No fewer than 135 runners, aged 4 to 74, took on the mountain at Parc du Mont-Saint-Mathieu on foot this past Saturday, March 29, during the 19th edition of the Gaspesia Polar Trail, presented by Pneu Mécanique Témis. This year’s event stood out thanks to a significant turnout from runners coming from outside the Bas-Saint-Laurent region to discover one of its hidden gems!
As winter struggles to hang on, the 19th Gaspesia Polar Trail shattered all previous records, once again breaking the 100-participant mark and reaching new heights. Participants came from as far as Montréal, Saguenay, Lanaudière, Estrie, and Québec City to take part in the event—proof that neither distance nor cold can stop visitors from exploring Eastern Québec in the heart of winter!
Here are the winners of the various events:
5 km Women
🥇131 Poucet, Leila (Ste-Anne-des-Monts) – 35:49.56
🥈 110 Vaillancourt, Mélissa (Cacouna) – 37:05.82
🥉 67 Labrie, Melanie (Matane) – 37:16.49
5 km Men
🥇105 Vignola, Edmond (Rimouski) – 25:43.21
🥈 95 Berteaux, Louis-Étienne (Rimouski) – 29:36.09
🥉 91 Bérubé, Anthony (Trois-Pistoles) – 33:41.76
10 km Women
🥇135 Potvin, Aurélie (Rimouski) – 1:06:06.91
🥈132 Fleury, Marie-Elaine (Gaspé) – 1:15:49.49
🥉 55 Dubé, Stéphanie (St-Hubert de RDL) -1:17:01.84
10 km Men
🥇1139 Cloutier, Guillaume – 57:35.56
🥈 45 Litalien, Philippe (Rivière-du-Loup)- 57:38.26
🥉 32 Ste-croix, Chris (Gaspé) -59:30.50
20 km Women
🥇 1 Audet-Beaupré, Laurence (Carleton-sur-Mer) – 2:30:35.84
🥈 124 Deschenes-Cantin, Genevieve (Rivière-du-Loup) – 2:33:44.44
🥉 14 Pinard, Andréanne (Saint Donat) – 2:51:04.39
20 km Men
🥇 4 Beaulieu, Pier-Alexandre (Matane) – 1:54:28.26
🥈 27 Roy, Guillaume (Lévis) – 1:58:39.53
🥉 21 April, Julien (Saint-Apollinaire) – 2:09:07.93
Full results are available at: https://gaspesia.org/evenements/serie-trail-polaire/mont-st-mathieu/
Held directly on the ski slopes of participating resorts, the Gaspesia Polar Trail Series offers nighttime snow running and skimo courses in a friendly, festive atmosphere. Courses of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 kilometers are available so that young and old, casual participants and more serious athletes alike, can find a challenge that suits them.
The Gaspesia Polar Trail Series is now setting its sights on its 20th edition, scheduled for early 2026. As in previous years, the series is sanctioned by the Quebec Athletics Federation (FQA)!
The Gaspesia Polar Trail at Parc du Mont-Saint-Mathieu is made possible thanks to Pneu Mécanique Témis, the MRC des Basques, Loisirs et Sport Bas-Saint-Laurent, Ciel FM, Métatuq, Spark Nutrition, Fenix Ligh, and Tout.Trail.