Is there one word that describes the joy you receive from your sport?
One word... there are about 20! Invigorating, fulfilling, freeing, exhilerating, intoxicating, enlivening, and breathtaking (literally)... just to name a few!

How did you become interested in your sport?
I've always had a passion for sports. I think I wore my parents out with all the sports I did as a kid, but the one that gave new meaning to multiple sports was a sport I competed in called Modern Pentathlon (which is five separate sports completed in one day comprised of Shooting, Fencing, Swimming, Cross Country Running, and Equestrian Horse Jumping). I started a similar sport to that at age 8 called Tetrathlon which is run, swim, shoot, and xcountry jumping. They introduced fencing to us and about 15 I was hooked. I competed for Canada all over the world attending both Junior and Senior Worlds! It's a great sport and definitly paved the way for my venture into Triathlons!

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
Time with my husband, friends, family and our two dogs. Traveling, Basketball, and pretty much any sport that involves breaking a sweat (it's an addiction for me as crazy as it sounds)

What's your favorite meal to eat before and after a big race?
I'm still figuring this out. The night before I would always have two gigantic slices of italian pizza, and prior to the race a spiralina ball and a banana seemed to be sufficient. After the race a hug from my friends... It takes a while for me to be hungry... but I can pretty much eat anything. Since I have only done Olympic distances so far fueling up for the race properly was something I am now realizin gis extremely important and something I am incorporating into my races this year. Especially because my goal is to complete a 1/2 and full ironman!

Do you have a favorite song, favorite music group, or is there music you like to train to, or is there a certain song that plays in your head when you race or ride?
I love all kinds of music. I love it to be upbeat with passion and power either in the musician or the music itself!

Do you have a personal motto?
Sports do not build character... they reveal it! Never give in, never give in, never, never, never give in. (Winston Churchill) Take the 1st step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step! (Martin Luther King Jr) also love THE ONLY ONES WHO FAIL ARE THOSE WHO DON'T TRY.

The most memorable and meaningful race you've been in and why?
I'd have to say so far it was the last race I did in December The Laguna Phuket International Triathlon in Thailand. Surprisingly enough it's not for all the reasons everyone would think. Yes, there's the obvious I'm in Thailand it's beautiful, the resort is amazing, and yes the sun is shining! Really it's the perfect holiday! Not to mention the greatest organized race I have ever been in. Lets back track a bit before the race. It's American Thanksgiving and my husband Arlynd and I head home to Canada. While there I got really sick and on our way back to NY Arlynd gets sick and we both spend the weekend doing absolutely nothing because we have some flu going around. Just as I start to get better Arlynd also gets some food poisoning before we have to fly to LA. Being the amazing husband he is he is practically breaking my bike down to put into the case while running to the bathroom evey minute because he was so sick. I had to throw our stuff in a suitcase (as we are notorious for leaving everything to the last minute) and haul it all down three flights of stairs (not bad compared to some in NY!) But I was practically carrying Arlynd. We had to fly to LA because the real reason we were heading to Thailand was to do the swimsuit issue for TRIATHLETE magazine and the rest of the crew was flying out of LA. The triathon was just supposed to be a bonus! To make a long trip there a bit shorter I'm sure you can picture just what the flight to LA was like... picture Arlynd practically living in the bathroom, and me so stressed out I definitly did not think we were going to make it to Thailand. Luckily we had a night in LA where the food poisoning passed. We meet up with the crew and believe it or not the flight to Thailand felt like nothing compared to the LA trip. That brings us upto the race. I was totally unprepared for the race. The training, the supplementation which I totally forgot to bring, and being sick the week before didn't help making me already dehydrated and mentally not at all prepared. Okay you're wondering why this is the most memorable race. Well that's because it was life changing in so many ways. You don't hit rock bottom and stay there, you get right back up and learn from your mistakes. Lets talk about the race itself. AWESOME. You start in salt water swim most of the race and then have to run across the beach into fresh water where you feel a little less bouyant and not as fast. The bike the most challenging bike I've ever raced because it was really hilly for the first 14km.... (not bad if your prepared for them, my legs weren't). This is when I realized I was heading for trouble. At about 30km I knew it was going to be hard, I was dehydrated and feeling the heat and didn't have enough water or gels or anything to take to combat it. Not to mention I didn't take the time to mentally prepare for a race which you realize at this point when your body shuts down this is what you need. Um yeah... I got to 40km and shut down the last 15km felt like an eternity.... what an amazing thing to allow your brain to play tricks on you and defeat you. I got off my bike and was thinking "Ok I'm done, don't want to run....let's just be happy with a biathlon. NO! I have to go... go... walk if you have to but go." You can't come all this way and not finish. So to my most humble moment in racing thus far I jogged and walked... a lot. At some point you get mad at yourself and say "ok you know what if you don't run now and finish this race you will never live past it... so I did it. I made myself run the last 4km and didn't look back. And when I finished a collapsed. It took over a half an hour for me to actually function normal again. I lay in the med tent delirious! And then everything starts to register! This was my turning point. The reason this race is my most memorable is because I learned so much!! I hit the wall but kept going. In all the races I did before there was an unawareness to the skill and knowledge and focused preparation, I mainly went off of natural talent and guts. Now I realized there was so much more to factor in and that's when I decided I wanted to go beyond the Olympic distance to challenge my body in a different way with endurance, but not ony that but to master the Olypmic distance with proper training, fuel, and knowledge. That's when the sport became real to me when it went from being not only fun but to knowing there's an art involved in it and that's what I want to learn! This is a new year and it holds new ventures and I want to get on board!!!