The speakers for the inaugural FEAT Canada have been announced. They are Gary Robbins, Jen Olson, Ken Vallely, Megan Rose, Nicki Rehn, Paul Gleeson, Scott Frandsen, Sebastian Salas and Philip McKernan. Their brief bios are included below…
TICKETS
$15 in advance, $17 at the door; Tickets also available at the Centennial Theatre during box office hours, (604) 984-4484. For the entire VIMFF Fall Series there are packages available at $25 for 2 and $35 for 3 tickets to different shows.
North Vancouver based Gary Robbins holds ultra distance race records across BC and as far away as Hawaii. In 2010 he ran speed records upon BC’s 75km West Coast Trail (10h08m) and Newfoundlands 215km East Coast Trail (35h17m), all within a fourteen day period, while also raising $5000 for the children’s charity Right To Play.
Jen Olson is the 7th female internationally certified mountain guide (ACMG/IFMGA) in Canada, as well as an avid rock, ice, mixed and alpine climber twelve months per year. She guides throughout western Canada and in the european alps in the ski, rock and alpine disciplines. Jen loves sharing her expertise in climbing with others at festivals and through her guiding. She has competed in ice climbing competitions in Quebec, Canmore, Bozeman and Ouray – placing 1st, twice in Bozeman and placing 2nd in Ouray. She has been on remote alpine climbing expeditons with other women, pioneering alpine rock first ascents in Alaska, Pakistan and in the Canadian Rockies.
In 2003 Kevin Vallely was named one of Canada’s leading adventurers by the Globe and Mail. His adventuring resume is stacked with compelling expeditions to all parts of the world including skiing Alaska’s 1,860-kilometre Iditarod Trail; attempting to bike and climb the island of Java’s 13 -10,000-foot volcanoes (a trip cut short when post-9/11 Indonesia became too dangerous); competing on the only Canadian team to finish the last and most difficult Eco-Challenge adventure race held in Fiji in 2002; retracing a 2,000-kilometre Klondike-era ice-bike route through the dead of an Alaskan winter, and most recently, with teammates Ray Zahab and Richard Weber, breaking the world record for the fastest unsupported trek from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
Megan Rose is an event Manager for 4 What Matters Foundation and organizes a National Ride across Canada for various Charities. She has a background in Mountain Biking, Expedition Adventure Racing, Trail running, road riding and coaching.
Nicki Rehn – I love to run. Period. It is simple, solitary, fun, and just plain good for you. I have run through the Alps, up and down Mt Cameroon, across the south west of Australia, at international marathons, across the Grand Canyon (and back), and any where a trail leads off into the wilderness or mountains. When not running, I am teaching new teachers at a university. I grew up in Australia, where I discovered my love for adventure and my natural tendency for endurance in the desert that bordered my back yard. I am now hold dual citizenship and even though I sound Australian, I am Canadian at heart.
In 2003, Paul Gleeson, who hails from Limerick in Ireland cycled 5,000km across Australia from Perth to Sydney. After 2 months on the road, which included being run down twice by cars, Paul arrived into Sydney. On the 30th of November 2005, Paul, rowed out of a small marina in the Canary Islands and 85 days later after enduring the tail end of a hurricane and 2 tropical storms that dished up 45ft swell and some of the worst weather ever recorded for that time of year, Paul arrived into the Caribbean island of Antigua to complete his epic rowing voyage. What makes Paul’s story even more interesting is that he only learned how to row one year before the race began. Paul wrote a book about this adventure, entitled “Crossing the Swell” was published in Ireland in 2006 and across Canada in 2009.
Scott Frandsen is a two-time Olympic rower, winning a Silver Medal in the Men’s Pair in Beijing. He ‘retired’ after Beijing but resumed training in January, 2011 in hopes of competing in the London Olympics. Scott and his pair partner, Dave Calder, qualified for London at the World Champs in August. In his time away from rowing Scott raced twice in Ironman Canada (2009, 2010) and also took his athletic talents to the reality TV show – Wipeout Canada.
Sebastian Salas is a professional cyclist for Team Exergy. In just 3 full years after taking up the sport, he has become one of the best climbers in North America (both on and off the bike). Current Grouse Grind record holder. Philosophy graduate from UBC, IT graduate from BCIT. Owner and founder of VO2explode.com
Philip McKernan, an international speaker and best selling author Philip supports individuals to climb the biggest mountain of all, their life. Philip works with high achievers in business and in life on cultivating the right mindset so they can get out of their own way and achieve extraordinary things. Philip lives in North Vancouver and speaks all over the world and is recognized as a leading authority on cultivating confidence and inner belief in oneself in business, sport and life in general.