January 29, 2009 (Whistler, BC) – We caught up with Canada’s Sara Renner, Olympic silver medalist, following her 6th place finish in the 15km pursuit on January 17 during the 2009 Whistler World Cups, as she answered questions in a media scrum after the race.

February 18, 2008 (Liberec, Czech Republic) – Sara Renner is a 12-year member of Canada’s National Ski Team. Along the way she has become a 3-time Olympian, an Olympic silver medalist (in the team sprint with Beckie Scott at Torino 2006), hauled in five World Cup medals, and recorded the first-ever podium for a Canadian woman at the Nordic World Championships (classic sprint bronze in 2005). Most recently Renner became a new mother to daughter Aria with her husband, Thomas Grandi, a top alpine skier who retired in March 2007 after a 14-year career with the Canadian ski team.

After taking the 2006/07 World Cup season off to have her first child Renner returned to the World Cup scene in Davos, Switzerland this past December with a very solid 38th place finish despite being under the weather. Since then she has not been out of the top 30. Her 2007/08 season-best result came in front of her hometown crowd at the Alberta World Cup in Canmore in the 1.2km classic sprint (placed 14th).

We caught up with Renner as she joined the Canadian NST in Liberec, Czech Republic getting ready for two days of racing at the site of next year’s Nordic World Cross Country Ski Championships. She will be competing in the 10km skate race, and will team up with Olympic Champion Chandra Crawford for the Team Sprint.

The 2007/2008 racing season marks your return to World Cup since taking last season off to become a new mother. I understand that you skied up until a week or so from you due date?
Sara Renner: Yes, I was active during my pregnancy but I won’t call it training. I exercised most days but didn’t go out to sweat, mostly to enjoy the great winter we were having in Canmore. The day before Aria was born I did about 10km on the Banff trail and thought that that was definitely my last pregnant ski. I swam the day she was born. The skate was a compliment to the waddle but classic skiing was out of the question from five months on. It was hard on the hip flexors.

Getting back into race shape – was it as hard or as easy as you thought it might be?
SR: I looked forward to getting back to training. Getting exercise and some time to myself helps me be a better mom. It was hard at the beginning and I remember my first camp in May, I pretty much had to train alone and I was used to training with the boys leading up to Torino. I made big improvements weekly especially in the weight room. That was fun. Most of my intensity was zone 3 through the summer and I didn’t run while I was nursing (lots of rollerskiing and biking).

At the mid-way point of this race season are you happy with your progress/results?
SR: I am. I had no expectations and I was surprised to have speed in sprinting.

It appears this year that you have been selective about what races you travel to in Europe. Is that a combination of “getting your feet wet” again with racing and caring for Aria?
SR: Yes, I will be selective about my racing schedule. My intention was to always bring Aria on the road with me but my perspective changed once I became a mother. The spring World Cup schedule and it’s weekly country hopping isn’t the best thing for the little critter.

Down the road do you anticipate going back to full-time on the World Cup circuit? Or at this point in your career are you content to pick and choose what races you attend?
SR: My days of a full season on the road are done. I will focus on the Tour de Ski, World Cups in Canada and the Nordic World Championships next year.

Did you get any advice from other World Cup skiers who returned to racing after becoming a mother? If so, have any hit home now that you are back to racing?
SR: I was lucky to observe Milaine Theriault in action as a mother and a racer for two seasons on the World Cup. Milaine has given me great advice and reassurance that I am not taking the road to crazy town. I also keep a picture on my computer desktop of Katerina Neumenova after winning the 30km gold in Torino with her daughter greeting her.

When you took a break from the sport to have Aria, your longtime team
mates Beckie Scott and Milaine Theriault announced their retirements.
How is it now returning to the team and being the lone “veteran”?
SR: We had something pretty incredible for many years. Mostly we had a lot of fun together. I am still adjusting to the circuit without them.

What does the future hold for Sara Renner post 2010 Olympics? Are you interested in staying involved with the sport as Beckie has with WADA and the IOC?
SR: Thomas, Aria and I are going to have a get-a-way truck with skis/surfboards/toddler paraphernalia parked at Whistler. After the closing ceremonies we are heading down to the Baja for a few months of camping and adventures. I will forever be involved in cross-country skiing and dream of starting a club somewhere like Invermere.