunday — it was a beautiful day! Looking ahead at the 2016 racing schedule, there's a lot to get excited about, including the 38th Saskatchewan Marathon. This race is top of list for many runners in Saskatchewan and beyond. In this week's Q&A we speak with its race director, Kim Ali, to learn a bit more about the event. Q&A with Kim Ali Tara: For those who are perhaps new to Saskatchewan, or new to running, could you tell us more about the race's history and how it came to be such a marquee event?   Kim: We are runners and walkers and we volunteer at races! The dedicated race committee has a vision to improve every year through a strong community focus and ongoing communication with past participants. A small number of running enthusiasts started the...

Welcome to the short work week everyone! Hopefully some extra time away from the desk and computer has served you all well. I'm away this week, so the Times is a bit scaled back — I'll have a Q&A prepared for you next week. In the meantime, you may want to check out, photographer, Steve Gibb's website. He's posted his photos of Brainsport, along with some lovely writing about the store. Here's the link http://www.gibbart.com/  — enjoy! Upcoming Events Strength and mobility; a fascial rolling class with Theresa Ziegler Learn how to optimize your tissue mobility and get a core workout ideal for runners at the same time. Streamline your strength and mobility into one effective workout. This class goes through multi-area foam rolling for tissue health and mobility, as well as intersperses each release technique with core specific strengthening work on hips, abdomen and back. Class size is up to 10...

This is the last Times of 2015. Happy New Year everyone!  There's a lot to look forward to in 2016, as we celebrate Brainsport's 25th anniversary. As we enter this exciting new year, Brainsport continues to evolve, while still staying true to its founding principals. With  new ventures such as the Brainsport Running Academy, we're positive 2016 is going to be a great year! In this week's Q&A Brian is taking a look back at Brainsport over the years, as well as looking ahead at what's to come in 2016.   Brian Michasiw: Tara: What does it mean to you to be closing in on the 25th anniversary of Brainsport? Brian: It's a huge milestone. Two and half decades! It's especially meaningful because about half that time in business I didn't think we'd make it. There were lots of times when things were very challenging; and I didn't know if we would be able...

Merry Christmas everyone! This is our last edition of the Times before Christmas Day, so you all get an early greeting. This week we're speaking with Oliver Eaton, the 2015 recipient of the Ric Hanna Leadership Award. This award is inspired by a man who made a tremendously positive impact on the Saskatoon running community.Ric was an outstanding runner, who organized numerous running events throughout the years. He was also a long-time member of the Brainsport Run Club, who was always willing to step up to lead a group.In a display of his commitment, determination, and love of running, Ric managed to make it out to Run Club while battling through Huntington's Disease.Ric, number 28, in his glory days of racing.By 2007, the neurological disease had taken its toll, and Ric could no longer lead any of Run Club's groups. However, he didn't allow the disease to deter him from the club. He...

As the new year fast approaches many of you, along with friends, family and co-workers, are setting your sights on 2016 running goals. We're super excited to be presenting a ton of new running courses in 2016 to help you reach these goals.  In this week's Q&A we speak with Ben Rempel, who's been busy organizing these courses, which will become better known as Brainsport Running Academy.Q&A with Ben RempelTara: There is a lot coming up in the new year for those looking to get into some organized training. Let's start with the 6 Week Tune Up course. What can you tell us about this particular course? Ben: The 6 Week Tune Up course is coached by Pat Somerville. It's aimed at runners who are wanting to fine tune their form for the 2016 Brainsport Brainfreeze. It can be tough getting back to form after a busy holiday season and this is sure to...

While most of us are fortunate enough to have fantastic footwear, for many people in Saskatoon this is not a reality. In fact, many don't even have the bare necessities when it comes shoes. This time of year we can only imagine what it would feel like to be outside in these frigid temperatures without proper footwear.  This is part of why we're so proud to, again, be presenting Free Shoe Day! In this week's Q&A we speak with Mike McDonald, the Founder and Executive Director of Recess Guardians, and long-time volunteer/organizer of Free Shoe Day.Before we get to our chat with Mike, a quick sidenote: We are still gathering as many pairs of gently-used, or new shoes as possible by the end of today (Wednesday, December 2). So please swing by the store and drop off your donations by 6 p.m. We'll also be asking people to volunteer after Run...

The hustle and bustle of summer's end is in full swing. There's been plenty of action at the store and we're looking forward to seeing even more at our Street Sale on September 12. We're also looking forward to the start of our Learn To Run Clinics. In this week's Q&A we chat with coach Stacey Mortenson-Spokes. She has a wonderful message to share. For more information on our clinics take a look at the "Upcoming Events." There's still time to sign up! Q&A with Stacey Mortenson-Spokes Tara: Running carries with it inherent challenges, and for you, a big one has been managing Type 1 Diabetes. Would you mind telling us about when, and how, you found out you are diabetic? And how you responded? Stacey: I was a few weeks out from having completed my fourth marathon in Kelowna when I started to feel very sick. I ignored symptoms for...