Jason Loutitt was born alongside the mountains in Trail, British Columbia, Canada. He moved more than 20 times in three provinces before the age of 19. A difficult childhood could have prevented Jason from wanting to become the absolute best person and athlete he could be, but at a very young age Jason learned to embrace his Aboriginal culture and roots, and this has made all the difference in the world to his self-esteem and confidence.

Jason has been a runner for seven years and a member of the Team Canada Mountain running team for the past three years. One of Canada's rising marathon runners, Jason finished 2006 ranked second in the half-marathon for Canada and took the silver medal at the 2006 Canadian Marathon Championships. Jason, a former infantry soldier, is also a recent university graduate from the University of Manitoba, having earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation management and community development.

Jason heard about the Blue Planet Run through the Blue Planet Run Foundation Web site and felt inspired to be involved in “something amazing.” As an Aboriginal athlete, Jason hoped to accentuate the talent and determination found within those sharing his cultural roots, as well as within other Canadian youths. Jason feels close to the Blue Planet Run Foundation’s cause because unsafe drinking water is a pressing issue in many of Canada’s Aboriginal communities. Additionally, he is affiliated with the David Suzuki Foundation, a Canadian-based environmental organization that advocates balancing human needs with environmental sustainability. Jason counts David Suzuki as one of his heroes.

In preparation for the Blue Planet Run, Jason trained every morning before going into work and participated in the Boston Marathon. His training after Boston included two 10-mile runs daily to build up his stamina with strength and speed work. Jason is a great believer in meditation and physical refinement, and focuses on yoga and Pilates. Coupling these activities with healthy doses of sauna and steam work, he researched the global water issue to better represent the goals of the Blue Planet Run.

Jason also finds it rewarding to be able to share his energy and motivation as a coach for other marathoners; he has coached more than 750 talented individuals. When he’s not training or helping others, Jason enjoys movies, reading adventure books and playing with his five-month-old Jack Russell terrier, Nanew Koru.

Since September 2007, Jason has been representing Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as the Specialist for Aboriginal Participation--linking cultural content, communities, sport and youth to showcase the contribution of Aboriginal and native peoples of Canada and the world.

Jason describes his new life after the Blue Planet Run as such an experience. With Taeko and his first date on June 16, engagement on July 4 and marriage on August 28, they have been learning quite a bit from each other. She has special news in her updated bio that she is sharing for them. He is really enjoying focusing on his competitive running and has just secured sponsorship from Salomon for shoes and clothing. So far this year, he has become the 2008 Canadian Snowshoe Champion and is looking forward to many mountain running championships coming up in the UK, Mexico, US and Switzerland. His goal is to attain at least 2 other Canadian championships in 2008 and finish top 10 in the world for mountain running.