Destination Race: Tour du Lac-Brome Merrel

Date: June 14 & 15, 2014

Nothing was going to stop Monique St-Cyr from running the 35th edition of the Tour du Lac-Brome. The 68-year-old laced up for the 20k race, which takes place annually in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. This was the 34th consecutive year that St-Cyr would participate in the event. She only missed the first one.

St-Cyr and many others in the area feel like they owe a lot to the existence of the race. “I was on a campground nearby and was reading the results of the first edition of the race in the local newspaper,” St-Cyr recalls. “I said to myself, ‘I am going to run in it next year.’ After that, I took up running and haven’t stopped.” St-Cyr says that it’s the great organization and the festive, party-like atmosphere that makes the Tour du Lac-Brome Merrell so special. “I rank it as the best event in Quebec,” she says.

Sure, it’s dwarfed in size compared to the marathon weekends in Montreal and Quebec City, which are the two mega events in the province. But the Tour du Lac-Brome holds a special place in runners’ hearts, says Jean-Yves Cloutier, who organizes the race along with co-organizer Jean Joly. “It’s a love story, really,” he says. “Most of our runners do it once and then find themselves coming back every year.”

In 2010, organizers polled 700 participants on what they liked best about the event. The results were surprising to Cloutier. “We thought the duck sausage and the microbrewery beer we serve would rank very high,” he says, laughing. “Don’t get me wrong, they love it, but that is not what brings them back. They told us they come for the thrill and because of the natural beauty of the course. I guess when you stop and think of it, it’s obvious. We take them through the countryside of the Eastern Townships. It is hard to imagine that you are only an hour away from downtown Montreal. That is one of our goals, for people to discover the beauty of this part of Quebec. We want runners to have a great time while taking part in a professionally run event.”

In her younger years, Monique St-Cyr competed in 15 races a year. She has since trimmed down her racing schedule to just a few races. She alternates through her favourites, except for, as she points out, the Tour du Lac-Brome. “If I had only one to do, it would be this one.” As far as she is concerned, there is no other place where a runner is so pleasantly distracted by their surroundings. “You get to run alongside the lake and the mountains and you go by the heritage homes in the town of Knowlton. It really helps you forget about the distance you are covering.”

The picturesque course and strong word-of-mouth from early participants might explain why the popularity of the event has skyrocketed over the years. When the first race was held in June 1978, about 200 runners showed up for the 20k, then the only distance scheduled. Last year, 4000 runners stood at the starting line in the eight different distances now offered. An astounding number, considering the town’s population is just 5,609.

The event has a huge impact on the local economy, says Cloutier. He notes that 75 per cent of the runners come from other regions. Many spend the night with their family in the area, eat at one of the many fine restaurants or buy products at the world renowned Canards du Lac-Brome boutique in Knowlton. A 2010 poll shows that the event generates an estimated $350,000 in just two days. “The people of Lac-Brome are very proud of their race,” says Cloutier, pointing out that every year 350 locals volunteer. “They are an important part of the reason we have such a feeling of accomplishment and success. That is why runners keep coming back. They are great.”

– Michel Laliberté