Dietitian, Olympian, Marathon Mom… what can’t Krista DuChene do?

She’s a wife, mom, world-class marathon runner, Olympic athlete and Registered Dietitian… what can’t Krista DuChene do?

It takes a lot of energy to be Krista, but thankfully, she’s always had energy in spades. “I grew up as one of six children,” says Krista, “and according to my mom, I was the most energetic of them all. She used to send me outside to run laps until I burnt some off.” Little did Krista’s mom know that her parenting techniques were breeding a future athletic superstar.

Every runner has a different reason why they decided to lace up. For Krista, running was a good way to maintain cardiovascular health for her other passions. She started playing hockey at age 4 and took her hockey career all the way to the University of Guelph. After graduating and becoming a Registered Dietitian, running took over her fitness life.

Everything changed when she decided to run her first marathon since having two children. It was the Mother’s Day Mississauga Marathon in 2009. Out of nowhere, an unknown competitor named Krista DuChene won. The newspapers nicknamed her “Marathon Mom”, and it’s stuck ever since. It was then that she decided she could run professionally—and in a short time, her career has skyrocketed. She won the national title in 2010 and 2016, consistently ranking among the top female marathoners in Canada. A lifetime of energy took her to the Rio Olympics in 2016, where she finished 35th out of 133 runners who completed the course.

Energy needs fuel. As a Registered Dietitian and an Olympic athlete, Krista knows more than most about how to fuel the body. “When it comes to the way you should eat as an athlete, it’s not complicated,” she says. Krista helps her clients do healthy eating in a simple way—it’s way too easy to overcomplicate things, she says.

“Come to my house and look in my cupboard. There’s no magic bottle of anything.”

So, what will you find in Krista DuChene’s cupboard? Her family’s diet is straightforward.

“At lunch and dinner, half my plate is vegetables. You’ll find boxes of spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and plenty else. A quarter of your plate should be lean protein—think lean pork, eggs, or chicken.”

When it comes to lean protein, it’s hard to beat eggs—Krista’s family absolutely love them. “Eggs are a staple in our diet,” she says, “and we buy at least two dozen eggs a week. They provide a good burst of protein.”

“They’re easy and convenient. On nights we need a quick dinner, we can have scrambled eggs and make omelettes.”

Krista can name at least a dozen meals off the top of her head that she likes to make with eggs… everything from waffles and meatloaf, to the egg salad sandwiches her son eats from Monday to Friday (but never weekends!).

Whether it’s healthy eating or marathon running, everything is about family for Krista DuChene. “We call ourselves Team DuChene,” she says, and no wonder. Her career has been a family passion. When she spent a summer training for the Rio Olympics, her kids were doing the cleaning and laundry on their own. It was hard work for them, made worth it when they got to watch Mom cross the finish line for Team Canada.

“I remember seeing my kids, hugging them, kissing them and laughing with them… we did it as a group, as Team DuChene.”

We like to think there’s one more member of Team DuChene—the eggs that help fuel her life on the go! Thank you to Krista for taking the time to tell us about her amazing journey.

Photo credits: Victor Sailer/Photo Run

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