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Québec Mega Trail (QMT) today unveiled its roster of over 40 elite athletes who will compete in the 13th edition of the event from July 3 to 6, 2025. Among them, around thirty elite runners from Québec and Canada will race in the various QMT events, alongside three American athletes, seven European competitors and one Australian runner.
“There is certainly a strong desire from athletes here and abroad to compete in the Québec Mega Trail once again this year. The 135 km race is particularly attractive not only due to its novelty but also because it’s part of the World Trail Majors, which is a great incentive for international athletes to take on our 6,000 meters of elevation gain. Additionally, the QMT-80 and QMT-50 will host the Canadian Trail Running Championships this year. In short, QMT 2025 will be extremely competitive, as always!” – Jean Fortier, General director and founder of Québec Mega Trail
It is also worth noting that the Québec Mega Trail will host the Canadian Trail Running Championships for both short and long distances (50 km and 80 km) for two years, in 2025 and 2026. As announced last fall, prizes totaling $12,500 will be awarded for the first time to the winners of the three longest distances.
QMT-135 FENIX: Who will claim the title of the new flagship event?
The 135 km race, with its 6,000 meters of elevation gain, will mark a historic turning point for the Québec Mega Trail and sets itself as the new benchmark in trail running. This exceptional race promises an intense battle between competitors vying for the first-ever title in the event. Renowned international athletes will also aim to accumulate points in the prestigious World Trail Majors rankings. It’s a true challenge that is already generating great anticipation!
On the men’s side, keep an eye on Nelson Santos (Portugal), who finished fourth at the 115 km Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 2024 (MIUT, Portugal), and Sébastien Camus (France), who came 7th at the 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB). These two competitors join Mathieu Saliou (France) and Jeetesh Rao Lukea (Mauritius), both established in the province, as well as Quebecers David Jeker and Jacob Baril-Arnasson.
On the women’s side, Ontarian Amanda Nelson, known for her national records in the 12-hour and 24-hour runs, will compete against top Québec runners such as Geneviève Asselin-Demers, Mylène Sansoucy, and Elisabeth Cauchon, all of whom are very familiar with the trails of Mont-Sainte-Anne and will be determined to make their mark in the QMT record books. However, they’ll also face off against Maryline Nakache (France), who finished second at the recent Diagonale des Fous at the Grand Raid de La Réunion, and Kellie Angel Emmerson (Australia), who came fifth in the 2017 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB, France).
For the full list of elite athletes, click here.
QMT-80 La Souche: A caliber worthy of the greatest championships!
The level of competition will certainly be high on the trails of Mont-Sainte-Anne, which will serve as the venue for the Canadian Trail Running Championships. In the long-distance 80 km race, Quebecers Julie Lesage, who had an outstanding 2024 season with a win at the 125 km Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada (UTHC), Alex Castonguay, last year’s QMT-50 winner, and Claudine Soucie will be at the starting line. They will be joined by Kelsey Hogan, no stranger to the QMT thanks to her two consecutive wins at the QMT-100-MILES, British Columbian Jenny Quilty, and Americans Britta Clark and Robyn Mildren.
Victor Larocque, also a winner of the 125 km UTHC last year, Samuël Poher, David Savard-Gagnon, and Jean-Philippe Thibodeau will also race in this same distance, alongside Mead Binhammer (USA), winner of the Jigger Johnson 50 mile and the Breakneck Point Marathon in 2024.
What to watch in the QMT-50 icebreaker and QMT-25 PCN
As part of the Canadian Trail Running Championships, the QMT-50 will feature numerous top Québec trail runners, including Martin Dagenais, who won the first edition of the QMT-32, Pierre-Charles Gendron, Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches, Patrick Lehoux-Gagnon, Christopher Lévesque-Savard, and Dany Racine. Benoit Gaillard, the French runner who won the inaugural QMT-100-MILES in 2021, will also be present.
Mélodie Gilbert, who won the QMT-32 last year, Elisa Morin, who had an almost perfect season with wins at the QMT-25 and the 20 km of Trail La Clinique du Coureur, as well as second place at the 42 km Saint-Siméon at the UTHC, Laurie Proulx, and Vancouver’s Lisa Perrett will also compete in the QMT-50 among the women.
In the QMT-25, the public should keep an eye on Frenchman Timothée Courtois and Quebecers Benoit Didier and Olivier Gagnon. Anne-Marie Comeau, from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, who dominated the QMT-25 in 2023, will definitely be the one to beat in the women’s race.
A promising 13th edition
The next edition of Québec Mega Trail will welcome a total of 3,600 runners participating in eight events, ranging from 1 km to 135 km. All distances, except for the QMT-135, are already fully booked. Furthermore, the QMT-135 will be a qualifier for the Western States 100. Finishers will also earn 5 ITRA points.
About Québec Mega Trail
QMT is a legendary ultra-trail race, renowned as one of the most beautiful but also as one of the hardest in Canada. Crossing the Charlevoix and the Côte-de-Beaupré regions, it takes runners all the way to Mont-Sainte-Anne, and more than 3,600 racers meet there every year. An incubator for high-level athletes, the organization also offer challenges for beginners. Founded in 2012, the Québec Mega Trail actively promotes trail running while being a reference in terms of safety, sustainable development and constant innovations.
Since 2023, Québec Mega Trail has been part of the World Trail Majors, an international group including some of the iconic trail running events in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.
