Since bringing their family to the valley almost nine years ago, Beva and Jordie Kirk have brought about countless new reasons for visitors and residents to get active.
Years before they became the owners of Crazy Soles Enterprizes in downtown Invermere, Beva and Jordie met as highschool freshmen in the Deep Cove district of North Vancouver.
“We almost hooked up in Grade 8, but that didn’t happen,” Beva said.
“But then in Grade 9, I found out that Beva had a really nice mountain bike so we started going out,” said Jordie.
Since moving on from Deep Cove, their living situation centred around Jordie’s career at Canfor, taking them to many rural communities throughout B.C. and Alberta.
“It was a nice way to see the provinces,” Jordie said.
In 2008, two years after their arrival, Crazy Soles came to be. Before securing its downtown location, the shop was first located in the Bavin Glass plaza. Their boutique shop offers a product line that’s in sync with two of their passions — trail running and nordic skiing.
Through Crazy Soles, the Kirks have founded many running events in the valley. The past three years have seen the moustaches on full display each November during the Movember Mile. When the weather’s a bit warmer, Crazy Soles hosts an annual trail run at Nipika Mountain Resort each May; and come September they will be organizing the Headbanger Trail Challenge. They also host a free weekly group trail run.
The past few years have seen the active couple take up fat biking — a form of cycling similar to a regular bike, but with much thicker tires for greater traction. Earlier this month (one of the coldest months of the year), Beva and Jordie took their fat bikes out for a 60-kilometre ride.
“It was cold and there was nothing to do so we rode our fat bikes for a long time,” Jordie said. “Why sit around and do nothing when we’ve got so much good stuff
to do!”
In the summertime, the couple will be competing in the six-day Singletrack 6 in the Okanagan, and the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400, a 400-mile self-supported mountain bike race in Idaho.
Their active lifestyle has trickled into those of their two children, whose homeschooling education allows them the most amount of time outdoors.
“They do as much school work as they can so they can ski more,” said Beva.
And when the mountain closes, they come home to a backyard that is illuminated at night and equipped with stunt park features.
To see what events the Kirks and Crazy Soles will be running next, follow their Facebook page, which you can find at “Crazy Soles Running/Yoga Store”.