Quebec runner Anne Champagne blazed to a brand new course report on the Quebec Mega Path (QMT) 100-miler on Saturday evening, however her victory was fueled by extra than simply velocity. Having set the QMT 110K course report in 2019, Champagne returned after a tricky yr each on and off the paths. She revealed that she had misplaced a buddy who was purported to tempo her, and working of their reminiscence grew to become her driving power.
Champagne’s time of 24:28:27 bettered the report of 24:34:58, set final yr by Kelsey Hogan of Regular Brook, N.L. In 2023, Hogan broke her personal 100-mile report; whereas she was second to Champagne on Saturday, she additionally grew to become the one lady to have completed the difficult QMT 100-miler thrice. Submit-race, Hogan mentioned that whereas she needed to dig deep throughout difficult sections of the race, that’s all a part of the enjoyable of it for her. “I get to run all day in stunning firm on these trails,” she mentioned. She loved working into acquainted athletes and volunteers all through the race: “It’s a extremely community-driven occasion.”
For Champagne, QMT holds a particular place in her coronary heart. It was her first extremely with a powerful efficiency, opening doorways to different races and alternatives. A former impediment course racer, Champagne made historical past in 2018 by turning into the one lady to win the Spartan Stoneham Extremely Beast outright, held in her hometown of Quebec Metropolis.
Hogan and Champagne had been adopted in by Mélina Dubois-Verret of Lingwick, Que., in 27:01:36. In 2023, Dubois-Verret was second within the 125K race on the Extremely-Path Harricana du Canada (UTHC) 2023 and fourth in her first 100-mile race, Bighorn Path Run, in Wyoming. Pre-race, Dubois-Verret mentioned she was wanting ahead to competing in QMT for the primary time, and desirous to problem herself in opposition to the fierce degree of competitors.
The 100-mile race kicked off on Friday night at Le Lodge and Spa Le Germain Charlevoix in Baie St-Paul, 66 km east of Mont Ste-Anne. This yr’s race noticed a deep discipline of proficient athletes competing within the 100-mile, and finishers started arriving Saturday night on the Mont Ste-Anne ski resort 40 minutes east of Quebec Metropolis. The race course is tough and technical, with runners traversing 6,500 metres of elevation over the 100-mile distance, and crossing rivers a number of occasions whereas navigating mud and rooty, rocky and steep trails. The primary males arrived within the late afternoon, with Quebec’s Jean-François Cauchon setting a brand new course report of 19:01:25.
100-mile outcomes
Girls
Anne Champagne 24:28:27
Kelsey Hogan 24:58:34
Mélina Dubois-Verret 27:01:36
Mylene Sansoucy 28:57:55
Melissa Ahier 31:05:39
Males
Jean-François Cauchon 19:01:28
Ferdinand-Clovis Airault 19:32:02
Sange Sherpa 20:23:42
Robin Coinus 21:49:02
Luis Fernandes 22:45:27
110K outcomes
Girls
Dania Belisle 16:03:29
Samantha Stimac 16:05:40
Maria de Fátima Buchas 16:19:00
Maëlle André 18:56:22
Karine Loiselle 20:01:59
Males
David Savard-Gagnon 12:29:23
Benoit Gaillard 13:08:29
Matthieu Saliou 13:17:48
Yannick Bernard 13:53:42
Samuel Frigon 14:02:10
80K outcomes
Girls
Geneviève Asselin-Demers 9:35:21
Julie Lesage 11:14:37
Sara Gagné 11:35:22
Camille Girard 11:40:07
Frederique Le Roux 11:40:22
Males
Ryan Sullivan 8:23:49
Samuel Audet 8:57:17
Jeetesh Rao Bhuvish Lukea 9:06:26
Francis Malenfant 9:21:03
Sacha Lacroix 9:35:28
World Path Majors highlight
QMT’s inclusion within the World Path Majors cements its standing as a prestigious race that attracts from path working lovers worldwide. As the one Canadian race on this sequence, QMT stands alongside different iconic races in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. To be taught extra in regards to the race, head to the QMT web site.
Native runner smashes 100-mile course report at Quebec Mega Path
To learn in regards to the males’s 100-mile outcomes, click on right here. try the livestream of the end line on YouTube all through the QMT races, click on right here.
