8 facts to remember two months before the Ultra-Trail Harricana, the most popular trail running event in Canada
La Malbaie, July 13, 2022, – Two months away from the Ultra-Trail Harricana du Canada (UTHC), presented by The North Face, which takes place from September 9 to 11, far from civilization, in the backcountry and mountains of Charlevoix, here are eight key facts that will make this event, once again, a must of the 2022 trail season.
- Mathieu Blanchard, the great ultra-trail star, considered one of the best trail runners in the world since his podium at the UTMB last summer, will be the honorary president of the 11th edition of the Ultra- Trail Harricana of Canada. In 2016 Mathieu Blanchard discovered trail running at the Ultra-Trail Harricana. First race and first victory of many on the 80 km event. In hindsight, this event marked and changed his life. Six years later, this exceptional champion is back at the UTHC. Just back from Chamonix, where he will once again toe the line at the UTMB, he will be present at Mont Grand-Fonds and certainly on courses in the woods all weekend.
- With more than 3000 participants at the start of one of the 10 events over the three-day competition calendar, the Ultra-Trail Harricana, presented by The North Face, smashes a new record. On the program: 7 short-distance events up to the maratrail (5, 10, 20 and 28 km classic, 28 km duo at night, 42 km classic and 42 km Saint-Siméon), and the three emblematic ultra-trails, namely the 65 km, the 80 km and the premier event, the 125 km, attracting top athletes and international runners. Eleven countries are represented this year.
- Every year, more female athletes are running the Ultra-Trail Harricana du Canada events, and the 2022 edition will be record breaking! Of note, they represent 43% of registrants this year, a figure that greatly exceeds the international average (less than 30% of women at the start of trail races). The organizers dream of soon achieving parity. Moreover, there are about ten high-level female athletes capable of claiming victory in the 125 km.
Among them, note the presence of the Frenchwoman Maryline Nakache (1st of the 80 km of the EcoTrail of Paris 2022), the Franco-Ontarian Claudine Soucie (1st of the Mascareignes at the Grand Raid de la Réunion 2019), the Albertan Priscilla Forgie (1st in the 80 km of the Canadian Death Race 2021), or the Quebecers Mylène Sansoucy (1st in the UTHC 80 km 2018), Joannie Desroches (1st in the 80 km of the Quebec Mega Trail 2021) and Lyne Bessette, to name but a few. . The competition will be fiercer than ever.
The competition will also, as always, be hotly contested among the men, with notably at the start of the 125 km the recent winner of the 110 km du Québec Méga Trail, Gabriel Sanfaçon, as well as Elliot Cardin who already has three podiums to his name including a 2nd place in the 55km from QMT. They will try to put their experience in this event to good use against the main favorite, Mike Sidic, a Vancouver based athlete who has won almost every race he has taken part in. Also worthy of mention are the triathletes Antoine Jolicoeur-Desroches and Victor Larocque, winners of the 80 km respectively in 2020 and 2021, or even on the Frenchman Florent Beaufils, one of the best ultra-trailers in Brittany, who made UTHC 125 his number 1 goal for his season.
- Ludovic Collet, “the voice of trail running”, the emblematic host of the UTMB, the Mont-Blanc Marathon, the Diagonale des Fous and many other major races, will be at the microphone of the UTHC at the start and finish of the 125 km. Ludovic will also be in Quebec with his brother Andy Collet, to present their award-winning documentary “Beyond Time” during a tour presented by Harricana Events.
- For a second consecutive year, UTHC TV will allow everyone to live stream the Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada events. Seven hosts, all Quebec trail running specialists, will take turns as pairs in front of the camera, in French and in English, with the support of field reporters and athletes in situ. A plethora of guests will also grace the stage in the log cabin transformed for the occasion into a TV set for UTHC TV.
- Several well-known Quebec personalities will participate in the Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada, including the mayor of Quebec Bruno Marchand, the actors Patrice Godin and Anne-Lise Nadeau, the businesswomen Madame Labriski and the popular host Dominic Arpin, who will also run his very first ultra as part of his new show “ Les Crinqués ”.
- The Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada, founded in 2012 to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSCS), has set itself the ambitious goal of raising $125,000 for this cause. Almost half of the objective has been reached two months before the event. Since the first edition of the UTHC, philanthropic runners have raised nearly half a million dollars, helping to fund research on multiple sclerosis and improving services for people affected by this disease.
- The Ultra-Trail Harricana is not only sport, but also a celebration. The popular Quebec band, Clay and Friends, will be live, in concert at Mont Grand-Fonds on Saturday, September 10.
ABOUT HARRICANA EVENTS
Évènements Harricana is a non-profit organization whose mission is to participate in the development and promotion of trail running and ultratrail and, in a complementary way, to the promotion of the outdoors and of healthy lifestyles, by organizing events whose influence and impact benefit social or community causes.
The organization is mainly known for organizing, since 2012, the Ultra-Trail Harricana du Canada, the most popular trail race in Canada since 2016! The event, which is held at Mont Grand-Fonds, in La Malbaie, today brings together more than 3,000 athletes from all over the world on ten courses ranging from 1 km for children to 125 km for high-level athletes.
* Contact us for the list of participants and their city, state and/or country of origin, if needed
For information
Emmy Duguay
Press Officer
medias@harricana.info