Marco Poulin of Sherbrooke, Que., set a course file at Massive Wolf’s Yard Extremely in Cacouna, Que. (close to Rivière du Loup), on Monday, working 307.6 kilometres over 46 hours in a victory that places even larger distance between the ultrarunner and his previous struggles with habit.
The yard extremely format requires contributors to begin one 6.706-km “yard” (loop) each hour on the hour, till all runners however one both voluntarily drop out or fail to finish a loop within the required hour. (Yard racing is designed in order that theoretically, runners can full the 100-mile distance in 24 hours.) As soon as all different opponents are out of the race, the remaining runner should full one remaining lap, making any file try each a workforce effort and a person one.
Along with his win Monday, Poulin, 58, bested the course file set final 12 months by Gatineau’s Eric Deshaies by three yards (20 km), in addition to Poulin’s personal yard extremely private finest by 4 yards (26.8 km). Poulin completed second to Deshaies in Cacouna final 12 months, and each males competed on Workforce Canada on the World Yard Extremely Championships in Summerland, B.C. final October. Offering an important help in Poulin’s record-breaking run was pal and fellow Sherbrooke ultrarunner Sébastien Roulier. The pair turned the race’s remaining two opponents when François Decelles bowed out after finishing 40 yards.
Poulin’s win in Cacouna is the newest chapter in a a lot bigger story of endurance and perseverance. A recovered drug addict and a former drug vendor who spent a number of years in jail, Poulin has made large strides in turning his life round lately.
He has sought to make use of ultrarunning as a way to encourage others to observe their desires, irrespective of how determined their present scenario could seem. Along with inspiring individuals by way of his accomplishments as a runner, he helps others by way of his work at Partage St-François, a shelter for women and men in Sherbrooke who’re homeless or susceptible to being homeless. Poulin himself discovered refuge on the centre throughout his youth.
Poulin has additionally used ultrarunning as a technique to forge a extra intimate connection. Finally 12 months’s World Yard Extremely Championships in B.C., he proposed to his crew chief and girlfriend, Isabelle Normand after the runner tapped out of the race following his fortieth lap. (She stated sure.)
