Honorary President
2019

Honorary President 2019

This year, under the theme of Health, Ultra-Trail® Harricana of Canada (UTHC) can count on the presence of Honorary President Doctor Simon Benoit, or “Doc Benoit.” The ultramarathon athlete, lecturer, collaborator for Distances+ web magazine, ambassador, teacher as well as consulting physician for The Running Clinic has become a key reference in endurance race medicine in Quebec.

The importance of “finding balance”

The honorary president is very pleased with the choice of the annual theme for the 2019 UTHC under the slogan, “Finding Balance.”

“Finding balance is a huge challenge these days,” says Simon Benoit. “On one hand, there are still too many people who are sedentary and think that in order to be active, they have to give it their all and train for a marathon every day. On the other hand, there are those who go to the extreme and over-train.”

According to the president, the message that needs to be conveyed and understood is to differentiate between “active” and “athletic.” To be healthy, a person should be lightly active every day.

For Simon, trail running quickly became a daily workout, “At the end of my work day, I run home through the Mont Royal trails. It helps me recharge in nature. It’s a healthy kind of escape from my stressful and slightly hectic job,” he says. He runs every day, twelve months out of the year, to go to work at the Centre Hospitalier de Verdun, approximately 7 km from his home.

Before completing his specialization in medicine, the ambassador of active travel completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and a Doctorate of Chiropractic. Simon explains, “It’s the best way for me to remain active on a daily basis and to achieve my athletic goals while maintaining a healthy life balance.” He says that physical activity should be seen as a stress management tool, and not as a source of stress.

A safe discipline

He also believes that ultra-trail running is a very safe sport when compared to other “extreme” sports. Most injuries occur due to overtraining too quickly, “Healthy and balanced runners are not influenced by anything other than what they have to do. They are indifferent to the opinions of others or of those found on social media.” According to Simon, this outside pressure is a runner’s number one enemy, as it can lead to burnout and other mental injuries.

Simon also stresses that it’s possible to put in the exact same number of hours when training for a 10 km or a 125 km: “What’s important is the process behind the race. It’s what you do in the months leading up to it to prepare for your challenge. And it’s this process that helps a runner grow. In running, there is no technology that can significantly improve your performance, like in other sports. It all depends on your training.”

Hiking : a passion that runs in the family

Simon Benoit developed his love for nature and the mountains when he was just a teenager. At the time, he would join different outdoor and hiking camps in Maine, in the heart of the Appalachian Trail. That’s where he met Julie Emond, who would later become his wife and the mother of his children. Julie herself is also an avid trail runner.

And it’s thanks to Julie that Simon enjoys trail running so much today. She challenged him to start running in 2014, during a period of his life when he was not active, and not in very good shape. In order to motivate himself, he joined the Club de trail de Montréal, which had just been formed.

After completing a 5 km track race, a 15 km at the Tour Mont-Royal Brébeuf, and a 30 km at Mont Gosford, he signed up for the UTHC 28 km, transferring instead to the 65 km, since his training was going so well. “That was the year I fell in love with running. It was magical. I ran a good part of the race with Lucile Besson, who finished in first place in the women’s category. It helped me relive my love for hiking from my younger days,” says Simon. He then went on to complete the 125 km three times, in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Together with his family, he is an active volunteer for the event.

Ultra-trail running as a research topic

This immersion into the world of running made him want to take a closer look at treatments and injury prevention in ultra-endurance and trail running. He even chose to swap one work day per week in the ER for an office day, in order to treat his sports clientele.

Simon completed several training programs offered by The Running Clinic, closely monitors medical news on the subject, discusses the topic with runners, and tests out several different techniques on his own. “The scientific aspect of it is really interesting to me. I enjoy following new publications, dissecting quality studies and analyzing them. But I believe the truth lies somewhere between field experience and published works. Several elements in the field are still subject to debate,” he says. He’s tried minimalist and maximalist running shoes, several different hydration bags, various eating plans, and many more techniques.

In addition to his columns in Distances+, which will be shared on the Ultra-Trail Harricana social media platforms between now and the event, Simon will also share informational videos to help UTHC athletes prepare for their challenge in a healthy and balanced way.

visuel annuel marc olivier lamothe trail ultra running harricana

The Theme of 2023: Harmony

Given the rampant social and human conflicts in our current national and global context, Événements Harricana wanted to set its sights on inclusiveness and conciliation this year. The result of openness to others, of empathy and mutual respect despite the differences that separate us, harmony is also synonymous with peace and cohesion.

Artist Marc-Olivier Lamothe has captured the theme in an image made up of a multitude of graphic elements and colours which create, despite their differences, a coherent and balanced whole.

The theme and the visual also remind us that Événements Harricana is now more than the Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada, but several events that complement and support each other harmoniously.

2018 Ambassadors

And without further ado, the 2018 ambassadors are…

It is with great pleasure that the Ultra-Trail Harricana presents its four 2018 ambassadors! The mission of these three young people and the selected family is to share their passion for trail running and spread the word about the UTHC in their community.

Our three jury members—Rémi Poitras, David Savard-Gagnon and Tania Rancourt—had a tough job. They received lots of nominations for ambassadors, and they were all top notch.

