WHO: Mark Montico

ACTIVITY: Climbing 110 flights of stairs

WHY: A new goal, and his friends

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My name is Mark Montico, a 47 year-old born and raised in Timmins Ontario, and currently the Operations Manager with OK Tire Mining in Timmins.

 

My entire life I have battled with weight management. I have tried many different weigh loss programs, and gym memberships to not only try to manage my weight, but also to be a healthier person. I struggled with accomplishing this until a good friend of thirty years, Shane Lebrun, reached out to Kate Durst with concern about my weight. Kate is both a co-owner Discover Fitness/Discover Performance, as well as a personal trainer at the facility. This conversation between Shane and Kate has made an incredible impact on my life today.

 

I enrolled with Discover Fitness/Discover Performance and have been training with Kate, who eludes a very strong and positive reputation within the fitness industry. While training with her, I have lost weight, but I have also fought battles and had the strength to conquer them. I have gained not only strength, but a lot of confidence, courage, desire and motivation! Today, I have two individuals that have joined the fitness world to face their challenges to better their health alongside me. These two individuals feed off my motivation and energy to help them achieve their success, and I could not have done this with the commitment of my coach.

 

When I heard Coach Kate talk about a fundraiser called 9/11 Climb, I was curious and wanted more information. Kate gave me the inside scoop and I became excited, knowing I wanted to be a part of this event. This gave me the boost I needed to set a new goal and drive towards my success. I am in the gym training 3 to 4 times a week, striving to be in the best shape for this event. The 9/11 Climb also has a meaningful impact personally, as I have friends who are First Responders. Not only that, but in 2014, I visited ground zero myself – the Twin Towers in New York. Visiting the grounds of the Twin Towers was very emotional - seeing all the names of the First Responders that sacrificed their lives in order to save others. If you haven’t been there or seen photos, the City of New York has done an amazing job turning the bases of the towers into a beautiful memorial of water fountains. The fountains are surrounded by the names of civilians who lost their lives, along with the First Responders and their platoons – all engrave on the ledge around the water fountains.

 

I would like to thank Shane and Kate for their inspiration and push to help me achieve my personal best, and one day I hope to become a coach that can inspire others to achieve their personal best just like they did for me.