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Mont-Sainte-Anne, July 1st, 2023 – Québec Mega Trail escaped the rain and the smog for the multiple events happening this Saturday, including the QMT-100 miles, which started Friday evening, in addition to 110K, 80K, 50K, 21K and 10K races. The extremely high level of humidity certainly added a challenge factor for the athletes throughout the day, but did not prevent the exceptional performances of the runners below.
QMT-100 miles: Albertan Kevin Biggs causes a surprise!
Against all odds, it was Calgary athlete Kevin Biggs, 34, who emerged victorious in the queen event of Québec Mega Trail. Having distinguished himself in the trail running community for only a few years, Kevin Biggs has nevertheless accumulated impressive accomplishments in western Canada. He recently finished third at the Diez Vesta in British Columbia. He finished second at the 80K of the Nesters Market Squamish 50 in 2022, in addition to winning the 100-mile Sinister 7 ultra-marathon in Alberta, as well as the 108K at the Black Spur Ultra in 2021.
“I wanted to do an 100-mile in Eastern Canada, and essentially this one is well-renowned. Rocks, mud, it was really muddy this time and it was very technical in some ways. That was the most technical thing I have done in my life! That was insane! Just like any 100-mile, you have some highs, you have some lows, but it went pretty good. I have try to hang back for a while, not go too hard and manage to survive. ” – Kevin Biggs, winner of the QMT-100 miles
Kevin Biggs finished the race with a lead of more than an hour an 30 minutes over his rivals, Pierre-Olivier Campagna, of Quebec city and Philippe Poulin of Beauceville.
Kelsey Hogan defends her title
For a second year, Newfoundland’s Kelsey Hogan took the honors in the QMT-100 miles for women. With an exceptional time of 24:34:57, she also broke her own record, cutting more than 3 hours 30 minutes from her time last year. It was a triumphant experience for the 28-year-old, who seemed to still have a ton of energy when she arrived, displaying a shining smile.
“It was fun and it was beautiful out there. The weather was totally different this year. The humidity, the rain and the mist were really cool. It was really interesting to come back, I have never ran a race that I had finished before and that I had a time to beat so in a way, it was more challenging. I knew I could do it and so I had a bar to raise.”
Results – Men
1. Kevin Biggs (Canada) – 20:17:29
2. Pierre-Olivier Campagna (Canada) – 21:55:38
3. Philippe Poulin (Canada) – 22:24:38
Results – Women
1. Kelsey Hogan (Canada) – 24:34:57 *New record*
2. Ariel Cudmore (Canada) – 26:07:43
3. Anne Bouchard (Canada) – 27 :54 :08
QMT-110 : the perseverance of Urko Larranaga
Reunionese Urko Larranaga made a solid comeback during the QMT-110. The race was also difficult for many athletes throughout the day, particularly between the Massif and Saint-Tite-des-Caps where the trails were very slippery. Larranaga adopted a conservative strategy, allowing him to close the gap that separated him from Sylvain Camus and Marvin Faucher. Faucher, leading a very long part of the race, unfortunately suffered a slight discomfort at the end of the course.
Results – Men
1. Urko Larranaga (Reunion, France) – 13:51:22
2. Sylvain Camus (France) – 14:14:49
3. Antoine Blais (Canada) -14:43:16
Results – Women
1. Geneviève Asselin (Canada) – 15:14:31
2. Leah Nicholson (USA) – 18:03:16
3. Valerie Collin (Canada) – 18:13:37
QMT-80
Results – Men
1. Ryan Patteson (Canada) – 09:08:26
2. Jeetesh Rao Lukea (Mauritius) – 09:13:42
3. Eric Drolet (Canada) – 09:26:18
Results – Women
1. Mylène Sansoucy (Canada) – 10:09 20 *New record*
2. Catherine Lemire (Canada) – 11:03:22
3. Emily Coleman (Canada) – 11:59:02
Jean-Philippe Thibodeau’s QMT-50 new record
A regular at the Québec Mega Trail podium and at the Charlevoix’s mountains, Jean-Philippe Thibodeau, from Baie-Saint-Paul, broke his own record in the QMT-50, finishing the race after 04:55:51 ahead of Patrick Lehoux-Gagnon and Mitchell Valic. Among the women, it should be noted that Amélie Simard, from Canton-Tremblay, won the race, aged only 19.
Results – Men
1. Jean-Philippe Thibodeau (Canada) – 04:55:51 *New record*
2. Patrick Lehoux-Gagnon (Canada) – 05:07:59
3. Mitchell Valic – 05:26:01,29 (Canada) – 05:26:01
Results – Women
1. Amélie Simard (Canada) – 05:54:40
2. Alex Castonguay (Canada) – 06:09:54
3. Sarah Baribeau (Canada) – 06:34:55
