Ambassador Highlight - Megan Rose

If you have ever considered or daydreamed about adventure-style blind enduro racing, you are no doubt familiar with Megan Rose’s work. Resident explorer and Event Director, Megan speaks candidly about planning and hosting some of the most popular multi-day enduro races. 

Event Directing – Nomad to Family Life – Covid – Trials and Tribulations 

Did you know that the career of Event Director was listed as the top 3 highest stress jobs after police officer and nurse? I am the Event Director for Trans BC, Trans NZ, and Trans Tasmania. For me, I find it extremely rewarding and have always loved the enthusiasm of all the participants who have come to the event who are super low-key, appreciative, and fun to be around, along with the local communities I get to work with. Not to mention getting to see my rock star volunteer crew each year! But I don’t think all events are as lucky as this one.  

Here is a brief snippet into the insights of the event world from my eyes: 

THE HIGHLIGHTS AND PASSION 

I told myself I would walk away from this job the moment it became unenjoyable or it became less of a passion and more of a ‘job’ as it’s not about that for me. I believe you must really enjoy what you do, and if you do, then everything else will become a success.  Here I am 10 years later with the same passion and love for the event. The role has shifted over the years though. It started out when I was a nomad living in my travel trailer, cruising from town to town, riding new trails every week, single and free, with all the time on my hands to create and explore. To now having a home and a family with toddler and a whole lot less time on my hands. But one thing hasn’t changed – how much I love providing the opportunity for people from all over the world to come explore and ride some of the sweetest trails right here in the Kootenays. That sure is special. Seeing the high fives, smiles and pure exhilaration each year as riders finish stages throughout the event, that right there is what keeps me loving doing what I do.  

THE STRUGGLES: 

Although the above might sound dreamy, it hasn’t always been an easy road. Every year I am thrown all sorts of curve balls that I must navigate, and there is always a yearly questioning of ‘why am I doing this?’ I often wish I had a camera to follow me around to make a documentary of it as people wouldn’t believe some of the aspects that goes on behind the scenes. This year alone, within weeks of the event, three of the six days were in jeopardy of cancelation for various reasons. Somehow it always pans out, but you just must have the right attitude when stuff goes sideways.  

Some of the biggest hurdles over the past few years: 

• My goal of Trans BC has always been about finding some hidden gems off the beaten path or bringing old hiking trails back to life. It’s about finding a sense of adventure in rides and/or point-to-point rides. This aspect gets a little harder each year with permitting approvals and change in government regulations. I often worry about the event longevity in this regard.  
• Making it through Covid was one of the hardest challenges, and some big decisions were made to keep myself afloat throughout the constant unknowns. 
• The hardest aspect by far has been trying to run these events after becoming a mother while at the same time adding another major event to my life, Trans Tasmania. Throw in another curveball by going through menopause. It’s been a long tough battle over the past 3 years. Menopause symptoms include: irritability and anxiousness, less patience, mental confusion, brain fog, memory loss, and lack of motivation/energy, to name a few. All feelings that I have never really had or am familiar with. I am glad to be through the tunnel on most of this now and really look forward to getting my events back up to 100%. 
• In the past I would always be exploring new routes and terrain for the next year’s event, and would gauge the course choice on my own ability to ride it. Now with hardly riding much the past 3 years trying to keep my head above water, I ride a trail and question if it’s too hard for the event, when in fact it’s just my level of skill that has gone way down. Determining what is a suitable trail and what isn’t has been a very hard factor for me to navigate. In the past if I could ride a trail but it was challenging, then it was perfect for the event, but now I just don’t know.  

A few months back, I made the very tough (but very appropriate) decision to cancel Trans Tasmania for February 2025, and to postpone Trans NZ until 2026. This will give me time to reset, get out on my bike more, spend time with family, put focus back into Trans BC that has been neglected the past few years and get back into some adventures of my own. I just signed up for Andes Pacifico. Am I scared? Yeah. A really odd feeling for me, but it’s helping me relate to those that might be intimated to do Trans BC. I now feel like I’m sitting on the other side of the fence and seeing how some people view my events, and am starting to think about how to navigate the perceptions and hesitations surround them.

Event Directing is hard, but also very rewarding when you have the right participants and event format. I have been thrilled to have had Yeti’s support doing what I do for the past 10 years.