The Tai’s met in the quiet town of Edmonton.

Allison grew up with horses and is all about living a simple rustic life.

John grew up in Vancouver amidst the mountains and the forest; a childhood full of mountains and wilderness.

Moving to Vancouver in 2010, the couple were determined to create a country home in the city: full of nature, where they could grow some of their own food and raise a family that would be connected to their environment.

Allison discovered running and triathlon when she moved on from riding horses in college. She performed well: with many podium finishes including second in her age category at Ironman Canada in 2006. Unfortunately, her hopes of becoming a pro-triathlete ended in the blink of an eye one week following the race – when she was rear-ended by a Chevy Avalanche at over 100km/hr while cycling.

Despite being deemed 24.5% disabled, she later got hooked on obstacle racing and quickly found herself again on the podium. During this time she also had two daughters, her most important accomplishment to date. When her girls were smaller, she would carry both of them on her back up Grouse Mountain on training hikes: singing, learning the alphabet, and doing math. Now the young girls chase eagerly to keep up with their mom. Ama started hiking Grouse Mountain when she was 4, with a time of roughly 3 hours. Now at 7 years, she has a new personal best time of 1:45. Seren at the age of 4 is taking her time but is determined to be first to the top some day.

John has been active in competitive sports since the age of 10. He has gravitated to health and fitness with registrations in massage, group fitness, coaching and electroneurophysiology. At their urban farm, he utilizes his skills in building the training grounds and landscaping the food.