Inverary woman takes fitness challenge to world stage

Catherine Reynolds | Oct 13, 2016

Kelli McRobert is on a mission.

Sitting in her home in Inverary on a Friday afternoon in the fall of 2016, she smiled when asked her age.

“I’m 50,” she replied with a grin. “That’s what started this all.”

“This”, according to McRobert, was a quest to complete 50 fitness challenges by the time she turned 50 on April 22, 2016.

“As of last Saturday, I did my 101st race, so I doubled my goal,” she said with a chuckle.

A safety officer at CFB Kingston, McRobert’s efforts have taken her farther than she imagined. On Oct. 14, she will join a team of Canadians in Barrie for the Obstacle Course World Championships.

Her event is the Women’s Masters 3 km race on Blue Mountain. The course is expected to be technically challenging, with many obstacles over a steep incline. “This is it; this is the big one,” she said. “I’m really excited and I don’t get excited very easily any more. It’s going to be awesome.”

To prepare for her event, which includes racers from approximately 45 countries, McRobert has been training at home and at the base gym to improve her cardio, flexibility and strength. “We’ve literally tried one of everything to see what it’s like,” she said about the races she’s completed with her friends over the last four years. “If we win, great, but it’s more about getting out there and looking forward to something every weekend.”

McRobert estimates it has cost her $6,000 to complete the 101 events. Approximately 40 of them were obstacle courses and more than 60 were triathlons and marathons. This amount does not include event registration fees, which are covered by a publication for which she works as a writer to rate and describe races.

“I’m a tough critic now,” she said. “I’ve done so many.”

McRobert is a member of the Canadian Mudd Queens. She spends almost every other weekend traveling to and from a race. “We’re really good at bruising,” she said, while tugging at her pant leg to reveal a recent bruise. Her repertoire also includes strains, sprains, scratches and pulled muscles.

“Last weekend, we were chased by zombies in Stittsville,” she said. “It was pretty epic.”

Holding a fistful of medals, McRobert proudly showed the severed finger she received from the Zombie Run when she crossed the finish line. It has become one of her favourite trophies.

Married to James McRobert, her best friend from high school, Kelli is grateful for the support she has received from family and friends as she works to fulfill her dreams. “You have to have a really supportive group of friends and family,” she said about what it takes to achieve so much in the sport she loves.

“They’re working on making it an actual Olympic sport.”

Asked if she hopes to win at the world obstacle course championships, McRobert replied with a quick no. “I’m going to go and have fun and enjoy the moment,” she said. She also said she doesn’t plan to slow down after her big race in Barrie.

“My new goal is 200 races by 60,” she said with enthusiasm. “That gives me 10 years. I don’t want to rush it.”