On Friday, the twelfth version of Quebec Mega Path (QMT) kicks off in Quebec’s Charlevoix area, and this 12 months’s extremely anticipated race guarantees heart-pounding motion on powerful terrain. QMT brings collectively an incredible lineup of elite athletes, prepared to interrupt course data and defend titles. Set in opposition to the gorgeous backdrop of Mont-Sainte-Anne and the Massif de Charlevoix, 3,300 runners from 18 international locations will deal with among the most difficult trails in North America.
100-mile winners return to defend titles
This 12 months’s QMT-100 Miles occasion attracts an exceptionally robust competitor area, able to deal with an elevation acquire of 6,500 metres. Course report holders Sangé Sherpa of Nepal and Newfoundland’s Kelsey Hogan are each returning. Hogan is enthusiastic in regards to the occasion: “The QMT holds a particular place in my coronary heart: this occasion has helped me to develop as an athlete and I stay up for returning to the attractive trails and supportive neighborhood this 12 months. I’m thrilled that QMT is attracting much more unimaginable athletes and getting well-deserved worldwide recognition, all whereas staying true to its community-driven historical past and grassroots values. That is going to be a enjoyable 12 months!”
Males’s race
Sherpa, whose current accomplishments embrace taking third on the 2023 editions of each the Cervino Matterhorn Extremely Race in Italy and the Path Verbier St Bernard by UTMB 140K race in Switzerland, faces some fierce competitors. Different notable athletes on the boys’s facet embrace Abel Carretero from Spain, who completed fourth at Transgrancanaria within the Canary Islands, Portugal’s Luis Fernandes and U.S. runner Anthony Lee, who took second at Hawaii’s HURT 100 earlier this 12 months. Native runners Elliot Cardin, Jean-François (Jeff) Cauchon and Philippe Poulin are additionally set to impress.
Girls’s race
Among the many elite girls, France’s Claire Bannwarth, often known as the “Duracell bunny” is predicted to shine after finishing 28 ultras final 12 months. Bannwarth’s prolific accomplishments prior to now 12 months embrace the Colorado Path FKT and a win on the Montane Winter Backbone Race within the U.Okay.
Alyssa Clark from the U.S. and Quebec’s personal Mylène Sansoucy (who gained the QMT 80K final 12 months) will even be formidable contenders. Hogan, who set a brand new report final 12 months by greater than three and a half hours, will face powerful rivals like Viktoria Brown from Whitby, Ont., who not too long ago captured the Canadian 48-hour report, and Dominika Stelmach from Poland who, in 2023, broke the report for many kilometres run in 12 hours (152 km) throughout the Spartanion Race in Israel.
A battle for redemption in QMT 110
The QMT 110K covers 4,580m and has runners rushing by way of untamed trails and previous towering waterfalls. Former champion Benoit Gaillard from France goals for a comeback, dealing with off in opposition to Quebec-based runners Marvin Foucher, Yannick Bernard and David Savard-Gagnon, who’re all acquainted with the area’s powerful trails. The ladies’s race will see Maria Fátima Buchas from Portugal and Samantha Stimac from the U.S. vying for victory.
World Path Majors highlight
QMT’s inclusion within the World Path Majors cements its standing as a prestigious race that pulls from path operating fans worldwide. As the one Canadian race on this collection, QMT stands alongside different iconic races in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.”I’m particularly excited to participate in 2024 as it will likely be the primary version of the World Path Majors, and an opportunity to race on a few of my favorite trails with a lineup of fairly unimaginable athletes,” says Hogan.
To take a look at the stay stream of the end line on YouTube all through the QMT races, click on right here. To study extra in regards to the race, head to the QMT web site.
