Karolina Tomaszewska

AGE 33 HOMETOWN Stargard Szczecin´ski, Poland LIVES Toronto

Two years ago, as a new runner who describes herself as “dabbling” with the sport, Karolina Tomaszewska was asked by a friend to join a team of women making an attempt at running the entirety of Ontario’s iconic Bruce Trail. The trail, which spans approximately 890k, runs from Niagara to Tobermory. It was during her preparation for this team event that Tomaszewska joined the Night Terrors run crew, one of the many informal clubs that combine running and socializing that have popped up in major Canadian cities.

The nature of run crews is that there is often a social gathering post-run, which means that running wear has to go beyond mere dressing for the weather. “I look for garments to be f luid and work i n different capacities,” Tomaszewska says. “With my casual wear, I like it to work for the office and after hours, and the same for my running gear – I want it to be comfortable to workout in, but puttogether enough for a social gathering afterwards.” Her go-tos include the American line Tracksmith and the Danish line Newline.

Running crews have risen in popularity with social media platforms such as Instagram and Tomaszewska ref lects the true vibe of a crew runner when asked if she could name a runner who inspires her: “I think with the explosion of social media, it’s easy to be inspired by everyday people. When I check my Instagram feed, I see normal people doing amazing things and I relate to them more than, say, an elite runner whose job is to train. I admire the regular people doing incredible things,” she says.

Her self-described style? “Ornate and playf ul grandmother chic ,” Tomaszewska says with a laugh. “I think I’m heavily inf luenced by my Polish roots.”