More than 800 team members live the frontline experience
In 2011, TELUS introduced a new program called Closer to the Customer to help deliver on our future friendly brand promise to clients.
Meet Rachel Turner – a champion for active living
Rachel used to think she couldn’t run.
That changed in 1999 when the program manager in Human Resources had a light bulb moment. She decided, once and for all, to become a runner as well as shed some unwanted pounds.
Six weeks later, with the support of friends, Rachel ran her first 5K race. She enjoyed the experience so much she ran a half-marathon a few months later. Rachel’s passion for running grew; she joined a running group, hired a trainer and finished her first marathon in 2000.
Even more impressive, she has kept the weight off and become an athletic dynamo. “I went on to discover and enjoy other fun sports,” Rachel says. “Today, being active is a key part of my DNA.”
Trains 15 hours a week
Now Rachel dedicates about 15 hours every week to running, biking, swimming and other indoor and outdoor physical activities. In recent years, Rachel has completed three marathons, three long distance triathlons plus the Ironman Canada triathlon in Penticton, B.C. The Ironman is a grueling race that pushes participants to the limits of endurance. It involves a crowded 3.8-kilometre swim with hundreds of other participants in open water, 180 kilometres of cycling and a punishing 42-kilometre run.
The competition is physically and emotionally exhausting, but what Rachel remembers most is positive and enduring: “My most vivid memory is crossing the finish line at Ironman. It was such a long distance and my training was so hard that it felt amazing to finish and see my goal come to fruition.”
