Laverlochère-Angliers, September 10, 2023 – It is in Laverlochère-Angliers that this extraordinary 160 km race over two days ended for the 25 teams from the region and internationally, this Sunday afternoon, while the exhaustion was palpable upon their arrival near the municipal park. More than 1,000 people came to encourage the athletes throughout the Raid International Témiscamingue. This incredible course combining several disciplines (canoeing, swimming, cycling, trekking, running and several ropes activities) unfolded spectacularly as the runners had to begin a dizzying descent on a zip line in the middle of the course. The Def Léoppard team, made up of Patrick Lussier (Mont-Tremblant) and George Visser (Bromont) took first place, completing the course in 11 hours 21 minutes. The winners explain that they had no room for error today: “Yesterday we were the ones being chased and today we had to hunt. To secure victory, we had to run a perfect race.” The Finns Lauri Heinaro and Lauri Hollo from the Northen Adventure Team recovered well from their misdirection that occurred on the first day of competition to get their hands on second place with a time of 11 hours 51 minutes. Third place went to the Brazilian team, Brou Aventuras made up of Thiago Helias and Jose Neto with a time of 12 hours 18 minutes. On the mixed side, it was the duo of Team Puke, Una Hall and John Price (13 hours 03 minutes) who reached the finish line in first place ahead of the two teammates from Raid Jack Wolfskin, Stéphane Lefebvre and Catherine Moisan (2 hours 17 minutes). Moreover, their enthusiasm was tangible after the competition: “It was a perfect day. The lakes were mirrors in the canoe portion and the zipline was sick, just wonderful!” For their part, Marc Gaudet and Chloé Roberge from the Les Conquérants team completed the podium (15 hours 17 minutes). Among the women, the Les Pauloises team Alexandra Lemay and Andréane Lemay (15 hours 58 minutes) once again took the honors in this second day of competition ahead of Team G Alysha Gilmour and Jessica Gilmour (22 hours 33 minutes). The first local team to cross the finish line was Les Irréducibles with Lionel Chavrier and Simon Rétif (14 hours 16 minutes). He had only good words about his experience: “It’s an exceptional adventure!” Remember that 8 teams from Abitibi-Témiscamingue (including 7 from Témiscamingue) were able to take on this imposing challenge alongside professionals.
More than a race: the rise of adventure tourism
This day, full of emotions of all kinds, both for the raiders and their entourage, as well as for the supporters and partners of the event, ended with a closing banquet at the Laverlochère-Angliers arena. The evening began with a drum performance by Wayne McKenzie, a member of the Timiskaming First Nation community and his group.
For the Uruguayan athlete, Ruben Manduré of the Uruguay Ultra Sports team, it is with certainty that he says he will be back next year: “The kindness of the people, the friendships that form and the beauty of the landscapes encourage us to come back every year. We are delighted with this experience.” The athlete from Mexico, Javier Barreda (La Ruta Madre) even took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend upon his arrival!
This race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series (A.R.W.S.) for the first time, a competition that brings together the best athletes from around the world.This race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series (A.R.W.S.), a global competition which brings together the best athletes from around the world. “We are very happy with how the Raid has gone since the start. The final day of competition was spectacular with two teams exchanging the lead several times. The population was there and the welcome was simply fantastic.”, Jean-Thomas Boily, co-founder and director of operations at Endurance Aventure.
Remember that the race was captured in images by the Endurance Aventure television team, and will eventually be broadcast on RDS. The previous edition was broadcast in 162 countries.
Youth Raid: perseverance, perseverance, perseverance
On Friday, September 8, the Youth Raid began, when 52 teenagers from Témiscamingue aged 13 to 17 pushed their limits by completing a 20 km course in less than 3 hours. Determination every mile: this is what sums up, among other things, the journey of Charles Flageol, a participant who won the Perseverance Prize. “All summer, we trained and did sports we had never done, like canoeing. Also, swimming was difficult for me before, I was forced to overcome my challenge. We’re going to re-register, and why not do 160 km one day?”, Expresses Charles Flageol.“
All teams finished the race and can be proud of the work accomplished!
To view the results, visit the Facebook Raid Témiscamingue page as well as site Web du Raid Témiscamingue.
About the Raid Temiscamingue
The Raid Témiscamingue is a spectacular race organized by the Société de développement du Témiscamingue, the MRC de Témiscamingue and Endurance Aventure in collaboration with around twenty regional organizations. This endurance race is made up of a series of events combining trekking, swimming, mountain biking, canoeing and ropes sections. The second edition of the race will be held from September 7 to 10, 2023 where 25 teams from the region and around the world will compete on a 160 km course in eastern Témiscamingue.
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For information or interview :
Audrey Lemieux Patricia Desgagné
Communications Director Media Relations
Endurance Aventure Endurance Aventure
514 707-4107 819 342-9565
communications@enduranceaventure.com pdesgagne@enduranceaventure.com
