Club 3A

Hi everyone!

I’ve been an outdoor and sports enthusiast since I was very young, when my family regularly took me fishing at camp on the North Shore, in summer and winter, by canoe or ski-doo. Camping was also a part of my summers, not to mention all the sports I played regularly, such as soccer and field hockey. A little later, in high school, I took up track and field and cross-country running at the Jeux du Québec in Amos and Sept-îles. In CEGEP, I was mainly involved in collegiate soccer and did a bit of jogging. At university in the Eastern Townships, I discovered hiking at Mont Orford, but especially the famous Mount Washington, which would become a tradition to climb year after year with family and friends. A little later, terrible news struck my eldest sister: a diagnosis of advanced colon cancer in her late twenties. She has undergone several surgeries and treatments, and we support her as best we can through this difficult ordeal. When she’s well and has treatment breaks, she makes the most of life, traveling to the four corners of the earth with her husband (Bali, Crete, Croatia, etc.), but also with friends and family. In fact, it was during a trip to Western Canada with my sister in between chemo treatments that unforgettable memories were forged during a hike to Lac Peyto in the heart of the magnificent turquoise mountains and lakes. It was then that I truly felt the power of nature to create unforgettable moments. When she was paralyzed from the waist down and passed away in January 2021, I realized how lucky I was to have my legs and body healthy enough to walk and run in nature. That’s when I started trail running. My background in track and field and cross-country meant that I progressed fairly quickly and smoothly with the guidance of my super coach Natacha.That year, I ran the Clinique du Coureur 10K, the QMT 25K, the Massif du Sud 21K, the Grand-Duc 18K, as well as a long 4-day hike in the Chics-Chocs in Gaspésie at the marvellous Mont Albert. Officially, I was hooked! Last year, our twins were born, so it was a different kind of training. Even so, I managed to run the Coureur des Bois and Grand-Duc 18Ks, as well as taking the babies and my girlfriend for short hikes. This year, with a little more training under my belt, I’ve set myself the goal of extending my distances by taking part in the 34K Coureur des Bois and the 55K Bromont Ultra. At the same time, I discovered the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation and the mission immediately appealed to me, so I came up with the idea of raising funds to help young cancer sufferers experience unforgettable adventures in nature and get them out of the disease a little. When I run my first ultra-trail, I’ll be highly motivated to go all the way, because thanks to the foundation, many lives will be changed.