Team Bios

Kristine Gillis (USA / Canada)
My life has been and continues to be a chosen path of endurance. Although my first official endurance event was the Steamboat Springs, Colorado marathon in June 1999, you could argue that I’ve thrived on endurance since I was 5 years old through my battles with my pony Catah. It was an endurance competition like none other, hours on end of her trying to bite my legs, twirling around to throw me, or stopping super fast hoping I would fly over her head onto the ground. It was a battle, a test of sorts, of persistence, perseverance, and pure stubbornness between a human and an equine. The lessons I learned from Catah taught me how to push through difficult times, especially when the going gets tough and the thought crosses my mind that I might not win this battle, whether it be with an equine, a difficult course, a bike or myself.

Today, I am an adventure racer. Adventure racing combines all of my athletic interests into one sport and offers unique opportunities to see terrain most people will never see and overcome obstacles that others never do. I especially love being on a team, growing up my teammate was a horse, today, it is other endurance athletes. Through the support of my teammates and the satisfaction I get in overcoming a challenging course, I am continually discovering that I can push myself so much further than I ever thought possible. I pride myself in my work ethic and determination. I am a team player as well as a good leader.