2017 Ambassadors
Jessica Belisle - Trois-Rivières, Qc. (Road cycling
For Jessica Belisle, cycling is more than a passion. It is means for her to push herself, to open herself to the world and to meet meaningful people – and through all of that, her greatest joy is to inspire others.
Cycling is a lifestyle for this ‘Cyclovore’, a way of expressing herself, of becoming enlightened and growing. Jessica is a dynamic and bright young woman for whom a healthy lifestyle and women’s participation in sport is a priority. She aspires to be a model of success, having evolved in what is a primarily male dominated sport. She hopes to prove that women have a place in the cycling world, particularly in ultracycling.
Jessica hit an important personal milestone having won the Défi des 21 (330km) and the Ultra-Défi (1007 km) finishing ahead of several male competitors. She was also talked about over the winter of 2017 when she became the world recordwoman holder on the indoor training bike using the Zwift software over 128 hours!
In addition to practicing her sport, Jessica is a travel enthusiast who intends to visit every corner of the world.
You can follow Jessica on:
Gaston Berthelot - Carleton-sur-Mer, Qc. (Trailrunning)
Gaston Berthelot has been running since he was 8 years old. As a young boy he loved to climb the slow running streams that lined the mountain behind his home. Four decades later, he is considered among the best runners of the Gaspésie. With an average of one and a half runs per day and over 10,000 metres of ascenion per month, running is much more than a passion for him, it is a way of life.
Even though running has been a part of Gaston Berthelot’s life for some time, long distance running only became an interest later on. While doing some research on the internet in the 1990’s he discovered European athletes capable of accomplishing great distances. Up until that time, he thought that such long outings would be impossible to accomplish. He chose to pursue a course on nutrition, competition material and race management by distance education. Today, he is admired by the young runners he encounters on the trails for his knowledge and experience. At 55 years of age, Gaston Berthelot is at the peak of his game.
Last year, he completed the Matterhorn Ultraks Trail before taking part in the G20 (40km) in preparation for the Gaspésie International Raid.
You can follow Gaston on:
Christine Bérubé-Martin - New Richmond, Qc. (running and mountain biking)
Christine considers herself a little bit hyperactive, and with outdoor sport she is able to re-center and replenish herself. She considers that her free time is spent playing outdoors. She feels that sport provided her with clear direction and a means to adopt a balanced lifestyle allowing her to maintain a healthy frame of mind.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable in her own skin at one point, she decided to try running to adopt a healthier lifestyle and to lose a little bit of weight. This initiative quickly became a passion, even a lifestyle.
Christine has 5 half-marathons under her belt and several trail races, including an ultra-marathon. In fact, she attributes her summer skills to the many winter climbs she makes with her split-board in the marvelous Chic-Choc mountains.
A new convert to mountain biking in order to participate in the International Gaspésie Raid, Christine has found of a new passion! In short, she loves the feeling of well-being that sport and the commune with nature provides. It allows her an opportunity to slow down and live in the moment.
“At 29, I feel more alive than when I was 25!”
Follow Christine on the web:
Lyne Bessette - Knowlton, Qc. (Cycling)
Lyne Bessette has made her mark on the modern day history of cycling in Quebec and Canada. She was awarded the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and has been recognized as Canadian National Champion on more than 10 occasions. She won the Tour de l’Aude féminin in both 1999 and 2001 and represented Canada at the Olympics in both 2000 and 2004. In 2012 she was the pilot for para-cyclist Robbi Weldon where they won the gold medal in the Women’s Road Race.
Tireless, Lyne can be found on the starting line of a number of adventure raids, tandem para-cyclilng races, ultratrail courses, marathons and off-trail skiing. In addition, she is co-founder of East Skimo, and organization that encourages the development off-trail skiing by promoting events in Eastern North America . Lyne also organizes her own annual cycling event each fall, the 100b7 that allows participants to discover the most beautiful runs in Lyne’s native region of Brome- Missisquoi.
After winning the G50 in 2016, Lyne became the first woman to complete a 100-mile mountain bike in Quebec last year at Raid Gaspesia 100!
