As Kelowna’s Malindi Elmore prepares to race in her third Olympic games, she is also working to ensure the next generation of athletes have equal opportunity to participate in sport.
After competing on the track in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Elmore took a step back from elite sport to grow her family.
As a lifelong multi-sport athlete growing up in Kelowna, Elmore had a foundation of athleticism that allowed her to transition into competitive triathlon after the birth of her first son.
After her second son was born, Elmore shifted her focus back to running and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics where she placed ninth - a 37-year record best ranking for Canada.
Elmore has now qualified for her third Olympic Games and will be headed to Paris this summer to represent Canada in the marathon at age 44.While wearing the maple leaf, Elmore has been a staunch advocate for equal opportunity in sport and has spoken out about a lack of gender equality on start lines and the unfair barriers that prevent some from participating.
While Elmore has always been passionate about promoting an active lifestyle, after having children, working as a coach and participating in athletics all her life, she saw the positive impact and power to create positive change that sport can have on young people.
Elmore now works with KidSport, an organization that helps to break down the financial barriers of organized activities by providing grants to families.This year at the Olympics, in addition to the goal of another top 10 finish, Elmore hopes to raise $24,000 for KidSport, "So all kids can play."
Together with KidSport, Elmore is hosting an exclusive viewing of the documentary “Running a Revolution” on July 23 at the Rotary Centre for Arts.The documentary delves into the world of competitive racing on an international stage and the ever present gender-inequalities that are woven into sport.There will be two screenings of Running a Revolution, at 5:30 p.m. there will be viewing oriented towards families and children.The feature screening, which will play at 7:30p.m. will also feature a social, a question and answer period with Elmore and a silent auction.Tickets are available at rotarycentreforthearts.com.People are also able to bid on silent auction items, which include a Garmin watch, BC Park passes, flowers and sunglasses, or donate to KidsSport online ahead of the event.