2023-10-01 16:39:43
Unknown to the world of running barely a week ago, Simon Leblanc has struck again by making sure his name is remembered. A true force of nature, the teacher from Beauce triumphed by winning the Beneva Marathon in Quebec, seven days after putting himself on the map by finishing second in Montreal.
“The Montreal cloud just took me to Quebec,” smiled the 32-year-old athlete, euphoric after crossing the 42.2 km in 2 h 27 min 57 s.
The feat is remarkable for several reasons. First of all, the fact of completing two marathons on the podium seven days apart is science fiction. There is also the fact that Leblanc came almost out of nowhere, he who was only in his third marathon, without a precise race plan, without a coach, without a smart watch. A truly crazy story!
The machine from Saint-Prosper was more of a regular at Ironman, a discipline which does not require the same type of training as the marathon.
“I’m not that good, maybe I just have a predisposition.” My only goal is to push my limits and motivate people to push their limits and adopt healthy lifestyle habits,” he commented modestly.
“I’ve always done long distance triathlons, so I’ve always trained hard. Running has always been a moment of liberation for me to release toxins. »
At the last minute
Another element proves how surreal Simon Leblanc’s story is. 48 hours before the event, Friday, the man who is a substitute teacher in Beauce and valet at the Auberge Saint-Antoine wanted nothing to do with taking part in the marathon.
“The organization invited me. Friday, I was called and I purposely didn’t answer. I was in Quebec, I had a meeting with Salomon. »
“I finally went to get my bib, I saw Marianne [Pelchat, productrice déléguée chez Gestev], I saw people in the running world and I was encouraged. I said to myself: at worst, it will be a training. I need to prepare for the future, so why not take part in it? With the supporters, I had wings,” he gushed.
With serious
Simon Leblanc did not hide his joy, to the cheers of the crowd at the finish. PASCAL HUOT / QMI AGENCE
Obviously, the unexpected results obtained in quick succession in Montreal and Quebec made Leblanc want to invest “for real” in the discipline.
“There, I feel like putting all the effort into cutting down time. I contacted Félix-Antoine Lapointe (head coach of the Quebec athletics teams). He is a luminary and I would be honored to be able to train with him,” he noted.
Of course, the first thing his future coach will probably tell him is that it’s not a good idea to push the machine to the extreme twice in a week, but for the moment, the runner prefers to laugh about it .
“Obviously someone would have said no to me, but that doesn’t matter! I like that, training my mind,” he said with a wink.
“Around the 35th kilometer I felt my legs breaking. Two marathons in seven days is too much, but what feeling ! The course is incredible and so is the organization. I am grateful for all of this. »
Guillaume Rioux third
Guillaume Rioux finished third, even though the football season is in full swing and training is not optimal. PASCAL HUOT / QMI AGENCE
A little less than four minutes after Leblanc, Anthony Larouche (2:31:45) took second place on the podium. It was then Guillaume Rioux, receivers coach for Rouge et Or football, who took third place in 2 h 39 min 59 s.
“Beyond the position and the result, it was really tripant to run in my city. It was really cool with lots of places where people were cheering,” said Rioux.
The latter experienced a very emotional moment when at the start of the journey, he took a moment to hug his grandmother.
“I had warned my father so that he would arrange for Grandma to be on the edge of the sidewalk so that he could give her a little kiss as she passed. It was truly a special moment for the family. The route passed the street where she lived all her life, it was very special,” he said.
During the journey, Guillaume Rioux took a moment to greet his grandmother. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RIOUX FAMILY PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RIOUX FAMILY
A baby and a victory
Among the women, the moment was also grandiose for Catherine Royer, who was the first to cross the finish line in 2 h 54 min 49 s. The latter proudly held her baby boy, Benjamin, in her arms when commenting on this first competition since giving birth.
“I am very happy and really proud. This is my first race since I had my little one and he is 10 months old today. It’s not my best time, but I’m really proud of myself. My only goal was to run. The course was great and I thought a lot about my little one. There is an issue of fatigue sometimes with a small baby, but it has been good,” declared the native of Quebec.
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