STWM athlete profile: Getting to know Natasha LaBeaud

As part of our coverage of the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 22, we’re profiling the top Canadian athletes set to compete at the Canadian Marathon Championships.

RELATED: Getting to know dual-citizen Natasha LaBeaud

Name: Natasha LaBeaud
Age: 30
Hometown: Kelowna, B.C.
Current location: San Diego, Calif.
Associated club/coach: Marco Anzures and Joe Vigil
Previous marathons: 7
Marathon PB: 2:35:33 (STWM 2014)

Describe yourself: I have been running since I was six and truly love the sport and everything I have been able to do because of running. That includes meeting my husband, starting a youth running non-profit organization, 2nd Recess, traveling the world, connecting with the community and meditating with each step.

Most notable running/racing experience: I am very proud of my 2014 STWM performance, as I was able to cut seven minutes off of my previous marathon PB. In general, I am proud of my range, and like being able to shift from the 1,500m all the way up to the marathon.

How has training for STWM gone? Training has gone well, especially in the San Diego heat and humidity. The humidity has been at 90 per cent and higher for many of my at-pace workouts, which feels like working out at altitude.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BD17ucxJ9AD/

Why STWM? I like STWM because of the great volunteers, amazing crowd support, and typically good weather conditions (fingers crossed!).

Goals for the race? I would like to come away from this race with a new PR (PB) and feeling of having run my best race.

What gear will you be sporting? I have many sponsors which help propel me forward. These include Rabbit apparel, Generation UCAN, Bread SRSLY (for all of my gluten-free bread needs—I have celiac Disease), Noxgear, XX2i frames and Pro Compression socks.

Social handle(s):

Twitter: @tashyrunner
Instagram: @teamanzures