183. Jean Fortier | Québec Mega Trail Founder

Inspired Soles

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Jean Fortier is the general director and founder of Québec Mega Trail. He joins us to talk about his running origins and dive deep into the past, present and future of this amazing event.

QMT is a legendary ultra-trail race, renowned as one of the most beautiful but also as one of the hardest in Canada. Crossing one of the most beautiful places in Québec, it takes runners all the way to Mont-Sainte-Anne, and more than 3,000 racers meet there every year. A place where high-level athletes come to compete, the organization also offers challenges for beginners with ten events ranging in distance from 1-160 km over four days. Founded in 2012 and now in its 12th year, the Québec Mega Trail actively promotes trail running while being a flagship race in terms of safety, sustainable development and constant innovations.

Since 2023, Québec Mega Trail has been part of the World Trail Majors and has been selected to host the 50 km and 80 km events of the 2025 and 2026 Canadian Mountain & Trail Running Championships.
In this episode we talk about:

• Jean’s own running experiences
• How QMT came to be
• The values that guide Jean’s decisions as a race director
• The highlights and the challenges the race has seen in the last 12 years
• How QMT has chosen to remain independent in the international racing landscape in becoming a founding member of the World Trail Majors, an international group which includes some of the most iconic trail running events in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America

Connect with QMT:

• Website: https://ultratrailcanada.com/en/
• Instagram: @qcmegatrail
• Facebook: quebecmegatrail

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