From the Desk of Kirsten Fleming: Meet Our Team

September is ALWAYS a busy time at Run Calgary. We are ramping up the operations (from the planning to execution phase) for the fall running season, which includes the recently wrapped Love is Love Mile for Calgary Pride, Phil in the Park + Beat Beethoven, and One For The Road Beer Mile, as well as the upcoming Wild Run for Conservation with the Calgary Zoo and finally Dash of Doom for AARCS. 

We are also beginning to plan in a meaningful way for the 2025 Servus Calgary Marathon, which means budgeting, marketing plans, reviewing survey results (again) and breaking down all the processes that need to be improved and overhauling some areas of the operations completely. More on that next month!

Most notably, we are embarking on a newly baked 5-year strategic plan which includes hiring a swath of contractors and staff to help us accomplish an audacious growth strategy.

Before I tell you about some exciting job opportunities, I would like to take a minute to share about the culture at Run Calgary and the special people who make it a meaningful and fulfilling place to work.

I’m grateful to lead a team of leaders who care deeply about their work and our collective purpose. I previously worked for a large Canadian corporation, surviving multiple rounds of layoffs before deciding to leave because it became clear my talents were grossly underappreciated. That experience taught me what kind of workplace I want to avoid. As Executive Director I aim to foster a positive, challenging and fun environment where everyone’s contributions matter and all opinions are considered. We’re in the health and wellness business so it’s important our team’s mental, physical and emotional wellbeing are prioritized at Run Calgary HQ. We are also in the experience and event business which means we work hard and enjoy flexibility. 

I have been with Run Calgary for 12 years this October and I am its first ever employee. I report to a volunteer board of directors who bring a wide range of skills and experience to the organization and are largely reflective of the Calgary running industry. It’s a smart & thoughtful group of people who support the staff and ensure Run Calgary is a healthy organization with an aligned team all working together to fulfill its mission.

Let me introduce you!

Jon Bird (est. September 2018)

Before there was Jon Bird, there was Holly Bird. Operations Director Jon Bird came to the organization through his wife and entrepreneur Holly Bird, principal at Adesso Creative, the agency of record for Run Calgary at the time. Because Holly was leading the digital direction and was connected in the sports world, I asked if she knew anyone to refer to the role of Race Director when we restructured. Holly suggested her recently retired pro triathlete husband who had founded a tri club, was overseeing some small events and worked at what is now MNP Centre, and she was bang on.

Fast-forward 6 years (2 girls!) and dozens of large scale races later, Jon has grown into a respected leader in the space, an articulate operator with a remarkable ability to mobilize and inspire volunteers to work together. Jon oversees the logistics as well as the budget and even stepped up as interim executive director while I was on maternity leave last year. He’s a lifelong learner and extremely hard worker and the organization is more robust because of the processes and ideas he has contributed. 

Listen to Jon on Run Canada Podcast in 2023.

Maureen MacDonald (est. January 2019)

Maureen volunteered for Calgary Marathon as one of three lead package pick-up volunteers before she joined the team in a blended role as both the Charity Challenge Coordinator and essentially the office manager. Maureen, or Mo as she is affectionately called, heads up the customer service side of our organization answering hundreds (thousands?) of emails from our participants each week. Mo knows our participants (you!), intimately. She can name your kids and your pets and knows which events you do each year, your t-shirt size and whether you ever volunteer, run virtually and fundraise for charity. To say Mo pays attention to the details is a major undersell. 

Because of her volunteer history, naturally she oversees package pick-up and because we are a scrappy not-for-profit that requires we wear many hats, she also does the books, liaises with all our charities, organizes our social outings, ensures the office gets cleaned and everyone gets treats on their birthdays.

If you peruse the google reviews or hang around package pick-up, it’s not uncommon to hear someone mention how Mo helped them in this situation or that, because at the end of the day Mo is a problem solver. If Mo wasn’t working at Run Calgary, she says she would still be volunteering and participating in Run Calgary events. Mo says what surprised her most when becoming employed at Run Calgary is “how much ‘behind the scenes’ work goes into putting on an event and that the planning of these events typically starts the day after the year before (or sooner!).”

Jill Petkau (est. July 2021)

We didn’t want to hire Jill. Let me explain. She is AWESOME and we knew that because Jill, her husband Justin and her son Blake, had been volunteering since 2015 and taking on more each year but as a 20-year veteran registered nurse, we were surprised to see her apply for the volunteer coordinator role. With the system bleeding health care workers, I didn’t feel great about pulling a nurse (during COVID) away from the front lines but Jill was impressive and adamant she wanted to contribute upstream to the health and wellness of our community. 

Jill continues to impress as she moves from the Volunteer Manager to Operations Manager leaving a vacancy –  but the volunteer program she built has a strong foundation, detailed plans, fantastic volunteers with a clear people-first culture. (We will be filling the volunteer coordinator position shortly – stay tuned!)

What surprised Jill most about working in this business? “The amount of behind-the-scenes planning that goes into every race event – whether big or small – that participants never see, in order to deliver an exceptional race event. Also, the unique and unexpected things I have to plan for, like our strategy for cleaning up horse poop in the Start Route for Lead Horses.” 

If she wasn’t working at Run Calgary, Jill would be” traveling the world as a food and running event blogger”. 

Emily Miles (est. September 2022)

Emily joined the team a few weeks before I went on mat leave. I was impressed when she pitched up to volunteer at Beat Beethoven the day after she interviewed for the Marketing Manager role. Absolute pro move. Emily is the first person I have hired that isn’t a runner or connected to run in any way (yet!) and I have not regretted it for a moment. Emily came from the sporting events world, giving her the superpower to stay calm and present in the face of absolute event chaos. Em has an incredible capacity to produce: content, ideas, presentations, processes… She is a quiet ninja and Run Calgary’s brand matured largely due to her thoughtfulness. 

Em is behind our social channels, manages the expo, creates the marketing plan and is responsible for the planning and execution of the ‘experiential add ons’ that make a Run Calgary event extra (ie. ice cream sandwiches at last Sunday’s NA beer mile) and all the miscellaneous community events such as our Galentine’s Day Panel, Earth Day Plogging, Run Calgary Book Club and more!

Fun fact: Emily is participating in her first 5K in over 15 years when our team goes to Edmonton to support the Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk on National Truth and Reconciliation Day (and it was her idea!) GO EMILY GO! 

Kirsten Fleming (est. October 2012)

I went to University to be a journalist and worked in television for nearly a decade before finding myself in the wonderful world of race directing. I absolutely love working in this industry and for Run Calgary, with this remarkable group of humans who compliment one another. 

Our unique backgrounds prove all professions have unlikely transferable skills and most paths to this industry are unconventional. 

So don’t count yourself short! We are searching for quality  people to round out our team and bring skill sets that are missing. You must enjoy working in a group with lots of opinions and be willing to share yours. Generally ‘yes people’ who are nimble and excited about our mission thrive in the Run Calgary environment.

Check out the first couple of job postings, for a Marketing & Events Coordinator and a Merchandise Planner and if you see yourself in either role, we hope to hear from you! Check back often as we will be posting more roles in the coming weeks and months.

Be on the lookout for another update in October when I will share some of the (hard) lessons from the 2024 Servus Calgary Marathon and address how we are fixing those problems – and if nothing else I am told these updates can boost our SEO!

Happy Running,
Kirsten