Making a raquette: snowshoe running in Quebec City

Gérard Côté was a Canadian marathoner and a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon who incorporated snowshoeing as part of his training. In 1958, two years after he had retired from competitive running, Cote set a world record for eight miles on snowshoes.

Related Article: Five tips for avoiding a winter running injury

The cold was biting and even the inside of my car windows were freezing up. It was New Year’s Eve and I was tromping through dark forest trails with snowshoes on. I felt like I had maple syrup in my blood and cranked up the speed in my running snowshoes. I was the only one who had a pair made to run in. When you can’t run because of the snow – snowshoe!

One runner in Quebec City has found a way to make snowshoeing an easy transition for runners. He has literally been creating a raquette (snowshoe in French) at his running shop (Le Coureur Nordique). The shop is tucked away on 141 Chemin Ste-Foy. I found it while visiting and was out for a cold run in November. I popped in to check out the local shop and found myself intrigued by a set of running snowshoes on display. I soon found myself talking to a short wiry runner who oozed a love of running.

Jimmy ‘Raquette” Gobeil

Jimmy is a former university running star who amassed running PBs of 8:40 for 3000m, 14:50 for 5000m and 3:58 for 1500m along with winning the 2001 University 10K cross-country championship (31:12) and in 2007 was 7th in the world on snowshoes. Jimmy has never stopped running, be it on dirt, road or snow. In September, despite being busy with life and his running shop, he ran an impressive 1:16 half-marathon in Montreal.

Jimmy’s store has a solid staff who are involved in the running community. They will even help personalize a training program for you. One of the runners who helps out is Joel Bourgeois, a two-time Olympian and gold medallist at the Pan American Games in the steeplechase.

I took a tour around the well-stocked running store and then popped downstairs to see Jimmy and his special snow shoes. Taking a lightweight running snowshoe and some ingenuity and elbow grease, Jimmy has made it possible to take any running shoe and make it work for snowshoe running – no straps required.

Here is a clip of Jimmy talking about his shop and his snowshoes.

I was greatly impressed by Jimmy. His ingenuity, innovation and his great running shop in Quebec City. As Canadians, most of us have to deal with snow and ice a good chunk of the year. Most runners can manage to get out most winter days. Jimmy’s snowshoes would allow minimal gear for when there is too much snow or a great cross-training workout. Run on Jimmy.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

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New blog next week about my new project involving Canada’s top marathoners and a middle-aged guy going for a marathon PB. Click here for a sneak peak or to see other profiles and stories that I can’t fit here!