On September 21 and 22, Événements Gaspésia welcomed approximately 415 runners for the second edition of the Ultra Trail Forillon Desjardins, a trail running event for all ages in the heart of Forillon National Park. Over 400 runners from Quebec, Canada, France, Martinique, and the United States came to experience the best of Gaspé’s autumn beauty!
Acadian Éric Girard Wins the Men’s 100-Mile Race
In the event’s flagship race, the 100 miles (160 km), Éric Girard from Haut-Lamèque, New Brunswick, claimed victory with a time of 25:46:16, shaving over 5 hours off his 2023 performance. Californian Jake Jackson (27:34:19) and Quebecer Raphael Marchand (29:05:34) rounded out the podium.
Marie-Eve Pelland Reigns in the Women’s 100-Mile
In the women’s category, Marie-Eve Pelland from Stoneham took home the golden buckle awarded to the first-place finisher with a time of 29:05:39. Martiniquan Solène Alves De Pinto (32:17:39) was the only other woman to complete the race, which started in the Village en Chanson of Petite-Vallée.
Yann Bernier Completes All Three Gaspesian 100-Milers
Yann Bernier from St-Anaclet-de-Lessard achieved a feat that might never be equaled: becoming the first athlete to complete all three 100-mile races in Gaspésie in a single season! In June, he finished the Ultra Trail Gaspesia 100 in 29:16:00, followed by the Ultra Trail des Chic-Chocs in August with a time of 48:54:28. He wrapped up his extraordinary season at the Ultra Trail Forillon in 33:40:25—a performance for the ages!
Other Results
Véronique Chretien (Saguenay) in 16:23:13 and Anthony Fontaine (Cap-Chat) in 13:40:25 were the winners of the 100 km race, held between Pointe-à-la-Renommée and Forillon.
Lauren Audet-Beaupré (Carleton-sur-Mer) in 6:44:10 and David Cormier (New Richmond) in 5:51:15 crossed the finish line first in the 54 km.
Anne Bouchard (Bromont) in 4:42:41 and Didier Martigny (Sherbrooke) in 3:57:58 triumphed in the 45 km.
In the 25 km race, Rosane Martin (Quebec City) in 2:28:35 and Charles Noel (Gaspé) in 1:57:16 claimed the top spots.
Full results and those for other races are available at https://gaspesia.org/resultats/.
Thank You to Our Valued Partners
The Ultra Trail Forillon is made possible thanks to the support of Desjardins, Microbrasserie Pit Caribou, Fenix Light, Parks Canada, Tourisme Gaspésie, the Côte-de-Gaspé MRC, the International Appalachian Trail, and Spark Nutrition.