Trailhead Athletics

Nicola has over 15 years of professional fitness training experience. As co-owner of Body & Soul Health and Fitness, the largest personal training studio in Vancouver, BC for 10 years, Nicola and her staff of caring professionals helped many people transition into better health. She reached deep into the community through a weekly Fitness File feature on the BCTV Early News and was nominated in 2000 for the YWCA’s Women of Distinction award for entrepreneurship. She has been a sought after keynote speaker at corporate events and conferences and ran a series of lunch bag fitness seminars for Vancouver businesses.

Competitively, she has competed as an expert level cyclist in several disciplines for many years with Canadian National Championship 2nd place finishes in cross country mountain biking and cyclocross and took the Washington State Crtiterium Championship when it was held here in Bellingham several years ago. She has also been proud to join 2 winning Ski to Sea teams, Boundary Bay and Kulshan Cycles and took Top Gun honors as the fastest female mountain biker in the 2010 Ski to Sea race. With several multi-day international stage races under her belt, Nicola is always looking for the next challenge. Nicola translated her passion for cycling and her fitness background into USAC Expert Level coaching certification several years ago and has trained several competitive athletes looking to reach their own cycling goals as well as leading multiple workshops on training and tactics for cyclists of all abilities.

“The outdoors brought us to Bellingham and I have been thrilled to take advantage of all our area has to offer since arriving here. Some weekends the decision about what to do for fun is the hardest! Do we ride, run, hike, paddle or ski? Sometimes the challenge is to do it all!

Personally, I am determined to embrace these activities for many years to come and as I age I am reminded how important maintaining good conditioning, strength and flexibility is to that goal. I have one body for this life and it allows me to do more when I keep it healthy. That’s why I’m so excited to share what I have learned about functional training and the benefits of the targeted workouts we have created at the Trailhead. They’re fun, effective and leave me all the time I want for getting outside!”

Derek has spent much of his professional life coaching people and helping them develop a strong knowledge base. He has been recognized by his peers through several business development awards for his unique ability to motivate others and effect positive change. Managing a large and diverse territory that has included Alaska and most of our northwestern states and Western Canada, Derek has firsthand experience balancing a challenging career with the training demands of competitive sport. Derek’s enthusiasm is contagious and he is perfectly positioned to apply his knowledge, training and enthusiasm in guiding others to reach their fitness potential.

Derek’s competitive fitness accolades include a Canadian National 3rd place finish in Cyclocross, a Canadian National top 10 for cross country mountain biking and several series top 5’s as a Master’s level expert in both Washington state and BC series. He has participated in multi-day races both here and in Europe competing twice at the TransAlp Challenge in Europe and also took a 7th place in the 2006 TransRockies Mountain bike race. His open team earned a top 25 overall spot for Ski to Sea where he naively chose the downhill run leg, much to the relief of his teammates! If he’s not on one of his 6 bicycles, you’re likely to see Derek on his motorbike, running trails with the dogs, playing pick-up hockey, paddling with friends or heading out for a ski.

“These days who has time to spin their wheels at a gym? While balancing the demands of family, career and recreational pursuits, I believe in spending as much time outside as possible, but I know that I need to work out to stay strong. I don’t have time to get injured and I want to be strong for my sports. I understand the needs of working adults and outdoor athletes, you want your workouts to be functional, fun and fast.”