You can follow Lyne on:
Marline Côté - Lévis, Qc. (Trailrunning)
In 2009, Marline was one of the few women in Québec to participate in endurance trail running, her first race being the Vermont 50 where to her great surprise, she placed 3rd. Since then, she never ceased practicing this sport which has become her passion. She has continued to place in races throughout her very full life and her three pregnancies, becoming the first woman to complete a 100-mile race (160km) – the Bromont Ultra 2015.
She made herself an ambassador of trail running in Quebec, developing awareness of the sport by becoming involved in the organization of several events such as the Trail de la Nuit polaire, l’Ultra-Trail Harricana, the Trail hivernal Le coureur nordique and the Quebec tour of the Trails in Motion Film Festival.
Even though she was not involved in sport during her youth, she is today a contributing writer to the trail webmagazine called Distances+ in hopes of highlighting the sport and its Quebec based athletes. Marline will be dedicating 2017 to training after her third pregnancy.
As she likes to say
‘Physical activity is the main key to my global balance. Running gives me the energy I need to live a full life. Moving, being in the great outdoors and living intensely are for me an opportunity to pay tribute to this opportunity I have to be alive and in good health.’
Marline is the new general manager of the Ultra-Trail Harricana.
Follow Marline on the web:
François-Charles Dumas - Valcourt, Qc. (Mountain Biking)
The woods, the mountains, nature, adrenaline, skill and transcendence – this perfect combination makes up one of the most amazing sports – mountain biking.
In 2005, François-Charles began competing in the Quebec-Chaudiere-Appalaches regional circuit. In is in 2010 that he joined the Nativo Concept team and began concentrating events that covered longer distances. He has since been able to participate in a number of major races such as the TransRockies, TransAndes, BC Bike Race, El Reto del Quetzal, SingleTrack 6, Andalucia Bike Race, Breck Epic, Hampshire 100, Whiteface 100, Gaspesia 100 and the legendary Leadville 100 MTB in Colorado.
François-Charles completed the two first Gaspesia 100 Marathon.
You can follow François Charles on:
Louis-Pierre Dupuis - Percé, Qc. (Road cycling)
Louis-Pierre is a strange bird who has garnered a lot of attention along the roads of the Gaspesie over the years! Rain or shine, summer or winter, Louis-Pierre gets on his bike racks up the kilometres.
Unemployed, Louis-Pierre lives very modestly and rides every day – it is his “career”. Last year he travelled over 50,000 km on his bike, enough for him to place 4th overall in Strava behind three individuals pursuing the world record of over 75,000 kilometres per year.
Louis-Pierre will be on the starting line of the Gran Fondo Forillon for the 6th time in as many years. We also expect to see him snooping around the starting line of the Ultra Trail G100 and the Gaspesia 100 in his home town armed with his camera!
You can follow L-P on:
Nathaniel Couture - Fredericton, N-B. (Course à pied)
Nat Couture, 36, has always enjoyed outdoor physical activity, spending the majority of his childhood in the woods, even working in the woods through high school and university. After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, Nat left the physical labor jobs behind in favor of a more cozy desk job, but quickly found himself looking for a physical outlet to blow off some steam on weekends. He initially found adventure racing and fell in love with the sport, completing over 30 adventure races before making the transition to ultramarathons. The introduction to running began as a way to get fit for adventure racing, but soon became the main physical outlet after his first son was born, in 2010. Running was easier to schedule around family activities and gave Nat more time at home with his wife and two young boys, now 4 and 6, who often accompany Nat to his races.
Nat now races 2-3 ultramarathons a year and typically looks for races that are both beautiful and challenging. He has completed some of the toughest races in the world having completed UTMB in 2013, Ultra Trail du Mont Albert in 2014, and Fatdog 120 in 2015, with aspirations of completing Hardrock and Western States. He also races frequently close to home having raced Vermont 100M(3 times), Brookvale 50k, Wascally Wabbit 50M (4 times). Nat also spends a lot of time playing in the woods nearby, running most local trail races and making regular trips around Chignecto, in Baxter State Park and on the Fundy Footpath.