We sincerely thank all those who took the time to share their passion and interest in trail running. You’re all valued members of the big Harricana family and we wish you a great 2018 race season.

Thanks also to Benoit Talbot, program coordonnator.

Famille St-Gelais, Québec

Pour suivre la famille St-Gelais:

Charlotte Bernier, 22 ans, Gatineau

Pour suivre Charlotte:

Éliane Leclerc, 14 ans, Québec

Pour suivre Éliane:

Émile Fillion, 16 ans, La Malbaie

Pour suivre Émile:

Honorary President 2019 Simon Benoit

Pierre Lavoie and Kellyanne Lahaie Honorary Presidents of the Ultra-Trail Harricana 2018 A year under the theme of Youth

With its focus on youth this year, the Ultra-Trail® Harricana du Canada (UTHC) is proud to count on its honorary president, the well-known triathlete Pierre Lavoie, to get young people and families motivated.

His valiant partner in the job is Kellyanne Lahaie, a 16-year-old runner from Baie-Saint-Paul who has won Charlevoix’s heart and admiration for her performances in running and steeplechase.

The co-presidents are thrilled with the theme chosen for the 2018 UTHC. For them, it highlights the importance of fighting sedentariness to make sure our young people are healthy, and that can only be achieved through physical activity.

The importance of democratizing the sport

The co-founder of the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie cycling tour wants to see thousands of kids up and moving. In his opinion, we can only get there by shifting away from exclusion-based competition. “It’s not the medals that get people moving. It’s the sense of inclusion and democratization that comes from practicing a sport. Kids should be doing several sports for fun, with friends. No medals, no competition. Just have fun and develop your motor skills,” he advises. “Basically, children want to move. It’s natural, and it’s part of their lives,” says Lavoie.

“But the tragedy of the situation is their environment. What are kids surrounded by? All too often it’s sterile classrooms and unsafe neighbourhoods for playing,” claims Lavoie, an athlete known for his involvement in encouraging healthy living and fighting overlooked diseases.

He also is convinced that it’s important to create as many opportunities for kids to move as possible, like the Ultra-Trail Harricana events where young people participate mainly to have fun. “It’s important to run to keep our bodies healthy, and the best place to run is in the forest,” Lavoie believes.

“the best place to run is in the forest” – Pierre Lavoie

An environment encouraging to move

Young Charlevoix runner Kellyanne Lahaie is a good example of the impact sports can have in a young person’s life. “Our school has great equipment and my parents do a lot for me. We have a running club at school and there’s a new program (Filles actives) to encourage girls to be more active. It’s really made a difference! At noon during the week, we all play sports with friends,” explains the young runner, whose mother—a gym teacher—encouraged her to run 1-kilometer kids’ races throughout the region when she was younger.

“What I love about running is that it’s just for you. We try to push ourselves, but it’s really about bettering ourselves, not about beating others,” concludes the teen, who rose in the ranks at the last national athletics championships.

Our honorary co-presidents are excellent role models. They just want to get everyone moving, running the trails and inspiring young people to get in the act. They invite all young people and families in Charlevoix, Quebec and beyond to come run at the Ultra-Trail Harricana this year, where they will be celebrated in many different ways.

Steven Guilbeault HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE ULTRA-TRAIL HARRICANA 2017 Theme of the Environment

Steven Guilbeault Theme of the Environment

The Ultra-Trail Harricana, presented by The North Face, is proud to announce the Honorary President of the 6th edition of the race: the well known-environmental activist Steven Guilbeault.

The cofounder and senior director of environmental consulting, awareness-raising and research firm Équiterre will be running in the 10-km race and taking part in several other activities, to support the athletes and share his vision of eco-responsibility in sports events.

“Did you know that during an event, people can produce up to five time the trash they usually generate daily?” asks honorary president Steven Guilbeault. “Knowing that 574 running events were held in Quebec in 2016, attracting 265,500 participants, we must quickly take action to reduce our environmental impact in this area of activity. That’s why Équiterre created a Mode d’emploi (instruction manual) of eco-responsible practices for such events, encouraging running organizations and their members to follow its lead.

Published by Équiterre in May and available on the firm’s website (in French only), the instruction manual is a collection of good practices for organizers—and runners—to implement. After all, runners have a big role to play in preserving the health of our planet during their activities. UTHC will adopt several of the listed practices starting now.

“IN SYMBIOSIS”: THEME OF THE SIXTH UTHC
“In Symbiosis” reminds everyone involved—athletes, volunteers, and organizers—of the importance of experiencing and respecting nature, of being aware of the cycle of life. The Ultra-Trail Harricana team is proud to announce its commitment to holding a sports event that supports sustainable development principles.

This year, the event’s organizing committee officially adopted long-term guidelines to help structure and consolidate the efforts still needed to reduce the environmental impacts of Événements Harricana’s projects. The objective is to send a clear, consistent message to all our team members, partners, collaborators and suppliers—as well as our runners, of course—about the sustainable development measures the organization wishes to implement.

Learn more about Steven Guilbeault in Mylène Gauthier’s article for Distances+.

Honorary President
2019