Filsan Abdiaman (she/her) is a creative, certified running coach, personal trainer, athlete and ultrarunner based in Vancouver, British Columbia. With no athletic background growing up, at the age of 25, Filsan discovered her passion for running as a form of therapy to deal with depression and anxiety attacks after a breakup in 2013.

Her hyphenated identity as a Kenyan-Somali-Canadian-Muslim woman complicated her ability to express herself fully and love herself whole. This led to several challenges, from depression and anxiety to an eating disorder in her late twenties, which running helped her navigate.

Now racing trail ultras and drawing attention to mental health and self-love, her experiences have given her the confidence to pass on her wisdom to other womxn in the community through her grassroots organization—Project Love Run (PLR).

Founded in 2016 and now in multiple Canadian cities, PLR is a running collective offering self-identified womxn a safe space to Run to Brunch while having serious heart-heart discussions that emphasize self-love and self-worth. A proud womxn’s advocate, Filsan’s goal is to highlight the societal problems Black womxn face as a result of their intersectional identities by fostering safer communities for every womxn to be seen and heard.