By Nigel Maxwell

Hudson Bay woman qualifies for national bodybuilding competition

May 7, 2018 | 5:00 PM

A Hudson Bay woman has secured herself a spot at a national bodybuilding competition after a series of wins.

Rena Huston, 32, competed last weekend at the Saskatchewan Amateur Bodybuilding Association (SABBA) event in Saskatoon and took first in the bikini show.  The week before she competed at the Ultimate Fitness event in Warman where she placed first in the novice bikini, novice fitness model, and open bikini categories. And the week before that she competed at the SABBA novice and natural competition in Regina where she finished second in the novice bikini open and first in the natural bikini tall shows. 

“Fitness or exercising has been a part of my life as long as I can remember,” she said. “I had no intention of doing SABBA until February [when my coach] said to me, ‘you should do it; it’s the week before, so why not?’”

The mother of two said she took her personal training course three years ago and now runs classes out of her own home. The competitions can be very demanding and difficult, Huston said, but she has a very supportive family who helps her get through it.

“My boys are old enough that they are fairly independent, so that helps, and they’ve just been so excited for me all along,” she said. “My husband is amazing because he just lets me do my thing and helps me out when I need it.”

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The national competition will take place in Laval, Quebec in July. Huston said she is still not sure if she will go, as the costs could total at least $2,000 factoring in the costs of her suit, shoes, tanning, and travel. She also acknowledged that as a first-time competitor she would have to push herself harder than some of the more experienced competitors.

“Nationals are a whole other level, with athletes who have been working towards this for years, and lots of them are trainers themselves and have sponsors,” Huston said.

Huston said she and her husband will sit down this week and make the decision together, though she has also started the process of looking for sponsors.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell