HOKA Athlete Ambassador Liv McIlkenny of Toronto would possibly match the mildew of a typical health social media influencer, however her mission to encourage others units her aside. For the final 5 years, the HOKA ambassador has harnessed her platform to construct a health group that thrives on motivation and motion. By way of staging run golf equipment and health courses, McIlkenny continues to encourage others to remain energetic, notably in a post-pandemic world.
McIlkenny’s ardour for health took root throughout her teenage years, and was formed by fixed journey for soccer tournaments and gymnastics meets. Later, throughout her time as a flight attendant, she started utilizing social media as a useful resource to search out health courses and studios in cities she visited. This finally led her to turn into a health teacher at SoulCycle Toronto, in 2017.
“I actually began making a reputation for myself as a spin teacher, and it will definitely took on a lifetime of its personal,” she says.
Adapting to the brand new norm
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, as an teacher, McIlkenny needed to adapt. She leveraged her rising following to run constant on-line health courses for six months, significantly increasing her attain. Across the similar time, she found operating. Regardless of being a newcomer, she was drawn to its affordability and ease, and the non-public satisfaction it introduced. “I needed to be playful in my method,” she shared. “It was at all times about how I felt. Working turned my time to attach with myself.”
As she started coaching for the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon earlier this yr, McIlkenny mixed her health experience along with her new love for operating by creating the LivSweaty Run Membership, a weekly gathering designed to make operating accessible for learners. “I feel there’s nonetheless some stigma round operating—that it’s intimidating,” McIlkenny says. “It’s not all about marathons or how briskly or far you may run. There’s a enjoyable, community-driven, social side to it, too.”
Social media and the operating increase
In 2024, cities and races throughout Canada skilled a operating increase, with sold-out occasions and run golf equipment flourishing. McIlkenny attributes this surge to operating’s accessibility through the pandemic. “Within the pandemic, we have been so restricted in what we might do, and operating provided a option to set challenges and objectives—together with for myself,” she says.
What began as a objective to run 10K advanced into McIlkenny ending her first half-marathon in Toronto final fall.
“I feel individuals who run are so inspiring, since you see people from all walks of life,” says McIlkenny. “For me, I do know I’m wholesome and energetic on daily basis, however then I look over mid-race and see a 75-year-old completely crushing it. It’s the moments like that hold me coming again.”
True to runner custom, McIlkenny has set her sights on her first marathon. “I’m crossing my fingers I can run New York subsequent yr. If not, I can’t wait to run my first marathon in entrance of my household, associates and health group in Toronto,” she says.
From “dad sneakers” to on a regular basis way of life
A HOKA Athlete Ambassador since 2020, McIlkenny admits she wasn’t initially conversant in the model. “I keep in mind the one particular person I knew who had heard of HOKA was my pal’s dad, who ran ultras,” she laughs. “It’s superb to see how a lot they’ve grown over the previous 4 years. Now I see folks in every single place carrying HOKA Cliftons, as a result of they’re such versatile sneakers.”
For McIlkenny, the partnership is about extra than simply trainers. It aligns with every little thing she believes in. “I get to do what I like [every day]—motivating and galvanizing folks to be energetic,” she says.
This story is a collaboration between Canadian Working and HOKA Canada.