Caroline Pomerleau and Anouka Tremblay: redefining representation
Authentic dreamers–is there any better way to describe Quebec City's Caroline Pomerleau and Anouka Tremblay as they navigate building a family while inspiring others?

HOKA Athlete Ambassador Caroline Pomerleau of Quebec City won the 2023 Canadian Marathon Championships in her debut marathon. Earlier that year, the 29-year-old seemingly came out of nowhere to take third place at the Canadian 10K Championships in Ottawa, which catapulted her into the spotlight. For now, however, her running career is on pause, since she is 36 weeks pregnant; she and her wife, HOKA Athlete Ambassador Anouka Tremblay (who is also her coach), are expecting their first child in February.
The pair of Hoka-sponsored athletes have been together for seven years and married for two, and they have built a large presence on social media (more than 70,000 followers) by simply being themselves and being very open about all aspects of their lives–focused mainly, but not exclusively, on training and starting a family.

Increasing visibility of same-sex couples in sport
Tremblay and Pomerleau know that with their large following, they have the power to help normalize LGBTQ+ relationships and empower others. “There’s not a lot of representation in sport,” Tremblay says. “It’s important to be a good example, and to be open when you’re in a position of privilege. We like being there and being visible, for the kids.”
The couple says they don’t experience homophobia in their hometown of Quebec City. “A big part of our social media normalizes [being out together in public], and shows it’s not a big deal,” Tremblay says. “Most of the time, we are just being who we are, living our life and inspiring people–you don’t need to make big statements.”
A pregnancy that cured an injury
Pomerleau and Tremblay were married in August 2022, but decided to wait until 2024 to begin trying to start a family. “There was no chance for [the Paris 2024 Olympics], because of Caroline’s injury,” Tremblay says. “There were no other major championships, and this year would allow her to recover and get back in shape for [the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics].”

“I always wanted to have a baby,” Pomerleau adds. “The L.A. Olympics is a big dream, but there are other steps to do before, so it’s good timing.” The pair also just bought a house, and adopted a puppy they named Jolly Jumper, and they hope to run with the dog in the future.
Early in her pregnancy, Pomerleau says, it was easy to train like she always had. “I had an IT-band injury for a long time–it was expected to be there for about a year,” she says. “When I got pregnant, the injury immediately went away! I squeezed in the best few months of training I’d had for a while.”
Tremblay adds, “We were careful not to overdo it, and to make sure Caroline was eating enough.”

Modified training
Pomerleau continued her usual workouts at an easier pace, and gradually reduced her training volume. For fun, she raced the Quebec City 5K in early October, at 20 weeks; she won, with a time of 19:34. A mere hour later, she clocked 38:33 in the 10K to finish as runner-up to Ottawa’s Salome Nyirarukundo (34:39). “She raced at the end of her first trimester at a slower pace than her marathon pace,” Tremblay said. “She was talking the whole time–she would’ve beaten the boys if she wasn’t pregnant!”
Winning the Quebec City 5K at 20 weeks pregnant was a powerful reminder that pregnancy doesn’t limit your potential. “You can do stuff!” Tremblay says. “You have to keep doing activity, it’s good for the baby. Just listen to your body–your body is going to tell you.”
By the end, Pomerleau couldn’t ignore her body, even if she wanted to. “The baby is getting big, and my back is hurting,” she said. “My body is like ‘oh my god.’” She stopped running altogether at around 27 weeks.
2023: the breakout year
Tremblay began coaching Pomerleau in 2021, and over the next two years, the couple decided Pomerleau would focus on long-distance running. Pomerleau, a full-time physical-education teacher, was sidelined by an injury in the lead-up to her marathon debut, leaving her with only seven weeks to complete her build. (Most athletes train for 16-20 weeks for a marathon.) She still stole the show with a seven-second win, a debut time of 2:34:44 and her first national title.

The immediate success was a big confidence booster, and she began to think about the possibility of making Canadian Olympic and world championship teams. While many marathoners move on to road racing and don’t look back, Pomerleau admits she still wants to return to the track and keep the marathon racing to a minimum–one or two a year. “I can go so much faster with the distance, but I need to not get injured, have good training, and focus on speed in the winter,” she says. “Some of the best athletes in Canada don’t come back for track, but I want to come back to the 5K and 10K to focus on speed.”
Pomerleau admits she’s a big dreamer, and says Tremblay is unfailingly supportive. Pomerleau took her time coming back to training and competing after her IT-band injury, hoping at some point she could work less and make running her focus.
“Winning the 2023 marathon opened so many possibilities for what she can do,” Tremblay says, then turns to Pomerleau: “We realized you’re a long distance girly–and we decided to focus more on that and do real preparation.”
“It’s really hard, especially in the marathon, to work full time while running,” Tremblay adds.

Family and new racing goals
Pomerleau has high hopes for resuming her running career, but remains realistic. “After giving birth, my goal is to start running as quickly as I can,” she says. “But I don’t know how my body will respond.”
To get back to running like before, she has to be diligent about doing postpartum exercises and easing back into the sport slowly. The couple reveals they’re aiming for the 2025 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, but will have to adjust race goals according to Pomerleau’s recovery. If she needs more time, they’ll focus on a smaller, local race. “The big year of my comeback will be 2026,” Pomerleau says.
Supported by their HOKA family
The pair’s relationship with Hoka began in 2022, long before they were married or had a large following. “They were there at the beginning when there was nothing,” Tremblay said. “At first, it was just free stuff. And now, after a year off, running with this pregnancy, our contract is still there.”
The athletes say it was important to them that they like the brand’s products, so they can represent it with authenticity. “There’s no pressure of pushing a product or telling lies about something,” Pomerleau says. “It’s important to really love the company and the product–then you will be transparent and honest.”
This story is a collaboration between Canadian Running and HOKA Canada.