Québec Mega Trail 25K to be part of the 2023 Salomon Golden Trail National Series

On Tuesday, Québec Mega Trail (QMT) announced that for the third consecutive year, one of its events (the 25K distance) has been selected to be part of Salomon’s prestigious Golden Trail National Series (GTNS).

The 2023 finale will welcome the highest-ranked athletes from the GTNS series, and will be held Oct. 19 to 22 during the Il Golfo Dell’Isola Trail Race ITA event, in Italy. From there, athletes are invited to compete in the Golden Trail World Series.

The QMT 25K distance boasts 950m elevation gain and loss, and will be held on July 2, 2023. Runners will earn twice the points in the GTNS ranking. QMT is the only Canadian race in the GTNS in 2023, joining four U.S. races: Breakneck Point (21K, +1,300m), The Broken Arrow Skyrace (23K, +1,510m), Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent (21K, +2,832m) and  Mammoth Trail Fest (26K, +1,400m) to make up the North American component of the circuit.

General director and founder of QMT, Jean Fortier, expressed excitement that “our most popular event is the only Canadian event of the Golden Trail Series. There is no doubt that it’ll be an incredible show to watch.” Fortier adds: “By offering the runners twice the points, we are consolidating our status as the most competitive race in the country, both on long and short distances.”

The Québec Mega Trail event

Founded in 2012, QMT is known as one of the toughest and most breathtaking races in Canada. More than 2,500 runners cross the Charlevoix and the Côte-de-Beaupré regions to compete in distances that attract both elite athletes and beginners.

The 2023 QMT will be held from June 29 to July 2, in Mont-Saint-Anne, Québec. The race offers nine events: QMT 100-miler (160 km), 110K, 80K, 50K, 25K, 15K, 10K, 6K and 1K. QMT is the only North American partner race of the Grand Raid de l’île de la Réunion and the Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT). The 100-mile and 110K races are also qualifiers for Western States 100. 

Last year, the QMT 50K event was part of the GTNS, and Québec’s Jean-Philippe Thibodeau and Katherine Short of B.C. won in 5:01:49 and 5:40:42 respectively.

QMT 25K

The QMT 25K event (sponsored by PCN Physiothérapie) is a 25.9-kilometre trail leading to Mont-Sainte-Anne (+ 950m elevation). Runners cross the lush western plateau of Mont-Sainte-Anne and soak in the Laurentians as they traverse singletrack along the Jean-Larose stream. The 25K event, already sold out for the 2023 edition, will welcome a total of 600 runners, including several international runners.

For more information on QMT or to sign up for one of their races, click here. If you’re interested in learning more about the GTNS or GTWS, head here.