Carlotta James, Project Director / Cofounder
The dream of runners and monarch butterflies on a journey together came to Carlotta while running along forest trails in Peterborough, Ontario in 2016. Since then, Carlotta has been working tirelessly with the Monarch Ultra team to create an ultra marathon as a call to action towards environmental protection and monarch conservation. She is passionate about running, exploring wild spaces around the world, and connecting with the natural world. Carlotta lives in Peterborough with her family, who love spending time in nature together. Carlotta is a pollinator advocate and co-founder of Peterborough Pollinators and Three Sisters Natural Landscapes. |
Rodney Fuentes, Cinematographer
Rodney is a documentary filmmaker with a passion for nature and outdoor adventures. Before moving to Canada, Rodney spent half his life exploring the neotropical rainforest and guiding birdwatching tours in his native country, Venezuela. Rodney is also a runner and an outdoor explorer with vast experiences in the tourism industry. Rodney has worked and volunteered for several NGOs including the Venezuelan Audubon Society, Phelps Ornithological Museum, Birds Studies Canada, and the Peterborough Field Naturalist Club. Rodney lives in Peterborough, Ontario. |
Jodi McNeill, Race Director
Jodi is a trail runner and Race Director from Orangeville, Ontario. Along with her husband, Norman, they owned and operated Running Free Orangeville (a retail store for runners) from 2011 to 2019. She loves to be surrounded by like-minded people achieving goals they once thought impossible. Always fascinated by the Monarch Butterfly, Jodi became more passionate about the species after watching an episode of The Nature of Things that documented the discovery of their journey from Canada to Mexico. She took part in the first Monarch Ultra in 2019, completing a 50K section in Austin, Texas on her birthday. Jodi and her husband own GottaRunRacing which hosts trail running and virtual events in Ontario and is looking forward to returning to in-person events in 2021. Jodi is excited to be a part of the team and to provide support for the runners as they take part in this incredible challenge! |
Günther Schubert, Ultra Team Chef
Günther was born and raised in a small town in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Thanks to much time spent roaming and foraging through the forests and fields as a young boy, he developed a deep love and connection with nature. After stints as a journeyman cook in various European cities, he immigrated to Toronto, Canada in the mid 70s, where he worked as a chef in fine dining establishments and gained his Certified Chef de Cuisine (C.C.C.) designation. Thanks to many years of experience as a chef, restauranteur, and caterer he has gained considerable knowledge about both food and life. Günther provided daily nutrition and support to the Monarch Ultra team during the 2019 relay run from Canada to Mexico, and motivated by his concern for the environment he will once again join the 2021 Monarch Ultra relay run. As a member of the Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club he is building strong connections with Rotary Clubs in Canada, the US and Mexico. |
Holly Chaille, Communications Director
Holly is a writer and Advanced Master Gardener living and providing horticultural therapy in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When she's not digging in the dirt or spoiling her pets she blogs about chasing monarchs and wonderly delights. She joined the Monarch Ultra team as a writer in 2019, blogging the adventure at hollyachaille.blogspot.com. |
Clay Williams, Mapping Expert
Clay is an avid runner from Elmira, Ontario. After running a handful of ultra-marathons, Clay created and ran the Canal Pursuit for Mental Health, a 785km run from Georgian Bay to Ottawa along two of Canada's longest canals, and eventually turned it into a relay run attracting almost 60 runners from across Ontario. As the "go-to" guy in his running community for putting together running routes and ensuring maps are accurate, Clay's experience made him a natural fit for putting together the route. |
Mireille Hess, Education Coordinator
Mireille is a monarch enthusiast, elementary teacher, and ultra runner. Mireille has been doing outreach in the community about monarchs since 2008. She has worked to restore and maintain habitat for monarchs in Wisconsin. In 2019, she was the recipient of Natural Habitat Adventures Scholarship Grant and was able to witness the overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. As a distance runner, she heard about the Monarch Ultra and knew she had to be a bigger part of this amazing project. Mireille lives with her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. |
Jackie Nicholls, Education Liaison
Jackie is a retired educator from the KPR Board and is always looking for ways to use her education skills. She is supporting the Monarch Ultra Team by working as an Education Liaison within the KPR Board. Her hope is to create large group presentations for schools or Board teachers as well as grade appropriate packages of activities for teachers. Jackie looks forward to working with all involved and sharing ideas in any way possible. Our environment is always in need of attention and young people in our schools are a great place to foster knowledge and action with respect to maintaining and improving the relationship between humans and nature. |
Rob Steinman, Support Crew
Rob has been an ardent environmentalist since being inspired by the work of Paul Sheppard. After moving to Canada from Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1971, he homesteaded on a hundred acres near Bancroft, Ontario. Rob has worked as a wood artist and co-owned Soft Wood Craft Gallery in Bancroft where he sold his own wooden toys and carved wooden art, as well as the work of other artists in the area. Rob has also been a committed thespian and has acted in and directed many theatre productions in both Bancroft and Peterborough. In 1989, Rob changed career paths and became a high school Drama teacher at Crestwood Secondary School where he taught for 22 years. After retiring in 2011, he spent several years organizing a successful resistance to the proposed Parkway, an ill-conceived road development project that would have meant the destruction of his beloved Jackson Park. About 3 weeks ago, Rob answered the call to be driver and all-around support person for the Monarch Ultra. He is thrilled to be a part of this daring and beautifully-conceived project. |
