My name is Evan Girard; I am an athlete and an adventurer. I growing up I tried my hand at several sports but never excelled; I became a member of the local Air Cadet squadron in the fall of 2006 where I remained and was heavily involved until I left to begin University in 2011. As a cadet I was decorated with a variety of merits and awards. I achieved educational certificates in aircraft maintenance and air traffic control, glider pilots license, and my private pilots license among other things. During this time, I was introduced to the Biathlon Saskatchewan provincial coach Doug Sylvester who enabled me to try the sport of biathlon for the first time; having never cross country skied or shot a target rifle before.
In the Spring of 2013 I was accepted as a member of the high performance team Rocky Mountain Racers based out of the Bow Valley in Canmore, Alberta gaining my first exposure to elite sport. As a Rocky Mountain Racer I began training much harder and improved drastically and soon started racing at a more competitive level. In 2013 I competed for Canada for the first time at the Winter Univerisade in Trentino, Italy for biathlon. I returned to the Universide in 2015 where I again compete in the biathlon events in Orsiblie, Slovakia; this time though, I made history when I became the first Canadian to ever wear the maple leaf in multiple sports in the same University Games when I raced the Cross-Country 30km marathon event in Štrbské Pleso. I completed my collegiate racing and my Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan with a major in Business Management in spring of 2015.
In the fall of 2015 I was unfortunately diagnosed with a respiratory dysfunction which ended my ski career and began my new journey to become an elite triathlete. I now race a variety of triathlons, amongst other events, while living and training in Victoria, British Columbia. I have competed at the Xterra World Championships twice, and at the ITU Tri-Cross World Championships another two times, where I earned back to back Bronze medals on the world stage. My goals now centre around being the best Off-Road athlete in my sport.
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2016 - Day in the life