Charles Philibert Thiboutot’s Asics deal to have him living comfy until Tokyo 2020

One of Canada’s favourite runners of 2015, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot has just signed a five-year deal with Asics.

The runner from Quebec is a recent university graduate having raced for Laval University for the past few years. His success in 2015 though is what really has caught him lots of attention and praise from the running community.

Philibert-Thiboutot spent much of his summer in Europe racing to qualify for the Pan Am Games. He hoped to make it into the Oslo Dream Mile– an incredibly high-caliber Diamond League event– and when he got the news that he would be stepping onto the track to race against the world’s best, he was ecstatic. He raced a 3:54 mile, placed eighth and qualified to represent Canada at the Pan Ams in Toronto.

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At the Pan Ams, he won a bronze medal for Canada and went on to race world championships in Beijing.

It’s not wonder Asics is giving him a five-year deal.

What’s his reaction? He’s says he’s excited about the contract and happy to represent Asics as he goes forward to achieve his Olympic goal.

“Asics Canada has been taking care of me for years now, at first when I was 18 a gear-only sponsorship all the way up to last year with a good deal with interesting bonuses for a guy running 3:38,” says Philibert-Thiboutot. “I met with them in September after my breakout season and they came forward to work on a new professional contract that would reflect my current level and match contracts Milers in the top 30 in the world would have.”

The 25-year-old says he’s happy to stay with Asics and that he started looking for a bigger contract after his knockout season, knowing what European and Americans were signing for– he adds that he genuinely prefers Asics’ running attire over others.

So what can a runner like Chuck PT with prestigious Diamond League performances, Pan Am and World Championship races under his belt expect when signing a big deal? He chooses not to disclose the dollar figure but says Asics will have him living comfortably.

“It is a good deal in the sense that financially, I can commit to full time running for the next five years (through Tokyo 2020) without having to stress if I can afford camps, good housing, good food and treatments and hopefully, by the end of this adventure, still have a little something to help me transition in a different career,” he says.

What this Quebec athlete managed to do in 2015 is likely just the beginning. In 2016, he says he wants to take on more Diamond League races, compete in more IAAF events, do well in the Olympics and, like any runner, shave down his times.

“I also want to run closer to Kevin Sullivan’s Canadian record for 1,500m, and lower my 800m and 5,000m PBs,” says Philibert-Thiboutot.

There’s plenty of hard work ahead of him but as his career as a professional runner continues to gain momentum, he’s got the full support of his family to help him through.

“Making a career out of a sport is not something that’s given to everyone,” he says. “They have seen me work so hard through all those years that they share my excitement as I get into professional running.”

Really happy about that already great relationship that will now fuel me for my future goals and olympic quest! https://t.co/fBbUnOp2XI

— Charles P.-T. (@Chuck_PT) January 12, 2016