Quebec Mega Trail: Kelsey Hogan wins 100-miles

Kelsey Hogan, 27, of Steady Brook, N.L., arrived at the finish line of the 100-mile Quebec Mega Trail in the wee hours Sunday as the first female finisher and 18th overall, in a time of 28:18:49, a new course record. at the time of publication, only four other women had finished the demanding course, which traverses Quebec’s Charlevoix and Beaupré regions; Geraldine Micheron, 46, of France, was second, in 31:01:45 and Isabelle Bernier, 44, of Orford, Que., was third. Véronique Drouin, 44, of St-Georges, Que. and Liliane Auger, 39, of Trois-Rivières were fourth and fifth.

Hogan won the Ultra Trail Gaspésia 100-miler in 2019, at age 24, in 24:47:12.

The 100-mile race started Friday evening in Baie St-Paul, 66 km east of Mont Ste-Anne ski resort, where all distances converge at the finish line. Nepal’s Sangé Sherpa, 40, broke the tape Saturday afternoon in a blistering 19 hours, 35 minutes, 52 seconds, a new course record that future runners will find challenging to beat (though second-place finisher and local hero Jean-François Cauchon, who was only 35 minutes behind him in second place, will likely continue to contend in future years). 

110K results

Gabriel Sanfaçon of Quebec City won the QMT 110K in a time of 15:02:58. Tommy Gagnon of Prevost, Que. was second, in 15:46:11, and Samuel Frigon of Saint-Boniface, Que. was third, in 16:16:22.

Among the women in the 110K, Sophie Marie Blard of Reunion Island took the win in 17:23:39, with Madeline Wighardt of Ancaster, Ont. second in 18:12:38 and Karen Benway of Williston, USA third in 18:20:09.

This is only the second year for the 100-mile distance, and it is the only linear 100-mile race in Quebec. QMT, which also offers distances of 110K, 80K, 50K, 25K, 15K, 10K and 6K (and a kids’ race and obstacle course), celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. 

For full results, click here. For our story on the men’s 100-mile race, 80K and 50K results, click here.