There are less than three weeks to go before the 3rd edition of the Raid Témiscamingue.
The organizers today announced the headliners and highlights of the 2024 edition, which will take place from September 5 to 8.
Raid Témiscamingue will welcome athletes from across Québec, including more than 20 from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as Ontario, and international teams from Finland, the United States, Poland and Italy.
Team Def Leoppard, winners of the 2023 edition, will be back this year with a vengeance. “We were blown away by the majestic beauty of Témiscamingue. The course was stunning and the conditions were perfect. It was a sweet victory! We have great memories of the scenery and the amazing locals, and we’re pumped to defend our title.”, said George Visser, who ran the course with partner Patrick Lussier. In 2023, team Northern Adventure, made up of Finns Lauri Heinaro and Lauri Hollo, bounced back from an orientation mistake on Day 1 of the competition to cinch second place.
This year’s frontrunners include the elite team Raid Bras du Nord, which includes Olympian Lyne Bessette, who has racked up several medals in cycling and adventure raids. Alongside Canadian orienteering champion Philippe Côté Jacques, she’ll be battling for the top spot on the podium.
For the first time, a Anishinaabe athlete will take part in the professional section of the raid. A member of Wolf Lake First Nation, Tamara King is involved in a number of community development projects, including running the Algonquin Canoe Company, located on the banks of the Ottawa River. Emilyse Plante-Pelchat, from Town of Témiscaming, completes team Bichasaabe. “We wanted this project to inspire and bring people together. Year after year, we continue to work closely with the Anishinaabe communities. It means a lot to us to have Algonquin raiders among our athletes.”, says Jean-Thomas Boily, co-founder and director of operations of Endurance Aventure.
Other athletes include Cédric de Marneffe and Noémie Julien, co-owners of the Val-d’Or paddling school Eau Vive Expérience. Cédric, a topo map expert, will be the pilot and Noémie, the driving force behind L'Équipe du Capitaine. Team Lafrenz N Gauts, a.k.a. Pascal Lafrenière and Manon Gauthier, will also proudly represent Témiscamingue alongside world-class athletes. In both her career and volunteer work, Manon is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyle habits and inspiring people of all ages to get moving.
The international event kicks off on Thursday, September 5, with the opening ceremony at 5 p.m. in the heart of Rémigny.
The raid gets underway the next morning, at Rivière-des-Quinze school in Notre-Dame-du-Nord, with a 20-km youth course. Raid Témiscamingue coordinator Chloé Beaulé-Poitras says she is proud to give teens this opportunity: “More than a hundred teens between the ages of 13 and 17 are signed up to run the course, during which they’ll have to dig deep and give it everything they’ve got.” Once again this year, each teen duo will be accompanied by an athlete registered for the international raid.
The starting gun on the professional section, presented by Caisse Desjardins du Témiscamingue, will fire at 8 a.m. sharp on Saturday, September 7. Spectators can head over to the Rémigny recreation centre to watch the first start of the weekend. Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., the town of Guérin will host a variety of activities at the Lac des Quinze public wharf, including an outdoor picnic. Visitors can also watch the athletes partake in an unusual challenge. Saturday’s stage concludes in Anishinaabe territory, in the community of Timiskaming; the first teams are expected around 2 p.m. Throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, spectators can enjoy traditional Algonquin activities and inflatable games onsite.
The last departure, at 7 a.m. on Sunday from the Sentier de l’Eau-de-là hiking trail in Notre-Dame-du-Nord, will see raiders tackle the final stage, which will take them to Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues, 70 km away. Not to be missed: The zipline event on Sunday, a spectacular challenge that’s always a big hit with the public. But the highlight of the weekend is always the finish line, located in the equestrian ring at the famous Festival Western de Guigues. A number of community-organized activities will round out this exciting weekend.
The Raid International Témiscamingue is a spectacular race organized by the Société de développement du Témiscamingue, the Témiscamingue RCM, and Endurance Aventure. This stage race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS), a global platform that unites professional adventure races, bringing together the world’s top athletes. This endurance race is made up of trekking, swimming, mountain biking, canoeing, and spectacular ropes courses. The 3rd edition will take place from September 5 to 8, 2024, with some 30 local and international teams facing off on a 160-km course through northern Témiscamingue, between Rémigny and Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues. Some one hundred high school students will take part in the 20-km youth raid. The Raid international Témiscamingue receives financial support from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (three-year funding program), the government of Québec, and Loisir et Sport Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
