About

Meet Greg 

Email: greg@areteendurance.com
Follow me on Strava

I have been involved in endurance sports for most of my life as a competitor, race director, and coach. What started as a boy racing the school bus home grew into a young man chasing mountain bike cross country racing across North America. From there that turned into Marathon running and Triathlon. Driven to see how far I could go in each sport, I have been able to compete in some of the most prestigious events in the world. Highlights Include:

• Cross Country Mountain Biking: Achieved World Cup Status as a Pro/Elite
• Running: Several podiums at MB Marathon (1:13 1/2 Marathon PB, 2:32 Marathon PB), Run in Boston, NYC, and Chicago Marathons, 50KM Road PB 3:20, 100KM Gravel PB 8:11
• Triathlon: Ironman Hawaii World Championship, 70.3 Ironman World Championship
• Ultras: Canadian Death Race, U.T.M.B, Kodiak 100, Sinister 7, R2R2R2R,  597KM in 24 Hours on Bike, Old Tom Backyard, Former Mantario FKT)
• 2025 Goals, Return to Faster Road Race Events (Boston 2025). Keep Western States Tickets accumulating
• Co-Race Director Suffer on Centennial. Past Race Director (Let’s Run – Steinbach, Run for Mom)
• Coached For Triathlon MB.

I coach because I love to use my experiences and passion to help you reach your goals. I know what it is like to juggle family, work, and a busy schedule yet still reach for your very best in sports. I coach because I know the transformation that happens when someone aims to give their very best and I believe I can help with that pursuit. The word Arete perfectly describes my belief, that true success is achieved by working on body, mind, and spirit. Whatever your goals are I create realistic, challenging, and flexible training plans based on a lifetime of experience and knowledge.

I’m still very involved as an athlete and believe a coach should lead by example and experience.

I am married to Tanya and have one son Isaiah.

Certifications:

• TrainingPeaks Certified Level 2 Coach (Link)
• UESCA Certified Ultramarathon Coach
• Swim: Swim 101 – Trained
• Cycling: Ready to Race!, NCCP Technical Mountain Bike I, II
• Other Courses: MED, RIS Leaders, Developing Athletic Abilities, Basic Mental Skills

Meet Tanya 

If you know me, you will know that one of my greatest joys is planning and hosting events. There’s something truly special about building community—creating spaces where people feel connected and part of something meaningful. Whether it’s having a group at our home for a cup of coffee and muffin after a Saturday morning run, a trail run at Sandilands with coffee and scones, or a family run followed by sundaes in our backyard, I love being part of organizing these moments.

In my role, I manage various administrative tasks, including welcome emails, merchandise, and some social media. With my background in administration, I love bringing my organizational skills to ARETE and contribute to our vibrant community.

A common question I get when Greg introduces me is, “So, do you also run?” The answer is, “Nope!” While I’ve trained and completed a few 5Ks and even a 10K, running isn’t quite my thing. However, I absolutely love taking long daily walks, which are a vital part of my routine. I also take pride in trying to be the best Support Crew for Greg, which feels like the perfect way for me to stay close to the racing world.

Meet Gord 

My origin story is the opposite of Greg’s. I never considered myself an athlete growing up, and only dabbled in running throughout college and the early years of family life. For me, running was a simple post work 7km stress reliever. Fast-forward to today, where Ultras are common, and the idea of running a Boston-qualifying time is passe, clearly something has changed.

Looking back, my evolution as a runner has been a reflection of those around me. In the early days, it was a friend at Toastmasters who encouraged me that if I could run a 1/2 marathon, I could run a full marathon. And from there, into the trails, and so on. Moving back to Canada in 2017, I discovered Arete and the track sessions. This engagement led to a reframe of my understanding of what training was, and how running could be a communal experience. Through working together with Greg, 2021 was a year of PB in every distance from 5km to 50 miles, and this a the young age of 47!

My long-term passion has been working with people and seeing them break out of self-imposed paradigms that no longer serve them. I naturally see the big picture, and my IT training has honed the ability to dive down into the details while remaining aware of the overall context. As well, I have a natural curiosity about why things are they way they are, and a robust enthusiasm for life.

Through working with Greg, I’ve lived the results of his systems and know them to work. I love working with motivated people who know there’s more for them – more not just in terms of PRs, but in the whole of life. While this coaching focuses on the physical, the interplay with the complexities of life allows a broader and more nuanced conversation to develop, one that impacts more than just the training program.

While my speediest days are most likely behind me, I love staying fit enough so that our annual adventures (most recently R2R2R) can be enjoyed, not just endured. So I look forward to sharing the sweat and grit of the road and trail with everyone.

Meet Steffan 

I have been involved in sports my entire life, whether it be playing soccer, basketball or volleyball, running track and x-country, or racing cross-country mountain bike.  I’ve always loved the thrill of competition and pushing oneself to the limits, so naturally, once I was done playing high school sports, I started coaching them and became a PE teacher to help others find their potential as athletes.

With starting a family, participating in team sports became harder scheduling wise, so I turned to running.  I had run track and x-country in high school, even ran my first marathon in grade 11 (and almost died!), but the positive results started pouring in when I started dedicating myself to the sport of running in 2015.

Meeting Greg through ‘Let’s Run’, and then being a part of Arete from the very first Tuesday track session, I have seen the power of teamwork in the individual sport of running.  It’s amazing how much we can improve when we’re doing our own journeys’ beside one another!  Through the help of Greg and Arete, I have seen my marathon time steadily drop from 2:52 in 2016, to a 2:28 which I set in 2023!

Some of my other accomplishments include:

• Podiums in the marathon distance across North America (Manitoba, Edmonton, Fargo, Kansas City, Grand Forks)
• Trail Podiums at Black Spur Ultra 108km, Beaver Flat 50, and the Course Record at Race the North Face 50km
• Guinness World Record Holder for fastest marathon while dribbling a basketball in 2:50:33
• Ran both the Boston and NYC Marathons, completed a gravel 100km in 8:11, and finished the Trans Rockies (7-day mountain bike stage race)

All the while pursuing my own endurance goals, I’ve enjoyed the sharing of info and wisdom I’ve learned over the years with others.  Through crewing and volunteering in ultras and now co-race directing Old Tom Backyard, I’ve appreciated how rewarding it is to help someone conquer an endurance goal, and I look forward to helping even more people crush their running goals with Arete!

Meet Brandi 

My athletic journey started early, with years of gymnastics and school team sports. Those experiences built a strong foundation and a love of movement that’s stayed with me ever since.

At the end of university, I was introduced to rowing and quickly got hooked on the balance of power and grace in the rowing stroke, along with the 5:30 a.m. sunrises on the Red River. I went on to row at a high-performance level, competing at events like the Canada Cup and the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Even during my competitive rowing years, I kept running and cross-country skiing in the mix as a way to cross-train. As my HP rowing career evolved, and I aged into Masters rowing, I found a new level of motivation, success, and camaraderie racing a women’s double, where we’ve won gold medals at the World Rowing Masters Regatta and USRowing Masters National Championships.

Along the way, I also got into triathlon, racing local sprint distances and gradually working up to Ironman 70.3 events. After connecting with Arete, and being inspired by a strong community of runners, I’ve started exploring mid-distance road and trail racing as well.

At heart, I’m a multi-sport athlete. I love the variety and challenge of rowing, running, cycling, and cross-country skiing. I value the friendships and shared experiences I’ve had along the way. There’s nothing better than training with positive, like-minded people, pushing each other to get a little stronger and a little faster every day.