Marin Lowe thinks back fondly to her first European race.
She was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 16-year-old in Nové Město na Moravě, a Czech town of just under 10,000 people that hosts UCI World Cups in the cross-country Olympic (XCO) and cross-country short track (XCC) disciplines. The year was 2022 and Lowe had registered for a junior event alongside her Stimulus Orbea teammates: Isabella and Ava Holmgren.
Isabella placed seventh, Ava eighth and Lowe ninth. It was something of a core memory for them all.
"We're like, 'Oh my gosh, we have what it takes!'" Lowe said. "I think that definitely sparked something in me, [realizing] I could do this for a living."
Lowe qualified for her maiden World Championships that very year. She finished 16th due in part to a bout of COVID shortly beforehand, but still gained valuable experience—not to mention inspiration observing the elite races that same weekend.
In 2023, the Squamolian really made her presence felt with XCO silver at the World Championships in Glentress, Scotland.
"I still think it's one of my best performances. It was just like one of those days where you feel on fire," recalled Lowe. "The course is super awesome at that venue, and I think it's still one of my favourite courses regardless of results. Had an awesome race, came second to my teammate Bella Holmgren … to go beyond [my original goal of a top 10] and get a medal was pretty surreal."
Fast forward to the present and you'll find Lowe to be a key member of the Canadian U23 women's cross-country squad alongside both Holmgren sisters and her old friend, Ella MacPhee. On July 19, Lowe became national XCO champ in Langford, B.C. after a hotly contested duel with eventual runner-up MacPhee.
Training buddies
Folks have asked Lowe why she never got into downhill or enduro biking despite her origins in Squamish. Ironically, she felt "super terrified" of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park (WMBP) and its brake bumps as a young girl who simultaneously loved cross-country trails. Lowe was evidently meant to be an endurance athlete, displaying talent at biathlon, cross-country skiing and running as well.
MacPhee has been there for not quite every step of the way, but close. She and Lowe met in kindergarten and did similar sports growing up even before becoming national teammates. They've also bonded as fellow University of Victoria students, with MacPhee pursuing a kinesiology degree and Lowe a double major in Physical Geography and Environmental Studies.
Both are coached by 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Catharine Pendrel, and both view her as a role model.
"We're great training buddies," Lowe said about MacPhee. "Right now she's definitely faster than me, but we push each other in different ways all the time. We're definitely competitive with one another, but for the most part we're very close and have a lot of fun together. It's nice to have a friendly face when we're out in Europe."
MacPhee bested Lowe at this July's national XCC event, grabbing silver in comparison to Lowe's bronze.
After spending 2024 with Pittstop Racing Team, Lowe signed on with Liv Factory Racing. She was attracted to the brand's values as an all-female unit with a mission to empower women in mountain biking, and further impressed by Liv's approach to management. When they gave her an offer, she didn't dare refuse.
'Tough moments along the road'
For Lowe, it hasn't all been fun and games. Nagging injuries meant she only cracked the top 10 once last year, while contracting mononucleosis and dengue fever prevented a return to her old stomping grounds in Nové Město this May. Fortunately the symptoms weren't as harsh as they could have been, enabling Lowe to follow up her campaign-high two straight fifths in Araxá with ninth and sixth at her next World Cup in Leogang.
There is, however, another ailment Lowe battles. She was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at age 12 and has experienced its deleterious effects in many aspects of life.
"I was very lucky that I had family and friends who I felt very comfortable talking to, and also got help early on," reveals the now 20-year-old. "There's been some tough moments along the road. I worked with a psychologist very, very frequently … but after my first World Champs in Les Gets, my OCD got very hard to navigate and I actually started taking medication for it.
"This was a hard decision to make because I always wanted to deal with it on my own, but it's actually quite crazy how much medication has helped. All the energy I was putting into fighting these intrusive thoughts, now I can put into my sport and just enjoy life a bit more … but [OCD] is definitely still a part of who I am. For anyone out there potentially struggling … talking to people was really, really big for me and you don't have to be scared of taking medication. It can be very helpful."
