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Mont-Sainte-Anne, July 6, 2024 – The cloudy and rainy day that ended at Québec Mega Trail did not prevent absolutely sublime performances and records on the technical and muddy trails of Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA) and the surrounding areas. The athletes of the QMT-100 MILES and the distances of 110 km, 80 km, 50 km, 32 km and 10 km, thus finished their race at the foot of the mountain looking mystical under the foggy weather conditions.
Below are the runners who distinguished themselves in the different events.
QMT-100 MILES: finally the victory (and the record!) for Jeff Cauchon
The QMT-100 MILES now has a new king, and he is well known in the region. Jean-François Cauchon (ITRA 802) was finally able to achieve THE performance he wanted, to match his exceptional talent. “My game plan was to take the first half of the race fairly easy to arrive in good shape at 80 km, and then be able to push well without being too shattered,” he indicated. His strategy was certainly the right one because he seemed in very good shape at the finish line.
The group of leaders he formed alongside Ferdinand-Clovis Airault (France – ITRA 803), former course record holder Sangé Sherpa (Nepal – ITRA 839), Abel Carretero (Spain – ITRA 886) and Elliot Cardin (Canada – ITRA 804) who both DNF, and Luis Fernandes (Portugal – ITRA 867), kept the public in suspense until the end of the race. Cauchon confirmed his top position less than two hours before his arrival as he reached the Montée St-Hilaire north of the MSA.
Although he feared having gastric problems as it happened to him a few times in competitions, Cauchon, 31, did very well today. “I train a lot while respecting the nutrition protocol that I want to do in races, and honestly today, I did the opposite! Plan A quickly went out the window and I was fueling myself with Red Bull, Oreo cookies, bananas and liquid carbohydrates!”, he said.
QMT-100 MILES – Top – Men
QMT-100 MILES: the great return of the warrior, Anne Champagne
Quebecer Anne Champagne (ITRA 574) also made QMT history, winning the 100-mile event and breaking the record set by Newfoundlander Kelsey Hogan by around six minutes. Very emotional at the finish line, she threw herself on the ground, not believing the achievement she had just completed. “It’s the kind of day that goes well almost from start to finish, in control, very focused in fact. It was a very personal race, it’s almost selfish. I really needed to prove something to myself first, I was really focused, I wasn’t focusing on the other runners. And I also wanted to pay tribute to a friend who passed away, [to Marc-André Paillé, co-founder of Tout.trail],” she said.
Kelsey Hogan (ITRA 643) finished shortly after the winner. She can be extremely proud of her race since she officially becomes the only QMT runner to have completed the QMT-100 MILES three times, and also three years in a row.
QMT-100 MILES – Top – Women
QMT-110: David Savard-Gagnon, leader from A to Z
David Savard-Gagnon (ITRA 720), from Charlevoix region, was dominant over the 110 kilometers he covered. Leading throughout the event, he demonstrated that the QMT-110 trails are a real backyard for him. It was very different for the ladies as the leader Maria de Fátima Buchas (Portugal – ITRA 680), was overtaken towards the end of the race by Dania Belisle (Canada – UTMB 561), the big winner, then by Samantha Stimac (United States, ITRA 677), who finished second.
QMT-110 – Top – Men
QMT-110 – Top – Women
QMT-50 and QMT-80: records passing into American hands
Eric LiPuma (ITRA 885) from Vermont, USA, was looking forward to participating in the Québec Mega Trail, as he is familiar with muddy trails and steep climbs and descents. The runner and trainer was indeed in his element as he shattered the QMT-50 course record, lowering it below five hours with a time of 04:50:41. He was closely followed by the second competitor to cross the finish line, the Canadian Marcus Ribi (ITRA 803). For the ladies, champion Alex Castonguay (ITRA 644) and her two podium counterparts all smashed the 2019 QMT-50 women’s record by many minutes.
“It was awesome and absolutely beautiful! The conditions were deteriorating with the rain so I was worried about letting this record go. I was able to hold on and it was really fun,” said the new record holder on the QMT-80, the American Ryan Sullivan (ITRA 781). Among the women, Geneviève-Asselin Demers (ITRA 710) was far superior to her rivals. The one who won the QMT-110 last year is this time on the top step of the podium in the QMT-80. She once again confirms her status as a great Québec and even international athlete, currently ranked 3rd in the World Trail Majors world rankings.
QMT-80 – Top – Men
QMT-80 – Top – Women
QMT-50 – Top – Men
QMT-50 – Top – Women
Local athletes take home the honors on the new 32 km event
It was Quebecers Martin Dagenais and Mélodie Gilbert who left with honors on the brand new QMT-32. “It went really well! I had a game plan from the start. I didn’t want to leave too quickly or burn through all my cartridges early on. I think everyone wanted to save themselves on the first climb and a half to be able to finish strong, so I would say that it went well and I managed my race well,” says the athlete who is certainly on fire. He recently won the 50 km Trail La Clinique du Coureur.
Mélodie Gilbert was still fresh and sparkling when she arrived. “I loved the 32 km course! I loved doing the QMT-50, but I hate the Mestachibo trail, so seeing that the QMT-32 is the same course without the Mestachibo, I knew it would be a dream course for me!” she said. The athlete, having just returned from the Mont-Blanc Marathon in Europe, met the legendary sportswoman Maude Mathys, who was also on the QMT-32. However, she did not have the same destiny as Gilbert, and unfortunately had to deal with an injury during her race.
QMT-32 – Top – Men
QMT-32 – Top – Women
QMT-10 – Top – Men
QMT-10 – Top – Women