You can follow him on facebook: Nathaniel Couture, twitter: @natcouture, or his blog at: www.nathanielcouture.com
Nat win the first Ultra Trail Gaspesia 100 with Florent Bouguin.
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Jenny Laflamme - Gaspé, Qc. (Course à pied)
There are some people that find the courage to make great changes and accomplish grand things. Four years ago Jenny Laflamme changed her life and gave herself the greatest gift – her good health! She dropped over 200 pounds and took a bite out of life like never before!
Now as the official Ambassador for “Everything is Possible” and “No Excuses”, we can find her on the starting line of most sporting events in the region, inspiring other Gaspesians.
She is also the found of the LM Wind Power race “Throw your dream into the wind”, and event with profits going to the Children’s Make a Wish Foundation.
You can follow Jenny on:
Carole Fournier - Edmundston, N-B. (Course à pied)
Carole Fournier is originally from Edmunston, New Brunswick. Early in her childhood, Carole demonstrated that she was ambitious, determined, naïve and stubborn. Carole loves to discover new things, to live life to the fullest and to share this with others. As a Yoga teacher and ovo-vegetarian, Carole is convinced that a holistic approach to living is the best approach to healing. It is for this reason that she continues to perfect her knowledge of positive thinking s knowledge in the field of positive, mindfulness, yoga, meditation and holistic nutrition.
She has only been participating in Ultramarathons for three years, however Carole never thought her enthusiasm for running would allow her to complete such unusual feats. She has completed a number of events including several marathons, ultramarathons of 80 and 160km, and even one of the toughest races in the world, the Marathon des Sables, a 250 km totally self-sufficient race in the Sahara desert
She has only been participating in Ultramarathons for three years, however Carole never thought her enthusiasm for running would allow her to complete such unusual feats. She has completed a number of events including several marathons, ultramarathons of 80 and 160km, and even one of the toughest races in the world, the Marathon des Sables, a 250 km totally self-sufficient race in the Sahara desert
You can follow Carole on:
Noel Paine - Gatineau, Qc (Running)
Noel has over 30 years of experience as a runner! Passionate, he runs all races, from 100m to 100km! He has participated in ultramarathons in Italy, in Ireland and alone through the Grand Canyon (rim2rim2rim). For his 40th birthday, he offered himself the gift of a race between Kingston and Ottawa on the Rideau Trail, completing 258km in two and a half days, all while raising awareness and collecting funds for cancer!
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Noel lives in Gatineau, Québec and if the father of a wonderful two-year old boy.
When he is not running, Noel enjoys sharing his passion for his sport on his personal blog as well as through contributions toCanadian Running Magazine. He likes sharing his stories and those of other runners as well as testing new products and participating in new running adventures.
In addition to the Ultra Trail Gaspesi 100, Noel is also a spokesperson for the Marathon d’Ottawa, Polar Canada, MuscleMilk Canada, Vicsystem and IceSpikes as well as an avid supporter of a healthy lifestyle habits.
Follow Noel on the web:
Guy Gilbert - Lac-Beauport, Qc. (Multisport)
Guy Gilbert has spent over thirty years of his life promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits, primarily as a means of prevention of chronic illness, through the direction of the public health service.
For Guy, sport is not just one discipline as he practices running, mountain biking, triathlons, crosscountry skiing, alpine skiing/snowboarding, snowshoe racing, adventure raids and speed skating!
His many accomplishments include representing Canada in 2009 at the 24-hour World Ultramarathon Running Championship (Italy) and the Commonwealth Championship (England). Named the Canadian Athlete of the Year in Canada in 2009 by the Canadian Ultramarathon Association, he is the first Quebecer to receive this title.
Participant in the Boston Marathon, finisher of Ironman at Mont-Tremblant, the North American champion of the defunct UKATAK raid, Guy is the only athlete to have completed the 100-mile events of Ultra Trail Gaspesia 100 and Raid Gaspesia 100 in 2016 when both events were presented with only a one week interval!
Follow Guy on the web:
- Article in Les Affaires (in french)