To highlight the opening of the running season, the Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant gathered, on Thursday, May 3 at Château Beauvallon, its major partners in the initiative. These are the front-line players in the success of this sports event, which is firmly rooted in the community.

The cocktail reception was held to announce the program for this summer, which is packed with activities and will conclude with the biggest road running race in the Laurentians. Close to 2,500 runners and walkers are expected to take part on Sunday, August 12, in the ninth Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant.

Why do they run?

The passion for running is seen worldwide. People are running everywhere: on roads, sidewalks and trails. Running is accessible to almost everyone and our area provides a wonderful playground for the sport. Once people have caught the bug, they often want to take on a major challenge. Why not try to complete a half-marathon, or a 5K or 10K in the company of friends and colleagues? All you have to do is…do it! But be careful, because good preparation is essential.

Preparatory activities and meetings

To get ready for the big day, Dominique Langelier, producer of the Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant, along with her team, provides a number of activities and meetings. These include on-trail training sessions with the Tri-action club and free weekend runs, “Courir pour le plaisir / Run For Fun”, organized by Le Magasin de la Place, the principal “community partner” for the event.

Runs: Cours pour le plaisir / Run for Fun

Free of charge and open to all, these runs allow participants to get advice on specific things that should be done before and after the race. The ambassadors taking part — Jean-Yves Cloutier, Karl Britten, Robert Roy, Cathy Bergman, François Belle-Isle, André Lapointe and Ariane Lavigne – offer expert-led warm-up sessions for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners.

At these runs, participants are guided by Olympic nutritionist Ariane Lavigne on the food consumption they should anticipate during the training sessions, and the pacer rabbits are busy helping participants discover sections of the Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant on loops covering five kilometres or more. The schedule is available on the Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant website.

Training with the Tri-Action de Mont-Tremblant club

Every week, the Tri-Action multisport running and triathlon club provides on-track training sessions intended to improve runners’ technique, as well as offering group runs. Beginners, experts…all will find something to suit them. We should emphasize that members of this active club receive a discount of 50 per cent on the registration fee for the Demi-Marathon.

Do it as a group or as a company

In addition to helping runners stay motivated, participating in the Demi-Marathon Mont-Tremblant with a team, as a family, with friends or with colleagues provides several advantages, notably a 10 per cent discount per participant on the rates in effect at the time of registration for a team made up of five to 10 people. What’s more, the 10th registration is free. Registration online or by mail.