Kate Gustafson

Beating Down Doors

By InnerVoice

September 16^th, 2016

We may run alone, but we are never alone.

In 2011, I started running with a group of women in Toronto called the Angels, who are led by Nicole Stevenson, a pioneer for female runners in Canada. This crew was truly my first introduction to high-performance running, and the group consists of the most inspiring and high-achieving women I know. Beyond the times on the clock, the Angels run for the pure joy of the sport. The success they strive to achieve on the roads epitomizes the drive and determination they carry with them through their daily lives.

Recently, I had the opportunity to run once again with the Angels at the Klondike Road Relay, an overnight 175km race from Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon.

While there are countless memories from the relay, the one thing that stands out is the fact that not once during our jaunt from Skagway to Whitehorse was someone alone. We started together. We carried, supported and encouraged one another when times got tough. We partnered up, and ran stride for stride, every step of the way. We finished together, and celebrated together.

A beautiful Helen Keller quote has been circulating around our group since the relay: “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” I believe running proves this to be true.

knock down doors to get to where you want to go.

My hometown, Kenora, Ontario isn’t close to much. NCAA scouts don’t go there. The closest town to compete against in over 90 minutes away; it’s remote to say the least.

On cool fall evenings, my dad would take me down to tour the course leading up to local cross-country meets, and in the spring he would drive me to the local track after school to practice my sprints. I remember the 800m feeling like an eternity, and loving the thrill of racing.

I was inspired by local decathlete Michael Smith, who attended my elementary school years before I arrived on the scene. Smith would go on to serve as Canada’s flag-bearer at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona. His story resonated with me.

When I was in high school, we didn’t have a proper athletics program, so I delved into other sports, like hockey. My parents bought me a book containing every single American University, and I researched the schools that had a women’s hockey program. With support from my parents and a local videographer, I sent (aka snail mailed) each one of the coaches a letter and highlight tape. We sent over 50 packages. I heard back from a handful of schools, including Yale. I decided on Union College, in upstate New York, where I would eventually go on to be captain of the hockey team.

A lot of support, sweat, money and genuine good luck went into getting me to Union. When my mom and dad dropped me off on my first day, it was my first day on campus – and my dream of attending an American school began to unfold. I was the only athlete on my team who had attended public school and not an elite private school. I didn’t realize how truly unorthodox my route to making the team was until many years later. It was what I knew – knock on and knock down doors to get to where you want to go.

There were over a dozen girls from my hometown who went on to play collegiate sport after this door was opened.

“When you have a goal, or a dream, or you’re truly happy doing whatever it is that you love, quitting isn’t an option. Where the mind goes, the body follows.”

I’ve worked really hard and carried a profound love for sport through my entire life.

I wouldn’t revisit my passion for running until after my NCAA Division I hockey-playing days came to an end. Ten years later, I’ve completed 70+ races including eleven marathons. I’ve trained with inspiring coaches and teammates along the way – with all of these steps culminating in a top 25 finish at the Boston Marathon this year.

Beyond running, I’ve completed the Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal, spent six weeks training at high altitude in Kenya, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and helped set a Guinness World Record for distance run on a treadmill by twelve women over twelve hours.

Running has also led me down curious paths. I founded Gusto Running in 2013, an online coaching business, and I’ve since supported over 45 athletes across Canada in their various running pursuits. I launched Girls With Gusto, a pilot running program for girls in Regent Park, one of Toronto’s most diverse neighbourhoods. And in 2015, I co-founded Run To Give YVR to bring Vancouver‘s running community together to help the Downtown Eastside Women‘s Centre.

It all sounds so straightforward and linear when arranged this way, but I’ve worked really hard and carried a profound love for sport through my entire life. It’s something I strive to pass on to young girls through my work, other athletes through my coaching, fellow teammates through my own training, and anyone else that I meet along the way.

“Running is how I experience the world – five continents later, I’m still happily seeking out the world’s greatest rave runs.”

If we believe in creating a better world, I think everyone should be into women’s advocacy.

On June 23, 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments was enacted by Congress and signed into law by Richard Nixon. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid. As a former NCAA athlete, I’m a daughter of the movement. But we still have so far to go – on the field, in society, in politics and around the boardroom.

Sport has played a significant role in my own personal and career development – building the skills required to perform at a high level, focus under pressure and be a great leader. It’s where I have wanted to be my whole life, in the thick of the sports world, but certain inequities have to be addressed in order for more girls to have the same doors opened for them.

When I read Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, I felt that Nell Scovell and Sheryl Sandberg were articulating so many of the same feelings and themes I had started to notice popping up in my own life. This book was a catalyst for me and I have since seized every possibly opportunity to advocate for women, or give a voice to those who may have lost their own somewhere along the way. One of my longer-term intangible goals is to lead a gender equity movement on behalf of girls and women in sport.

I will break the elusive 2:45 barrier.

I’ve always shifted, altered and puzzled at exactly how to write down goals. I know it is best to be courageous, find the ones you belong to and have a great time. And so, here I am. Right here.

In 2017, I will break the elusive 2:45 psychological barrier over 42.2 kilometres.

Everyone who lines up at the start of a marathon is dreaming a little bit bigger on that particular day. You have to. Predicting how a race plays out is something like a shot in the dark, though that’s not completely accurate given the months, building on years, building on decades of training it takes to get to the finish line. Marathons are never easy. You have to give more of what you have. You have to fight to come close to your physical limits, and your attitude always matters.

“To truly make an indelible impact in the world, we have to show up every day, we have to care, and always give it our best.”

Put your shoes on and go.

In early 2015, I decided to travel to Kenya to train at high altitude. During this trip, I thought a great deal about how we handle fear, resistance and discomfort. I believe that the more we open ourselves to what the world has to offer, the better off we’ll be. I had many moments of self-doubt on my way there; where was I going, what the heck was I doing, and why?

We all wrestle with these questions when we set out to try something new or scary. We want to go back to what we are familiar with, do what works, and be around people we know. Truth is, we’ve got to embrace that with all of the positivity we can muster up, put our shoes on, and go.