HEAD COACHING STAFF

Meet your Adventure Running Kids Head Coaches!

Our dedicated head coaches include World class runners, local athletes, experienced instructors and enthusiastic parents. Information about some of our coaches is below.  If you would like to join our dynamic ARK coaching staff please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Patrick Saile (Head Coach)

Occupation: Program Coordinator for Golden Horseshoe Orienteering and ARK

Hometown: Hobart, Australia

Running Bio: Orienteering and trail running for over 15 years. Represented Tasmania at both junior and senior level.

Other Highlights: Running and racing in as many epic, obscure races and places as possible. Tough Guy in England, Jukola in Finland, from the awe inspiring highs of the Swiss Alps to the lush lows along the Mekong River in Laos. Now I get to add the many awesome parts of Canada to the list.

Mike Waddington

Occupation: Ecohydrology Professor, McMaster University

Hometown: Hamilton, ON

Running Bio: 3-time North American Orienteering Champion; 6-time Canadian Orienteering Champion; Member of Team Canada - World Orienteering Championships (4 times)

Other Highlights: Adventure Racing, Trail Running, Snowshoeing former head coach of the US Orienteering Team

Paul Trebilcock

Occupation: Carpenter at McMaster University

Hometown: Hamilton, ON

Running Bio: Elite Ultra Runner, Expert Orienteerer, Elite Rock Climber

Other Highlights: 2005 50 km Canadian Champion, 2006 50 mile Canadian Champion, 2006 OUSER Series 50 km Cup, Search for Steve Fossett, Blaze, N2700Q

Nina Wallace

Occupation: Teacher

Hometown: Hamilton, ON

Running Bio: Member of Orienteering Team Canada (1987- 2002); participated in 2 World Junior Championships and 1 World Cup

Other: Founder of Backwoods Adventures: The Navigation Experts which have run navigation clinics and seminars for school groups, adults and corporate teams for 13 years.  She has taught over 1700 people how to navigate. Team Leader of the Ontario Junior Orienteering Team from 1992-1996. Canadian Team Leader for Junior World Orienteering Championships 1997.

Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky

Occupation: Neuromuscular physician and researcher

Hometown: Hamilton, ON

Athletic Bio: North American ski-orienteering champion in 1994 and Canadian champion in 2010; raced in the World Championships for ski-orienteering 1994 (France) and in winter triathlon in 2006 (Norway).  First overall in Ontario trail running series in 2004, 2005, 2006.  Won over 20 adventure races from 2000-2007; 4th ranked team in North America and 1st Canadian Team for over a year in Adventure Sport Magazine rankings.

Other highlights: Won an adventure race with my wife and brother in law.  My daughter (Stephanie) won overall female Ontario trail series 25 km race at age 17 and I won for the overall male on the same course.