I feel good about being a vegan, both health wise and for ethical reasons

Adriana Klassen lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband Jody and their dog Rusty. She is a Vice Principal of a Junior/Senior High School and loves to run in her spare time, whether it’s on the road or on the trails.She loves sharing her passion for running with her colleagues and students, and has led various Girls Run For It programs and run clubs at schools.

Her running accomplishments include winning the 2018 Calgary Marathon 50Km, becoming the 2018 ACU National 50k Female Champion, and winning the 2018 Banff Marathon, setting a new women’s course record that year.

In addition, she holds two Guiness Book of World Records in conjunction with Calgary Marathon events: Fastest Marathon by a linked team (female) in 2017, and the furthest distance ran on a treadmill in 24 hours (female team) in 2016. She lives by her favourite motto, “Carpe Diem” and is a prime example of pursuing a passion, exploring the world, and living life to the fullest.

Meatless Movement recently had a chance to chat with her.

Please tell us more about yourself

I am from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The joy of running!
A.S. Klassen

I have been vegetarian for years, but one summer 8 years ago, I became vegan. It started as part of my marathon training, and it got me fitter and faster. As I did research on it, I appreciated the health benefits and the ethical aspect of a plant-based diet.

As I transitioned to a plant-based diet and became more aware of what I ate, I found I had more energy with my training and recovery. In 2018, I ran a ton of races and optimal performances! I won the 2018 Calgary Marathon 50Km, becoming the 2018 ACU National 50k Female Champion, and won the 2018 Banff Marathon, setting a new women’s course record that year.

I found it was a lot more challenging to find good vegan restaurants and food when I was first a vegan, and especially when travelling. What I’ve learned is to always be prepared, so I always have emergency vegan bars in my purse, and pack food for trips, especially when flying. When it comes to eating out, I always look ahead at the menu to see if there is anything I can eat or call ahead if I didn’t see anything on the menu. Ultimately, I find that I always prepare ahead of time, when it comes to eating outside of my home. Though the good news is that there are more vegan restaurants as well as options on menus at regular establishments.

A misconception is that the food is bland or that you can’t get enough protein from the food.
A.S. Klassen

There are lots of meatless foods that are common to eat, so people already eat vegan/vegetarian. It’s just about making small shifts to make something fully vegan. So salads and French fries, which are usually the standard vegan food choices I can find at any restaurant (except if the fries are dipped in non-vegetable oil and have cross-contamination), are good examples of common meatless food.

In Calgary, there are a few local vegan restaurants that I like such as Hearts Choice and Vegan Streets. They just have lots of options to choose from.

It’s easy to go meatless, as most people already eat various items without knowing it (salads, cauliflower wings, French fries, oatmeal, etc.). Just find different items to see what you like, and have fun with it. When it comes to cheese, as that is the last thing that I gave up and one of the hardest to let go, vegan cheese has come a long way and there are lots of products out there now that can give the same satisfaction! My favourite vegan cheese is Violife, and Glowfood.

Good food to fuel my run
A.S. KlaSsen

I found that my running career improved when I became vegan, and a plant-based diet helps with a quick recovery. In addition to the two races that I won in 2018, that year I was also a member of the #TSPYYC Speed Project Team and, along with my team, ran from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in just over 39 hours. Then the weekend after, I flew to Manchester England and ran my fastest marathon, with a time of 3:03.