Sara Renner is getting a crash course in normal living. Since announcing her retirement from skiing after her final race—the 30 k race at the Olympics, she’s jumped into the “real life of motherhood and work” with both feet.
“It’s really eye-opening the amount of stuff you do in a day when you don’t ski [train],” she said. “It’s so busy!”
Renner is now balancing motherhood with a new position—she and her husband, Thomas Grandi, have opened The Paintbox, a boutique lodge in downtown Canmore. It has five suites and sleeps 13 to 20 people. “We hire all cross country skiers or former cross country skiers, so it feels more like a family.”
In addition to the excitement of a new business, the Renner-Grandi clan is looking forward to another new arrival in January—Renner is pregnant with their second child and is due in January. They already have a daughter, Aria. “I heard the heartbeat yesterday [June 29], which made it real and exciting for me.”
Despite the business of transitioning from skiing to real life, Renner admits she was ready for the switch. “It’s so great to leave something with so many good memories. I’m sure it’ll be harder in November when all the ski stuff starts up, but I’m really happy.”
The family took a month-long road trip down to Utah to canoe the Green River and are looking forward to a summer of exploring the Canadian Rockies–rather than previous summers filled with training camps.
