Ultra Trail Mont-Royal

With containment rules in effect and inter-regional travel strongly discouraged, it is not easy to explore new trails and rack up miles. It also means no more competitions and events that could lead to gatherings. One solution is to run closer to home. And when you have a 233-meter mountain right in the center of your city, it represents a unique playground to surpass yourself.

With the Bromontultra cancelled earlier this year, some runners wondered how to replace the event with a race at home in Montreal. That is where the idea for the UTMR (Ultra Trail Mont-Royal) was born, a 100-mile race on Mont-Royal - 10 laps of 10 miles, to be more precise.

For the first edition of this already legendary race, we followed the athlete Mathieu Huppé, who achieved the feat in 38 hours 48 minutes.

Photos: François-Xavier Tétreault