Québec Mega Trail 2025 delivered fast times, national titles, and unforgettable moments across its signature races this weekend. With a hot sun beating down on runners across technical singletrack and steep climbs, the 50K and 80K events crowned new Canadian trail champions—and saw course records fall.
Records fall in the 50K championship
When Élisa Morin lined up for the QMT-50 on Saturday morning, her goal was simple: finish strong and move on from a DNF earlier in the season. Instead, she ran the race of her life—shattering the women’s course record by 40 minutes. Morin crossed the line in 5:09:43, almost an hour ahead of her own projected splits and without any awareness of the record itself.
“I was aiming for top five,” Morin said. “Breaking the record was not in the plan at all.” After two major climbs in the sun, she realized she was in for a long day. But the final stretch—the last kilometre and crossing the finish arch—made it all worth it. “That was the most memorable part,” she said, still processing the win. Morin now sets her sights on OCC in Chamonix, part of the UTMB World Series. “I’m just happy, especially because I’m going to [the] World [Trail Majors].”
On the men’s side, Dany Racine ran by feel and by memory. Opting not to wear a watch, he leaned on familiarity with the trails, especially the technical Mestachibo section, to take control of the early race and hold on for a course-record finish of 4:46:25.
“I knew a record was possible, but the course changes year to year, so I focused on effort and managing the heat,” Racine said. “Trail running gives back to the most passionate runners. I keep learning about myself every year.” He described QMT as “a very good test” ahead of his next race in September, the World Trail Majors in Spain.
Both Racine and Morin now hold the QMT-50 course records—and weren’t the only ones running fast. All of the top seven women finished under the course record of 6:16:32 set by Alex Castonguay in 2024, signalling a deep and competitive women’s field in this year’s Canadian Short Trail Championships.
Steady leads and new titles in the 80K
In the QMT-80, Claudine Soucie ran her own race from the front—and never looked back. “I just wanted to be in the top five and have fun,” she said. Despite only being familiar with the Mestachibo section, she embraced the rest of the course’s unknowns. “I discovered trails I’d never run before, and the views were incredible.” For Soucie, the most memorable moments came not from the trail itself but from reconnecting with friends. “That’s a bonus,” she said about winning the 80K, “I’m just happy to have finished healthy.”
Soucie now turns her focus to a big bikepacking trip in Europe before competing at the World Trail Championships in September.
Jean-Philippe Thibodeau claimed the men’s Canadian long trail title after finishing second overall behind American and QMT-50 course record holder Eric LiPuma. Thibodeau hung with LiPuma through the halfway point but eventually had to let him go. “He was strong,” said Thibodeau. Still, his performance earned him the top Canadian spot, and a shot at defending his title next year at QMT.
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QMT-50 Results – Canadian Short Trail Championship
Women
- Élisa Morin – 5:09:43.2
- Sarah Bergeron Larouche – 5:35:58.6
- Stephanie Ryall – 5:40:01.0
- Karol-Ann Roy – 5:48:48.9
- Maïka Lamoureux – 6:09:41.6
Men
- Dany Racine – 4:46:25.0
- Christopher Lévesque-Savard – 5:10:04.5
- Sébastien Brochu – 5:16:10.6
- Philippe Blouin – 5:25:44.2
- Mathieu Pageau – 5:25:47.8
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QMT-80 Results – Canadian Long Trail Championship
Women
- Claudine Soucie – 10:02:22.9
- Britta Clark – 10:20:32.4
- Kelsey Hogan – 10:41:18.7
- Alex Castonguay – 10:59:56.7
- Jenny Quilty – 11:20:46.1
Men
- Eric LiPuma – 8:29:13.0
- Jean-Philippe Thibodeau – 8:36:32.5
- Rémi Hogue – 9:08:38.2
- Dylan Pust – 9:10:16.7
- Mead Binhammer – 9:13:49.6
For the full list of results, click here.
