Mark Arendz celebrates 20th season on Canadian national Para nordic skiing team

CANMORE, Alta. – Surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains on a brisk November morning, Mark Arendz puts in his daily workout on the Frozen Thunder Loop gliding with apparent ease as he prepares for his 20^th national team season on the Canadian Para nordic team.

At the end of each run, he chats with a few teammates before powering up hill in quick, compact strides to the top of the trail to continue to finetune his technique and work on racing strategies.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Arendz a legend in his sport, certainly his teammates on the Canadian team would agree. But if you didn’t know him, you’d be hard-pressed to tell whether this is his first season or his 20th; he approaches this Paralympic year with the same enthusiasm.

‘’I think it’s still the curiosity,’’ said the six-foot-three 35-year-old with a confident voice. ‘’For me it’s to see if there is something more. I’ve set the tone the last few years especially on the biathlon side with three overall World Cup titles and now it’s about trying to find the little details that will let me blaze a new trail.’’

It was at age 16, in January 2007, that Arendz took his first glides with the national team. He was already surrounded by legends such as current national team coach Brian McKeever and Colette Bourgonje.

In 2010, he made the Paralympic Winter Games team for Vancouver. It proved to be an unforgettable experience both on and off the trails and it was the first and only time he would not reach the podium at the Games.

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He notched two medals at Sochi 2014, both in Para biathlon. Then in 2018 at PyeongChang he produced the greatest single Games performance by Canadian winter Paralympian with six medals (one gold, two silver and three bronze) – three in cross country and three in biathlon.

At the most recent Games in 2022, Arendz marched four more times to the podium with a gold, two silver and a bronze. His world championship medal count between those Games is extensive.

But let’s just say he’s entering the 2026 Games as the two-time defending world champion in two Para biathlon events and he was also a medallist last season at the Para cross country worlds.

Excelling in both nordic events doesn’t mean Arendz trains twice as much as other athletes, even though more and more emerging athletes are specializing in one or the other. The one-pole racer sticks to the training formula that has worked for him.

‘’Adding more wouldn’t be the smartest move at this point,’’ said Arendz. ‘’It’s about making sure it’s quality hours throughout the year and attention to very specific details.’’

Brotherly love keeps Arendz on target

One of the key figures in Arendz’s success through his career is his older brother Menno, a former national biathlon team member now coaching the Canadian Para biathlon racers in the shooting range.

Mark says honest feedback flows more easily when it comes from a family member.

‘’There are moments,’’ said Mark Arendz. ‘’But it’s always been really good. We share a common interest in biathlon and very similar opinions. He knows how far he can go pushing the buttons and that is making me better.’’

The pair have worked together since they were young children working on the family farm in Hartsville, PEI.

‘’We always got along, we knew the work had to be done,’’ Mark Arendz said. ‘’There was no time for anything else.’’

McKeever describes his long-time teammate as the ‘’consummate professional.’’

‘’He’s stubborn, which is one of his biggest strengths,’’ said McKeever, a 20-time Paralympic Games medallist in Para nordic skiing including 16 gold. ‘’He knows where he’s going and my role with him is as a sounding board and just to offer advice when it’s wanted.’’

Canada’s Para nordic racers have collected 30 medals over the past two Paralympic Games and Arendz is at the centre of Canada’s evolution as a superpower in the sport.

‘’It’s just a great group of athletes that come to a team that has the fundamentals to make them successful,’’ said Arendz. ‘’You can’t help but get lured into that. So that develops the next generation.

‘’It’s almost like it’s feeding itself.’’