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The start of the brand-new QMT135 was given at 10 p.m., under the enveloping darkness around Hôtel & Spa Le Germain Charlevoix, suddenly lit up by 300 headlamps. In this electric yet nighttime atmosphere, more than 300 runners set off on a 135 km course with nearly 6,000 meters of elevation gain. Their journey will take them from the ridges of the Massif de Charlevoix to the Sentier des Caps, before tackling a brand-new and spectacular section at Cap Brûlé, sneaking along the slippery Dalle Humide, then facing the infamous Mestachibo, all the way to the trails of Mont-Sainte-Anne for the final ascents.
The leading athletes could cross the finish line as early as tomorrow, Saturday, July 5, around 2 p.m.
“We are truly pleased to see, with more than 300 registrations received, that the Québec trail running community is showing up. We are equally excited to welcome international athletes discovering this brand-new race. The runners will have the final say, but I sincerely hope they will appreciate this course that is both more strategic, more accessible… yet hasn’t lost any of the technical bite that some experienced in the 100 miles before.” – Jean Fortier, General Director and Founder of Québec Mega Trail
QMT135 : Local and Global Contenders Take on the Challenge
The inaugural QMT135 looks like a fierce battle between top international trail runners and up-and-coming Canadians. On the men’s side, Nelson Santos (Portugal – ITRA: 846), who recently placed 5th in the 111 km Swiss Canyon Trail, and Sébastien Camus (France – ITRA: 814), with a top-10 finish at UTMB, could steal the show. But they face strong competition from Québec-based runners like David Jeker (ITRA: 800), Jacob Baril-Arnason (ITRA: 790), and Matthieu Saliou (ITRA: 750).
Among the women, expect a tight race between local specialists Mylène Sansoucy (ITRA: 672), fresh off a top 4 at the 2024 QMT-100 MILES, Geneviève Asselin-Demers (ITRA: 714), last year’s QMT80 champion, Camille Girard (ITRA: 615), and Elisabeth Cauchon (ITRA: 608), as well as national and international stars like Amanda Nelson (ITRA: 670), winner of the 2024 Sulphur Springs 100-miler, Maryline Nakache (France – ITRA: 718), who won the Marathon des Sables in April, Emilie Mann (ITRA: 712), and Wenfei Xie (China – ITRA: 691), currently ranked 3rd in the World Trail Majors.
World Trail Majors: Who to Watch in the Rankings?
With the QMT135 part of the World Trail Majors, runners will earn points toward the WTM rankings this weekend. Several athletes already on the leaderboard could climb even higher:
Ultra
Wenfei Xie (China) – QMT135 – WTM : 3rd place / 1,764 pts
Maryline Nakache (France) – QMT135 – WTM : 20th place / 1,310 pts
Emilie Mann – QMT135 – WTM: 46th place / 1,080 pts
Mylène Sansoucy – QMT135 – WTM : 63th place / 1,010 pts
To watch this weekend
