By Laura Wilmot.
It is with complete humility that I wanted to talk to you about trail running today. I consider myself very new to this sport, but it was a big favorite for me this summer. Having run on the road for several years, but also being a big fan of hiking, trail running was the perfect winning combination for me.
It was while listening to the podcast Not out of the woods that the desire to go and explore the trails of Quebec while running came to me. Besides, if you want to get inspired before hitting the trails, I really recommend it. It was also while listening to this podcast that I discovered the Gringos running club which meets every Thursday evening on different trails around Quebec City. Since I've never been a fast runner, I send my boyfriend to scout out an outing with the club. He later convinced me to overcome my embarrassment and since then, Thursdays are an outing from which we no longer deviate!
For my part, I really found a community in trail running, we made friends there and that’s what I appreciate the most. There is something for all tastes and all levels! I am convinced that everyone can find their way, the important thing is to set your own challenges and not to compare yourself.
I really pushed myself in this sport this summer and it also allowed me to discover magnificent places in Quebec. I went to see my boyfriend finish his 25km in Quebec Mega trail at Mont St-Anne at the beginning of August, and it was really motivating to see all the runners. The trail running community is growing. For my part, I will take part in the 20km Ultra-trail harricana in Charlevoix on September 12 and the 18km Grand-duc trail in Jacques-Cartier Park at the end of October. Maybe next year I will be tempted into longer distances at the Bromont Ultra or the Ultra trail Gaspesia 100.
One thing is certain, I have the bug for trail running and I plan to continue having fun with this sport in the coming years. If I ever piqued your curiosity, I know that several trail running clubs exist in different cities. For example, in Sherbrooke, the Le Coureur boutique offers outings every week, in Montreal there is the Montreal trail club, Bromont trail club, there is no shortage of options to get started!
Any questions? Have I made you want to go running on your local trails? Are we organizing a Petit Montagnard trail outing soon?