Anne Champagne (Canada) and Jean-François Cauchon (Canada) have won the Quebec Mega trail 2024, 100 miles (6.500m+) race. Both trail and ultra runners set a new course record. The Quebec Mega Trail was the eight race in the Gran Canaria World Trail Majors series.
The Quebec Mega trail started Friday at 8pm, so the runners directly had to race into the night, which meant that most of them chose to run together. The pace was set initially by Elliot Cardin (Canada, Norda/Cièle), Ferdinand-Clovis Airault (France, T8), Luís Fernandes (Portugal, Madeira Ocean & Trails), Robin Coinus (France), Abel Carretero (Spain, Otso), Jean-François Cauchon (Canada, Norda/Cièle) and Sangé Sherpa (Nepal, Kailas), the course record holder.
After six hours of running Cardin and Carretero, who were leading, and Fernandes and Sherpa, who were trailing, had opened up a considerable gap with the rest of the field. However, as the night turned into day, Airaul caught up with Sherpa, while Carretero had to let go of Cardin. Leaving the Canadian alone in the lead. As Fernandes couldn’t keep up the pace, it became the trio Carretero, Sherpa and Airaul chasing Cardin.
Sherpa leading
At the aid station of Saint-Tite-des-Caps, at kilometre 81, Elliot Cardin took his time and only left when the others joined him. Sherpa was the first one to attack. An attack that was too much for Cardin and Carretero. However, the course record holder couldn’t sustain his pace, which gave Airault the chance to come back. The Frenchman even took the lead and opened up a gap of 30 minutes, with just 26 kilometres to go.
Those 26k are some of the hardest of the Quebec Mega Trail and include the biggest climb of 630 metres. A climb Airault underestimated because he slowed down, giving the runners behind him the chance to come back once more. Jean-François Cauchon, who hadn’t run at the front the whole race, emerged out of nowhere and took the lead. A lead he held up until the finish line, where he stopped the clock at 19:01:28, beating Sherpa’s course record by more than half an hour (19:35:52).
Behind Cauchon, Airault finished second in 19:32:02. Sherpa finished fourth in 20:23:42.
Strong finish Anne Champagne
In the women’s race it was local Myléne Sansoucy (Hoka) who took off from the start. The only ones who were able to follow her in the opening kilometres were Anne Champagne (Canada, Salomon), the former winner of the QMT110, and Kelsey Hogan (Canada, Norda).
Little by little Champagne and Hogan were able to close the gap with Sansoucy. When the ultra runners passed the 100 kilometres point, it was Champagne leading, with Hogan in second and Sansoucy in third. Behind her Melina Dubois-Verret (fourth) was running a strong race as well, just like the French Claire Bannwarth (fifth).
With her eye on the course record Champagne gave it her all and crossed the line in 24:28:27, six minutes under the course record of Kelsey Hogan in 24:34:58.
Hogan herself finished second in 24:58:34. Third place was for Mélina Dubois-Verret in 27:01:36. Myléne Sansoucy fell back to fourth: 28:57:55.
Photos Christian Dionne and Sebastien Durocher
All results Quebec Mega Trail 2024
