Alissa Laurent

Background

Street Laurent grew up in Canada, and spent most of her childhood in the mountains of southern Alberta.

Career

She began her ultra career in 2013 and has competed for the Canadian National team in 100km World Championships and the 2015 International Astronomical Union Trail World Championships. She holds numerous course records, including those for the Sinister 7 100-mile ultra, and the Lost Soul 100-km ultra. She moved to Edmonton after graduating from university for work and currently trains out of Fast Trax sports store and running club in Edmonton.

She is an advocate for female athletes in sports and has commented in the media that she hopes to encourage more young girls and women to take up competitive sports such as ultrarunning.

Street Laurent began her ultramarathon career in 2013, one of her first races being the 50-mile Blackfoot Ultra. That same year she ran the Lost Soul 100km, a grueling ultra course in the undulating foothills outside of Lethbridge Alberta winning top female.

In 2014 Street Laurent again raced Lost Soul 100km again winning top female and setting the course record with a time of 11:00:55. The race was extremely close with the top male finisher finishing in a course record time of 11:00:14, just 41 seconds ahead of Street Laurent.

In 2014 Street Laurent took on her first 100-mile race with the Western States 100 in California and came 13th, 3rd for her age category with a time of 22:17:43.

Also in 2014 Street Laurent completed the Transport Gaspe 260-km 7-day stage race in Quebec, Canada. A 6-stage event where runners are required to carry their supplies with them for the entire race. The 100-mile race takes place in the mountains of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta and has over 18,658 feet (5,687 m) of elevation gain.

She finished 15 minutes behind the top male finisher Dave Proctor in a close race, at one point being less than 5 minutes behind him.

In fall of 2015 Alissa yet again broke another course record, this time in the State of Oregon, at the Cascade Crest 100 mile ultra. Alissa broke the long-standing female course record set in 2007 by 1:44:04, setting the new female course record of 19:25:56.

Street Laurent has spoken several times in schools about ultrarunning and females in sports. She is scheduled to speak at the Royal Alberta Museum 28 October 2015 along with professional boxer Earnie Shavers.

Achievements

• She received much social and national media attention after becoming the first female to win the 125-km Canadian Death Race outright in 2015 and her later comments in the media encouraging more women to take up competitive sports such as ultrarunning. In her first attempt at the Canadian Death Race in August 2013, a race with over 17,000 feet (5,200 m) of elevation change, Street Laurent won the 125-km event with a time of 16:03:37. In 2015 Street Laurent won the mountainous 100-Mile Sinister 7 race and set the female course record of 18:37:19 as well as breaking the previous male course record. She again raced in the Canadian Death Race of 2015, less than three weeks after winning the Sinister 7 100 mile ultra, becoming the first female in the 15-year history of the race to win outright with a time of 13:53:34.