I have a confession to make: I have been part of the Celeste Cross Child fan club for a few years.
To put it bluntly – Celeste is an all-star in the Saskatchewan running community.
Her running resume is long, but the highlights include:
- 3:05 marathon PB at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2022
- 50K at the Sinister 7 in 2025
- 50 Mile at the Sinister 7 in 2024
- AND on Sunday morning, setting a new lifetime PB in the half-marathon with a 1:28.49 effort at the Chilly Half-Marathon in Burlington, Ontario – proving you can still smash PBs in your 40s.
“I also think I set a new PB for cold weather training,” quipped Celeste, while waiting at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday night to come home to Saskatoon. “I don’t think I took any days off (from training) because of the cold weather (in Saskatoon) this winter.”
While Celeste’s personal accomplishments on the race courses are impressive, her biggest contributions to the running community are found elsewhere.
For years, Celeste has played a pivotal role in finding course marshal volunteers for countless races in Saskatchewan. In fact, along with MJ Sherven – she has helped recruit hundreds of volunteers for Step Up for Mental Health, Saskatchewan’s largest running event.
“I like to see people cross the finish line and I also really like how races are more inclusive now,” said Celeste when asked why she donates so much of her time to help with local events. “And I am thankful for the (volunteers) at the races I do, so I like to give back to the running community.”
Through all the training and volunteer time, Celeste holds a management role with Saskatoon Public Library and raises four children (with her husband, Tarrant Cross Child): Jaira, Kinley, Jayvin and Jarrett.
