Race Day! QMT 2024
— Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec
It’s race-day morning at QMT and Kelsey is having breakfast with a view of the mountain. I, on the other hand, have a view of Kelsey, her coffee (with extra sugar this morning, ‘cuz you know, more carbs = more fun on the course!), and a steadily disappearing plate of hash browns, waffles, and eggs.
Today’s plan is to meet with our crews, pick up our bibs, eat some food (but not too much!), and have at least one nap before starting the 100 miles at 8pm.
Kelsey tells me that she’s heading into the race “charged up on energy” from the New Brunswick trail running community. Last night, as dusk fell and a sheet of rain rolled down the mountain, we had an impromptu parking lot meeting with a group of runners who had made the trip from New Brunswick. Each person has a story about what this race means to them; its stories-in-the-making, as much as runners, who run these races.
Heading back to the QMT 100 miles for the third time is a benchmark in Kelsey’s running journey and a celebration of the things she loves about this sport. In typical fashion, she’s excited to “run, dance, skip and sing through beautiful technical trails.” She’s also eager to join the current of runners “digging deep, pushing their physical and mental limits, and chasing their dreams.” She’ll be “channeling joy, noticing the birds singing, hearing the rivers rushing, and appreciating all the love and support that we receive.”
In preparation for today’s race Kelsey has been working with Ray Zahab, her long-time friend and ultrarunning mentor. Ray, just days ago, finished a solo crossing of Death Valley in 53 hours 35 minutes and 21 seconds. His commitment to adventure and to finding meaning in boundary pushing efforts inspires Kelsey to stay focused on her own goals. His mentorship, coaching support, training advice, and belief in his “buddy” from Newfoundland goes a long way.
Here’s How to Follow the Race:
Watch the World Trail Majors coverage of QMT, beginning tomorrow morning (July 6th) at 11am ET.
Watch the QMT finish line coverage, starting tomorrow (July 6th) at 9:30am ET.
Follow the dots on the QMT website. Select the 100 mile race from the dropdown and search for our names or bib numbers (#1 for Kelsey and #65 for Adam). This will be updated as soon as we cross a timing mat or information is uploaded from an aid station.
Download the Racemap app for iPhone and Android, select QMT, and search for our names. This app will be updated with our times as we cross timing mats and it will also include a projected time of arrival at each aid station. This isn’t always accurate, so don’t rely too much on it!
Follow Kelsey and me on Instagram. Our crews will be updating our stories throughout the next two days.
Join the Kelsey’s Crew Telegram to ask questions and interact with other race followers.
Who’s On Our QMT Team?
An extra special shoutout to the people who will be following us around the mountains, filling water bottles, and giving us that extra boost at crew-able aid stations (there are eight spots in total where we can see our crew).
Adam’s supporters are: Barb (Mom), Bruce (Dad), Lyndsay (Sister), Zach (Brother-in-Law), Jaime (Cousin) and Jodi (Aunt). Jaime and Bruce paced Adam through the final sections of the course last year, and signed up again this year for pacing duties.
Kelsey supporters are: Jane (Mom), Noel (Dad), Hilary, and Stephen. They’ll be taking turns to support Kelsey at the aid stations and prepared to keep her fueled with lots of watermelon, slushies, smoothies, and race fuel (with support from our friends at BackTrails in Fredericton)! Kelsey is going to be paced for the last 55km by Katheryn Cochrane, a fellow western Newfoundland ultrarunner, coach, norda fam athlete, and previous QMT 50km champion. Katheryn was an instant “yes” when Kelsey asked her to pace — her enthusiasm gave us both an extra boost.
Our friends Jonathan van Geuns and Stef Boucher are also coming to MSA to cheer us on, and provide support as needed. Jonathan was Kelsey’s pacer at QMT last year and also the 10th place finisher at this year’s Cocodona 250 (you can listen to a podcast interview about his race here). Stef has been a constant presence at Kelsey’s races over the years, beginning with the Gaspesia 100 miler in 2019. This is Stef’s second QMT as a member of Kelsey’s team. They’ll be joining us in late-August for their second trip to UTMB.
Ralph is Back!
The final member of our support team is someone who we both love dearly, and who has recently returned to us from Maritime Assistance Canines — Ralph! After 2 years in foundational training to be a medical alert service dog, he’s back to stay with us for good, and going on a different career path! We’re continuing Ralph’s training and will be working with him as a facility service dog – this work could include supporting athletes and teams to work with their emotions at races, training camps, and beyond (check out this warm and fuzzy news story about Beacon, the golden retriever that has been supporting USA gymnastics). Welcome home, Ralph!
Other Runners to Follow:
We’re fortunate to know more runners at this year’s QMT than we feel comfortable listing — we don’t want to leave anyone out. However, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t in our heart. We’re sending you courage and ease for your time out on the trails.
That said, we want to shout out Kelsey’s fellow norda athletes and 665 teammates:
Elliot Cardin, 665 Team (100 miles)
JF Cauchon, 665 Team (100 miles)
Sarah Bergeron Laroche, 665 Team (25km)
Alvin and Nina Bric, Swiss Junior Champs (50km)
And, to some of the people that we’ll be sharing miles with during the 100 mile race:
Bryan Bourque, Dad Run Club
Gesine Freund
Marc Gallant, Brian Head Trail Running Club
Ryan O’Shea
Alex Quinn, Saint John Trail Running
Jason Scarbro
Drew Wallace
Also, Jane and Noel are running the 15km race on Sunday morning. It’ll be Jane’s longest race to date!
A Special Thanks to norda
At the QMT finish line last year, we met norda founders Nick & Willa Martire in-person for the first time after Kelsey’s finish. They made a special effort to be there to get to know Kelsey, her parents, and friends (and even talked to me in the haze of the-morning-after-100-miles). It felt like we were meeting family. Kelsey is honoured to be racing this season as part of the norda 665 team, a group of athletes supported for their athletic achievements and commitment to the values of community connection and love of natural places (665 is a reference to the latitudinal coordinates of the Canadian Shield and the Arctic Circle, the world’s true north). Thank you, norda!