Canada’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot joins Salomon product team in France

At November’s TCS New York City Marathon, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot simultaneously completed his marathon debut and final race as a professional runner. Now, the two-time Canadian Olympian has announced his latest career update: he’ll be joining Salomon’s product team in Annecy, France, to help with performance footwear development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (@charlespt)

“It feels like going back to my roots, growing up idolizing Quebec freeskiers that pushed the sport using Salomon skis in the early 2000s,” Philibert-Thiboutot wrote on Instagram. “This true mountain, innovative brand is betting on running, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work in the teams that will create incredible road, gravel and trail running shoes.”

Salomon, a major outdoor sports equipment brand, was founded in the French Alps in 1947 by François Salomon and his son Georges. It’s now headquartered in the southeastern France alpine town of Annecy. Known for its dominance on the trails, as well as reliable durability and protection, the shoe brand sponsors many competitive ultra-trail runners and races.

In his new role, Philibert-Thiboutot will help find ways to create the best performance shoes for trail, gravel and road running–a position that will demand a mix of his experience and expertise through creating, developing and testing phases of Salomon’s footwear.

Charles Philibert-Thiboutot retires after marathon debut in NYC

The Quebec City native has already relocated to Annecy and is in the midst of adjusting to his new, post-pro-athlete lifestyle. “Adapting to French life is going very well, with an indecent number of baguettes consumed per week as well as the occasional break on a brasserie terrace,” he joked in his social post.

Philibert-Thiboutot’s running career

Philibert-Thiboutot is a nine-time Canadian champion, including two titles from 2025. He also won 1,500m gold at the 2023 Pan American Games. In his Canadian 10K Championships debut in Ottawa last May, he set a new national record in the distance (28:06). In September, just six days after competing at the World Championships in Tokyo, he travelled back to Montreal to win the Sports Experts 5K, which doubles as the Canadian 5K Championships, in 14:18.