Firefighters deal with extreme situations that go far beyond putting out fires. They not only have to deal with intense physical demands, but they also have to be able to perform emergency medicine and rescues under extreme mental pressures. That experience is a big part of whats made Emma Cook-Clark such a force of nature on the ultrarunning circuit.
Cook-Clark is an ex-firefighter turned Arcteryx ultrarunner athlete. She runs some of the longest and hardest trails and races in the world — and she runs them fast.
But she isnt the kind of athlete whos obsessed with numbers. She says she doesnt have a defined training schedule. Instead, she has a random sequence of badass outdoor objectives shes constantly pursuing. Cook-Clark couldnt tell you how many kilometers shed run in the last week, what pace she ran at, or what her heart rate was. She just goes; she just trains.
And its working out for her. The ultrarunner and mountaineer has represented her home country of Canada on multiple occasions. She ran at the FISU World University Games for Cross Country and the World Mountain Running Championships. She tied for first in the Skyrunner World Series, took second in the Hochkönig SkyRace, won the Ultra SkyRunning Madeira, and placed second in the Minotaur SkyRace.
So, its no wonder Arcteryx wanted to sign this ex-firefighter as one of the brands ultrarunner athletes. Emma Cook-Clark (@emcookclark) is a beast in the mountains.

US Forest Service to Offer Paid Wildland Firefighter Training for WomenThe Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest will host an all-expenses-paid training for women to become Firefighter Type 2 certified. Read more
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