A Maple Ridge personal trainer is one of the fastest masters women in the province.
Karen Sieben won gold in the 400 meter race, and took silvers in the 100m and 200m events at the B.C. Masters Track and Field Championships, which were held in Kelowna over the Canada Day long weekend. She competed in the 50-54 age class.
She said there were people competing who are in their 80s.
“They’re going as fast as they can, and good on them,” she said.
“They are trying to get people to move – participate – for your health.”
Sieben is a trainer and fitness fanatic who trains at Club 16 in Maple Ridge for about two hours most days lifting weights.
She’s now in her first year of sprint training. She used to be a track athlete and played soccer for 20 years, and enjoys running.
“All of my kids are grown up now, so I got back into it,” she said.
“Just because you are getting older, that doesn’t mean… squat,” she asserted.
The Masters Games are about promoting an active and healthy lifestyle by encouraging any and all participants aged 30 to 100 and over to continue to strive towards sporting success, and have fun in the process.
Sieben works out at the track at Maple ridge Secondary, doing stretching and warmup drills, and then running six 100m sprints, or six 200m races.
She said sprinting is unique as an exercise, and is excellent for core strength.
“People go to the gym and and do crunches – if you want abs, do sprints,” she said. “It shreds the fat and builds your abs.”
In staying active, she encourages people to find their passion.
“I love to sprint. I love the feeling,” she said.
Next on the schedule is the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver at the end of August.
Long-term, she wants to attend the masters world games. She’s checking the times from previous years to see how fast she needs to get. She wants to be in the race.
“You don’t want to go there and be half a track behind – that’s not me. I want to compete.”