This weekend, South Hazelton-born runner Regan Yee will be competing in the World Cross-Country Championships in Australia. 

Yee has been running since childhood. Even though the running team at her elementary school was for Grade 5 and up, Yee managed to join a year early, in Grade 4. Now, she’s an Olympian and has competed all around the world. 

In one summer, Yee signed a sponsorship contract with Under Armour, qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and broke the Canadian 3,000 metre steeplechase record at 9 minutes and 27 seconds. 

“That was one of my favourite parts of going to the Olympics, was having my community and the north be able to see and cheer me on and just have that excitement of like ‘They’re from my community and they’re on the world stage right now’, that was really special for me,” Yee said of her Olympic experience. 

Currently holding three records at Trinity Western University, Yee is getting ready to represent Canada at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia. 

In order to prepare for the challenge of running 10 kilometres on uneven terrain, she’s been running up hills, long distances, and getting into saunas to mimic the Australian Summer temperatures. 

Despite the challenge, Yee says she is excited to experience it and is extending her trip by three weeks to run another race in Melbourne. 

Even while doing it professionally, Yee says that running has remained fun for her, which she attributes to not expecting it to turn into a career. 

“The fact that it kind of just happened naturally has totally just kept it fun and kept the passion there,” Yee says of her progression from university running to professional running. 

Yee will be representing Canada in the 10 kilometre run at the World Cross Country Championships which start on Feb. 18 in Bathurst, Australia.

Listen to the CFNR story featuring Regan Yee below: