Triathlon ambassadors in Quebec

During his university studies, Alain Deraspe discovered a passion for triathlon. Following an injury that put an early end to his athletic career, he decided to become a coach. He was head coach of the Rouge et Or triathlon club from 1996 to 2004. He was also assistant coach of the Canadian Olympic team in Sydney in 2000.

It was when he ended his involvement with the Rouge et Or club that Alain discovered trail running and mountain biking. Instigator of XTERRA Québec in August 2014, he has been involved with Triathlon Québec for a number of years, promoting cross-triathlon.

XTERRA Québec is also a leading partner in shaping the trails of the Empire 47 ÉcoSentiers Villégiature site, to make mountain biking more accessible to the local and tourist population, year-round.

Alain Labarre discovered triathlon when he was looking for a new challenge. He saw an advertisement for the Sri Chinmoy d'Oka Triathlon (2 km-45 km-15 km) in the newspaper and signed up for the event with only two weeks to prepare. Despite a tough race, he got the bug. Over the years, he continued his career as an amateur athlete, improving his performances on the sprint and Olympic distances and completing a few long-distance triathlons.

In 1991, Alain founded the highly successful Jet Triathlon club. In 2018, the club will be hosting two sport-study programs. Through this club, he helps young people develop personally, achieve their goals and surpass themselves through triathlon.

Alain Labarre is also race director of the Joliette Triathlon. This race is a classic at the start of the season for many Quebec athletes. Every year, this high-quality competition attracts over 1,000 participants of all levels to its course.

Andrew MacMartin is certainly one of the greatest triathletes Quebec has ever known. Born in Montreal in 1972, he took part in his first triathlon at the age of 16 and was hooked. When he realized his talent for the sport, he decided that this was his chance to do something unique. His motivation was to be the best in the world. Honored on several occasions for his sporting career, Andrew was named Personality of the Week in La Presse and received the Commemorative Medal of Honor in 1992.

It was in 1991 that Andrew decided to devote himself full-time to his athletic career. His list of sporting achievements is remarkable.

• 1989: 4th at the Junior World Championships and member of the first Quebec contingent at an international race
• 1990: Junior silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games, where triathlon was on display
• 1992: Proclaimed world champion after winning 4 of the 10 ITU World Cup legs, including the grand final in Ixtapa, Mexico
• 1991-1992-1996: Canadian champion

Today, Andrew MacMartin is Vice-President of the Dollarama chain of stores and a member of the ITU Montreal Board of Directors.

Benoît-Hugo St-Pierre has been involved with the Federation since 2000 and was Chairman of the Board from 2011 to 2019. With a bachelor's degree in physical and health education and national-level coaching certification, Benoît-Hugo St-Pierre has a long-standing interest in health and performance. In addition to being the founder of the TRIMÉGO triathlon club in Trois-Rivières, he helped create the very first triathlon sport-study program in Canada, which became the first regional training center recognized by Triathlon Canada in 2004.

As president of the Federation and instigator of “TRI, un DÉFI pour la VIE”, Benoît-Hugo swam, biked and ran across Quebec in the summers of 2015 and 2016 to raise funds for the school triathlon program.

Since 2009, Benoît-Hugo has been manager of national projects at Québec en forme, aimed at promoting and encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits among Quebecers.

As an athlete, race organizer, coach and sports steward for the town of Port-Cartier, Christian Lepage has dedicated his career to promoting healthy lifestyles in remote areas.

Christian joined Port-Cartier's recreation department in July 1989 as sports manager. In 1991, he coordinated the centralized regional finals of the Quebec Games for the North Shore, with 14 sports disciplines divided into two blocks - a great way to launch his career. "There were as many young people as at a provincial final. They were great games, a great success," he recalls.

With his colleague Murielle Pitre, Christian instigated the very first Port-Cartier triathlon in 1992, and is still involved in its organization 26 years later. With nearly 125 participants in the first edition, the event now attracts 350 athletes from the Côte-Nord region every year. Initially, the aim was to create a mass event to get the population of Port-Cartier and the surrounding area into training. It was only later that Christian began coaching youngsters and entering them in other triathlons around the province. In the process, he discovered talented athletes. In fact, he was the first coach of Charles Paquet, 2016 world junior vice-champion and member of the national triathlon team.

Christian Triquet has been a triathlon enthusiast for many years, but it was in 2012 that his commitment to Triathlon Québec took shape when Merrell Canada, a company of which he is president, became the official partner of the School Triathlon program. This partnership enabled the program to experience tremendous growth between 2012 and 2015.

In 2014, Christian joined Triathlon Québec's philanthropic committee and created “TRI, un DÉFI pour la VIE” with Benoît-Hugo St-Pierre, President of Triathlon Québec. He took on the challenge of completing 10 triathlons in 10 days alongside Benoît-Hugo in 2016. Through his participation in this philanthropic campaign, Christian is helping to raise funds that will be reinvested in the School Triathlon program. The challenge culminated in a race at the IRONMAN 70.3 event in Mont-Tremblant.

Since 2017, Christian Triquet has been a member of Triathlon Canada's Board of Directors.

Danny McCann, a triathlon enthusiast, started out as an athlete in 1980, racing in Canada and abroad. As there were no local offerings at the time, he decided to set up the first triathlon in Quebec. He founded the Esprit de Montréal Triathlon in 1984 and is still its director. Thirty-four years on!

The first edition attracted 150 competitors. That year and the next few, no timing system was used. This was based on a good-faith agreement: each competitor was given small round stickers, and each lap, he or she removed one. Today, nearly 4,000 athletes participate in the Esprit de Montréal Triathlon. Danny McCann was inducted into the Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame in 2011.

Dominique Piché has been involved with triathlon since the 1990s, as an athlete and event organizer. His fascination with the circuit began when he attended the IRONMAN in Lake Placid in 2000.

In 2004, Dominique revived the Mont-Tremblant Triathlon with two close collaborators, Marie-Annick Tourillon and Annie Veilleux. Then, in the fall of 2010, he was determined to convince the international IRONMAN organization to add Mont-Tremblant to the IRONMAN circuit, with the support of Marc Roy and Isabelle Fradette, owners of Sportstats.

In a very short space of time, Dominique Piché was able to mobilize all the people needed to ensure the staging of these world-class, top-quality events. Innovative event organization and satisfied participants enabled the Mont-Tremblant team to secure the IRONMAN North American Championships in 2013 and 2014, as well as the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, which for the first time were held outside the United States.

Since the arrival of the IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant events in 2012, triathlon has grown by leaps and bounds in Quebec. The events leave a great legacy in the community. In particular, they have contributed to the installation of a sports center and an official training course in Mont-Tremblant.

What's more, the IRONMAN triathlons have brought a major economic boost to the Laurentian region, and Mont-Tremblant in particular, to the tune of +$75 million in tourism revenue. Every year, these events bring athletes from some sixty countries to Mont-Tremblant, making it a world-renowned triathlon destination.

Without the presence of over 30,000 volunteers over the years, these events would not have been possible: it is first and foremost to these generous people that we owe this great success!

Ghislain Mélançon became involved in triathlon when the club Les Rapides du Lac Saint-Louis was founded in 2003. Since then, he has been involved on several levels. He has contributed to the creation of a sport-études program and an extracurricular triathlon program in several Montreal schools. He also sat on Triathlon Québec's Board of Directors from 2007 to 2009 as President, where he made a major contribution to the Federation's administrative and financial structure.

Now Assistant General Manager of the Montreal International Triathlon, Ghislain was instrumental in bringing the ITU back to Quebec. He is also race director of the Verdun Triathlon and manager of the Phoenix Triathlon Club.

Karen discovered triathlon in 1994 when she volunteered at the Triathlon de Drummondville. She became race director a few years later when she was just 22. She has always taken great pride in organizing a race in which her own family took part. For Karen, triathlon is a family affair. Co-founder of the Triomax Junior club with her brother Jonathan, she is delighted that her nieces and nephews are now part of the club.

Karen was also involved with the Federation from 2000 to 2011, as a volunteer, employee and member of the Board of Directors. She has been involved in many worthwhile projects, including the promotion and advancement of triathlon among young people and women. She is also very proud to have helped recruit an exceptional team of employees.

Karen's fondest memories include the Triathlon World Cups in Drummondville in 1995 and 1996, where she had the chance to rub shoulders with such renowned athletes as Brad Bevan, Jérôme Sanson and the Carney and Mykelie Jones sisters.

Kathy Tremblay is the only Quebec triathlete to have won a World Cup gold medal and participated twice in the Olympic Games (2008 and 2012). Crowned Canadian senior champion in 2007, she was also Pan-American champion in 2006.

She retired from sport in 2013, after the London Olympics. Today, she is a business leader committed to promoting healthy lifestyle habits in the workplace.

Four other female athletes have also marked the history of Quebec triathlon by taking part in the Olympics: Isabelle Turcotte-Baird (2000), Samantha McGlone (2004), Amélie Kretz (2016) and Sarah-Anne Brault (2016).

Kyla's contribution to triathlon dates back to 1996, when she was a member of the university triathlon team. As an athlete, she was part of the provincial team for 3 years, competing at provincial, national and international levels.

In 2003, Kyla put an end to her athletic career and dedicated herself entirely to her role as high performance coach. Since then, she has made a major contribution to the development of several Quebec athletes, enabling them to make their mark on the national and international scenes. The performances that particularly stood out for her were Emy Legault's top 15 finish at the ITU World Championships in Edmonton in 2014 and Xavier Grenier-Talavera's surprise victory at the Senior North American Championships in Sarasota in 2016.

Kyla also coached Amélie Kretz throughout her junior years. She finished 6th at the Junior World Championships in Auckland in 2012, then won the Elite National Champion title in her very first year with elite athletes in Edmonton in 2013.

Today, Kyla is an assistant coach with the Hong Kong national triathlon team. She hopes this position will be a stepping stone to the role of head coach in a national federation.

Lise was introduced to triathlon by her daughter in 2005, and quickly progressed to the role of official. She became involved in the School Triathlon program and took part in various events as an athlete or official. In 2009, following a serious fall on her bike, she had to put an end to her career as an amateur athlete and decided to become more involved in her role as an official. She completed the training required to become an international-level official, and was twice an official at the ITU World Championships (Edmonton 2014 and Chicago 2015). In 2011, she was awarded the title of Official of the Year by Triathlon Québec. In 2016, Lise was awarded the silver whistle in recognition of her 10 years as an official.

In addition to her career as an official, Lise has greatly contributed to the development of athletes on many levels. Among other things, she worked alongside Kyla Rollinson to establish a program enabling athletes to continue training with the Tri-O-Lacs club during their post-secondary studies. She was also president of Triathlon Valleyfield in 2013 and 2014.

Today, Lise has ended her involvement on the Tri-O-Lacs and Triathlon Québec boards, but continues to act as an official at several events.

Thanks to Lucie Roy, the first ITU World Cups in Quebec were held in Drummondville in 1995 and 1996. An avid triathlete, she founded the Triathlon de Drummondville in 1990 and served on the organizing committee for 25 years.

A member of Triathlon Québec's Board of Directors in the late 1990s, Lucie served as President from 2009 to 2011. She worked to advance numerous projects, including the Federation's recognition by the Ministry, the introduction of school triathlons and the drafting of safety regulations. General Manager of Réseau aquatique Drummondville for 32 years, she has devoted her entire career to the development of the sport. She fondly remembers the arrival of triathlon at the Quebec Games, as a demonstration event in 2003 in Thetford-Mines and officially in Amos in 2005.

Patrice Brunet's love affair with triathlon began when he took part in the Coteau-du-Lac duathlon in 1990. He was immediately hooked, and threw himself headlong into triathlon. By the mid-1990s, his contribution to the world of triathlon had broadened as he became Chairman of the Board of Triathlon Québec. During this period, he was involved in organizing an ITU World Cup in Drummondville, followed by the ITU World Championships in Montreal in 1999.

More recently, Patrice succeeded in bringing ITU-level races back to Montreal with the Montreal International Triathlon in the legendary Old Port. Seeing the start of the first ITU triathlon in 2016, in the river where many people said you couldn't swim, was a highlight for him.

Montreal-born Peter Reid is a ten-time IRONMAN winner. Among the brilliant achievements of a career spanning almost 20 years, he was crowned IRONMAN World Champion in Hawaii three times (2003, 2000, 1998) and IRONMAN World runner-up three times (2004, 2002, 1999).

Peter Reid competed in his first sprint triathlon at Mont Habitant in the spring of 1989. At the time, he couldn't swim the crawl and had never run more than a few kilometers at a time. He then competed for a number of years on the Quebec circuit, until he decided to devote himself full-time to long-distance training and competition. By the mid-1990s, he was making a name for himself around the world, regularly topping the international podium. He became one of the most dominant IRONMAN athletes in the world. Peter was elected to several of his sport's temples of fame.

Philippe Bertrand's career as a junior athlete began in 1991. His first race was the Coteau-du-Lac duathlon, won by Andrew MacMartin, one of the greatest male triathletes Quebec has ever known. Philippe Bertrand competed at international level, before taking a break in 2002 to devote himself to a flourishing coaching career. He was assistant coach at Triathlon Canada during the Beijing Olympic Games (Simon Whitfield's silver medal), then head coach, first at Triathlon Canada from 2009 to 2010, and now at the Tri-O-Lacs club. The satisfactions and disappointments of being an athlete and coach have been immense. His best moment in this second career came in 2009, at the World Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, where Philippe was instrumental in Simon Whitfield's victory, as well as Lauren Groves' 3rd place behind Australians Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffat.

Despite his memorable experience at the Olympics, Philippe's greatest achievement remains the progress of his Tri-O-Lacs athletes. His main motivation? Preparing youngsters for the top level in a healthy environment.

Having competed in over 250 events, including 46 IRONMANs, Pierre Heynemand is renowned in the Quebec triathlon community for his determination. He began his triathlon career in 1988 as athlete and race director of the Joliette Triathlon. Setting up this event is one of his greatest achievements. This race, which he bequeathed to the local club (Jet Triathlon), is now a classic early-season event for many athletes.

Pierre has been working with teenagers for over 20 years as principal of a high school with over 1,600 students in Joliette. His aim is to inspire the young people he works with to develop and give the best of themselves by being a sporting role model. In fact, he was the instigator of a sport-études program and constantly conveys his message of school perseverance, which he proudly displays on his clothing during competitions.

In 2016, Pierre joined the Triathlon Québec Board of Directors.

Pierre Lavoie is a committed athlete who has turned to triathlon as a means of expression. His multiple participations in IRONMAN triathlons have enabled him to raise funds for research into lactic acidosis, a disease that has claimed the lives of two of his children. He succeeded in raising the funds needed to undertake research. Then, in 2003, the gene responsible for the disease was found, and a screening test was developed.

In 2008, Pierre created the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie. Through this program, his goal is none other than to change Quebec society by encouraging people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and establish a culture of disease prevention through sport. In 2018, the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie, which counts hundreds of thousands of participants across the province, celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Throughout his career, Pierre has received many honours, including the title of Chevalier de l'ordre national du Québec.

Pierre Lemay discovered triathlon in 1985 as an amateur athlete. Five years later, he founded the Espoir de Gatineau club and dedicated himself to shaping triathlon for young people. He held the role of head coach for some ten years. Over the years, he has contributed to the development of the competition circuit and the structure of youth triathlons at both provincial and national levels.

As part of his involvement, Pierre Lemay has had the chance to witness the evolution of triathlon as an Olympic sport. In this sense, he contributed to the creation of a national and regional performance center in Quebec. As a result, young athletes acquire the skills they need to reach higher levels.

Pierre was also Chairman of Triathlon's Board of Directors for several years.

When a group of friends needed a swimmer to form a team for a triathlon at Lac Brome, René was introduced to the sport. He got hooked right away. It quickly became a family affair. His son joined the Memphrémagog Triathlon Club, to which he contributed for many years as president. He spent several summers travelling around Quebec to take part in the Coupe du Québec.

René made the transition from athlete to race organizer in 1995, when the local club decided to organize a race. The TriMemphré was born. The first edition didn't go off without a hitch, but that didn't stop René from continuing his work. The event went from strength to strength, and on several occasions hosted ITU-sanctioned races. The adventure has now lasted 23 years.

René also served as a member of the Triathlon Québec Board of Directors. Over the years, he has been instrumental in modifying the membership structure and event fees, enabling Triathlon Québec to expand and implement an online registration system.

Sarah-Anne Brault was Pan-American Junior Champion in 2008, and Pan-American Senior Champion in 2012. In 2014, she recorded her best career results, placing 4th at WTS Auckland and 7th at WTS Yokohama. These performances earned her a place at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In 2017, Sarah-Anne announced her retirement and returned to her studies. But she continues to contribute to triathlon. She took part in a school tour as part of the Rouge et Or minitriathlete program and has been a spokesperson for the Montreal International Triathlon for the past two years. She was also recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Triathlon Canada, where she acts as an intermediary between athletes and the national federation.

In 1996, at a time when the Federation was experiencing difficulties, Serge Boileau answered Roger Perrault's call to get Triathlon Québec back on its feet. Together, they devised a strategic plan to get Triathlon Québec recognized by government authorities. They focused on building membership, implementing an accounting management system and creating clubs, thereby increasing regional visibility and the number of coaches associated with the sport.

Their efforts finally bore fruit in 1998-1999, when for the first time the Federation received the financial support it needed not only for day-to-day operations, but also for a program to train coaches and support elite athletes. The financial support received also enabled us to focus on the technical supervision of races and the training of officials.

More recently, Serge has served as Quebec's representative on Triathlon Canada's Board of Directors. He has also regularly officiated at national and international races throughout his career.

Sophie is one of the founders of the North Shore Triathlon Club. Founded in 2009, the club now boasts some 150 athletes. Over the years, she has played several roles, including president and coach. In 2017, she helped found a second club with just as many athletes, Altitude Sport Coaching.

Since 2016, Sophie has partnered with Jimmy Sévigny on the IRONMAN Challenge, enabling around sixty athletes each year to discover triathlon. In addition to coordinating this program, she personally coaches several athletes.

Sophie has contributed to the Federation as an administrator since 2011, holding the title of vice-president from 2013 to 2019 before being elected president in 2019. She also sometimes acts as an official at events and is always available to the Federation when a need arises.

Suzanne Lachance is an accomplished triathlete, a committed volunteer with several local sports clubs and a race director. She was inducted into the Sorel-Tracy Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. As organizer of the Sorel-Tracy duathlon for 24 years (1994-2017), Suzanne Lachance got many Quebecers moving. She also orchestrated the Triathlon des Neiges de Sorel-Tracy from 2011 to 2017. She believes that the key to organizing a successful event lies in a team of people who share the same dreams and the same passion.

Suzanne took part in her first triathlon in 1985 in Magog, at the Sri Chinmoy (2 km swim, 40 km bike and 20 km run), before distance rules were introduced.

Yan Therrien made his debut in the world of triathlon as an athlete in 1995. He has practised the sport over the years to keep fit and active. Since 2007, he has been contributing to the sport as an official. His experience as an international official has enabled him to deepen his expertise and put it to good use in the advancement of racing in Quebec. Yan is an International Technical Official, the highest level of official in triathlon. Currently, Yan is the only official working at this level in Quebec. In Canada, there are only five international technical officials.

Yan Therrien has been the chief official for the IRONMAN events at Mont-Tremblant since they began in 2012. More recently, he had the honor of officiating at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. He has also traveled to Bermuda and Abu Dhabi, where he officiated at WTS races.

Yan was also a member of Triathlon Québec's Board of Directors from 2008 to 2018.