At 5 foot 4 inches, Emma Cook-Clarke is familiar with being sized up and played down. As a wildland firefighter through her early twenties, she was often the only female on a crew. She barely filled out the standard issue uniform, so crewmates tended to underestimate her strength -- their mistake. Cook-Clarke, has a playful but serious curiosity about what the body is capable of. An athlete throughout childhood, the inquiry deepened when she was invited in 2011 as a youth ambassador for Impossible to Possible, to run seven marathons in seven days across Rajasthan India. She didn't just learn what her body was capable of, she learned what's possible when people work together. Running, says Emma, is more of a team sport than most people realize. "It's individual, but you really rely on people." After graduating from a degree in environmental science and beginning work as a firefighter for the City of Calgary, Emma refocussed her University cross country and track racing strengths (with which she had represented Canada), to adventuring in the mountains, ski touring and mountain running to get in shape for work. Obstacle course races attracted her, for the combination of strength, speed and challenge and in 2021, she won the North American Championships, and was one slipped-handhold away from a podium spot at the Worlds. While a career in firefighting challenged her body and mind, it also meets the larger question she asks herself: "Am I being useful?" Even as an artist Emma creates with purpose, making cards for friends, or pieces to be auctioned off for a cause. And in her spare time? She's always hatching creative ways to push herself as far as possible. Emma recently stopped back from her role as a firefighter to pursue athletics on a closer to full time basis.
- 8 podium finishes in Sky Running World Series races, including 4 1st place
- Multiple time Skimo National Champion
- 1st place, Spartan Obstacle Course Race (OCR), North American Championships
- 4th place, Spartan OCR World Championships, Abu Dhabi
- 2nd place. Canadian University Championships for Cross Country
- 2nd Place at the Canadian National Mountain Running Championship