Five Canadian women runners you should be following

These five Canadian women runners have been doing amazing things on and off the ‘gram and are destined for even more greatness. If you are looking to add smart, educational, inspiring, authentic and hardworking Canadian women runners into your Instagram feed look no further. 

Melissa Offner

@Melsays

TV/Podcast Host. Content Creator. Writer. NASM CPT / FNS, Saucony Ambassador. Offner shares her passion for movement and the outdoors, while raising her young daughter on the West coast. Mel is a women runner to follow if you like trail running or, you’re a new mom wanting to get back to running or start running postpartum. Offner is down to earth, fun, informative and relatable. 

Melissa Offner, Photo credit: Melissa Offner, @melsays

 

Lanni Marchant

@lannimarchant

Canadian Marathoner, American criminal appeal lawyer, Olympian. A long distance runner from London, Ontario, Marchant held the record for the Canadian women’s marathon from 2013 to 2020, running it in 2:28:00. Marchant balances her career as a criminal trial lawyer and her love of running all while being an advocate for mental health and a big proponent of women in the world of sports. Sharing her journey of coming back to running post hip surgery and post surgery sepsis, she is open, honest and authentic.   

Lanni Marchant, Photo credit: Lanni Marchant, @lannimarchant

 

Filsan Abdiaman

@runnersinstinct

Ultrarunner and founder of Project Love Run, a group dedicated to creating safe spaces for all women to come together and talk about everything, including diversity and misrepresentation in their communities. Abdiaman posts gorgeous photos, running B.C. trails and Vancouver cityscapes while sharing equally beautiful poetry in her captions. 

Filsan Abdiaman, Photo credit: Hilary Matheson

 

Malindi Elmore

@Malindielmore

Olympian, coach, Saucony athlete, mother, Canadian Marathon record holder. In January 2020, she broke the Canadian marathon record running 42.2km in 2:24:50 in just her second try at that distance. Malindi shares great coaching tips and videos (what about my arms?) alongside family photos and the 2020 Olympic games on her social media channels.

Malindi Elmore, Photo credit: Jon Adrian

 

Melissa Bishop-Nriagu

@melissacorinneb 

Olympian, Nike athlete, mother, 800m record holder. She won a silver medal at the 2015 World Athletics Championships, the first ever medal in the 800m by a Canadian woman. Melissa shares the hustle and bustle of training, parenting and life in the midst of a pandemic. Her posts show the reality of grinding to qualify for, and competing at the Olympics while being a mom.    

Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, Photo credit: Maxine Gravina

 

Do you have a favourite Canadian women runner that you follow on social media? Let us know by tagging Run Ottawa on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter! You can also support women in sport by joining us at Run to Empower on October 2, 2021!