by Flight Crew Run leader Taylor Kapaiwai

I haven’t always been a runner. In fact, for many years I didn’t like running. As a rugby athlete, I did the bare minimum amount of running required for my position. It felt hard, and wasn’t fun or exciting for me. I got far more satisfaction out of hitting a heavy lift or crushing a field workout.

Then I got injured. Recovering from that injury was a slow and painful process, and I realized my fitness had dropped way off. A teammate mentioned that she was leading a run club out of her workplace, and invited me to check it out. I showed up that first day, nervous as heck. “What if no one says hi to me”, “What happens if I can’t find them”, “I don’t want to be the slowest”, all of these thoughts crowded my head. I needn’t have worried. I was welcomed with open arms and thrown straight into my first run workout. The running community here is pretty tight, it wasn’t long before I made several friends and connections. I signed up for my first race, and from then I was hooked.

In 2017, I found Flight Crew, again through a recommendation by a peer. The vibes were tight from the first run, and I’ve been looking forward to Thursday night runs ever since! Through Flight Crew I’ve had the opportunity to connect with like-minded people who have become fast friends. I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in events like the Ghost Run in partnership with Lululemon, I was part of the inaugural Seawheeze Unclinic crew, Chase the Pace with Mile2Marathon, and countless Rocky Mountain pizza/beer socials (Cheers to the last Thursday of the month, am I right) :P

This past summer, Rob floated the idea of bringing me on as a run leader. It was an easy yes to give. I’m eternally thankful for all that running has offered me, and it’s an honour to lace up every Thursday and share a bit of that love with everyone who shows up. I often say, it’s more fun to run with friends, and we could all use a little more of that these days.

See you out there!