This race has been an amazing way to connect with Quebec’s nature. The effort required to complete 80km increased this connection. At times during the race, I would envy and admire the spiritual connection that First Nations have with nature. And finally, I was fortunate to run all 80k with Adrien, who suggested this race in the first place. It brought this experience to another level.

So, in brief: departure at 8am in Le Parc des Hautes-Gorges, 11k to the first aid station surrounded by breathtaking views; then another 13k along the river before moving into the thick forest for the remaining 56km or so. The hours go by, we talk, trade stories of our lives, admire the scenery, suffer in silence, suffer out loud at other times, but we keep going and support each other.

The Harricana event is very well organized, the aid station volunteers are rockstars catering to our food and beverage needs. We follow a strategy of stopping long enough to recover, eat and drink but not long enough to get cold and achy.

The day ends slowly, the sunset is magnificent. The darkness moves in. The newly acquired Biolite headlamps come out of the bags and make the trails runnable again.

It’s 8pm, we stop for a selfie in front of the 1km mark, we can almost hear the noise of the finish line crowd cheering each runner. That’s it, we see it, we yell in excitement, Romane and Alice – Adrien’s daughters – run the last 100m with us, they are way faster than us! We made it all the way, we completed our challenge, we outdid ourselves and ran as a team!

‘Memories for a lifetime’ says Adrien I agree!