The old “crazy” record of Quebec athletics

(Quebec) Physical trainer Charles Castonguay remembers the first time he heard about Richard Chouinard’s record. It was in a kinesiology class that Chouinard was giving at Laval University.

Sitting comfortably in the room, Castonguay listened to his teacher tell the story of this 100-kilometer road race held in 1979 in Montmagny, the pace of 3 minutes 57 seconds per kilometer, the final result of 6 hours, 36 minutes and 57 seconds…

“I thought to myself: he’s crazy… This is crazy. I’m never going to do that,” Castonguay recalled years later.

Life sometimes has surprises in store for us. Richard Chouinard’s Quebec record for the 100 km road race still stands. It is even the second oldest record in athletics in Quebec, behind the obscure 4 x 1500 m relay, which is almost never run anymore.

Charles Castonguay has become a recognized physical trainer, he works with the best athletes. He is also a confirmed runner and today dreams of beating his former teacher’s record, or at least getting close to it.

He tried last year in Virginia, “exploded” in stifling heat that forced him to give up.

He had sworn to himself that he would never try again. But now he finds himself dreaming about it again. Charles Castonguay is even aiming for another 100-kilometre attempt in the fall of 2025.

Beard and Adidas

The Press brought together Richard Chouinard and Charles Castonguay at Laval University this week to talk about this famous Quebec 100 km road record, which celebrated its 45th anniversary this summer.

“It was the pinnacle of my running career,” Chouinard says without hesitation, about this race held on July 22, 1979 in Montmagny.

Chouinard was an excellent runner in the 1970s. He ran more than 30 marathons, with a best time of 2:27:33 over the distance. But it was over 100 kilometers that he really distinguished himself.

In 1978, he attempted his first 100 km in Montmagny, where at the time a road race was being organized over this improbable distance equivalent to nearly two and a half marathons. He achieved a time of 7 hours 17 minutes.

“I had been very careful. But after that 7:17, I knew I could go even faster,” says the man who was running at the time with a full beard and wearing simple Adidas Mexicana shoes, shoes a world away from the maximalist racing cars that have appeared since. “In today’s terms, we could talk about minimalist shoes,” notes the retired professor.

The following year, in 1979, he methodically prepared for his record. From December onwards, he ran between 160 and 200 km per week.

At the beginning of the summer, he went to Italy. In the 100 km del Passatore, which runs from Florence to Faenza, he finished third in 7 hours 10 minutes. “But it was really a 101.5 km… and there was a pass!”

Shortly after this event, an American, Frank Bozanich, set a new North American record for the distance in 6 h 51 min 20 s. “It became my goal, my target.” Chouinard arrived in Montmagny in July 1979 to run what would be his third and final 100 km road race.

On July 22, 1979, he set off on the road in Montmagny. He set off like a lion, covering his first 42 kilometers in 2 hours 42 minutes, then his second marathon in 2 hours 48 minutes. “I started to find it really difficult, to have heavy legs, around 75 or 80 kilometers. I had 20 left!”

Upon arrival, Richard Chouinard smashed the North American record. He clocked 6 h 36 min 57 s. That was the world’s best time for the 100 km that year.

“That’s a pace of 4 minutes per kilometer?” asks the journalist. “3 min 58 s per kilometer,” corrects Chouinard.

For him, this feat represents the pinnacle of a great running career. “In 1980, I began to reduce my training load, then I started teaching at Laval University. At that point, it became difficult to reconcile continuing to do high volumes.”

It took 12 years for his North American record to be broken. Richard Chouinard’s Quebec record still stands.

“He’ll hold out for a while longer.”

Charles Castonguay was a cross-country runner at the time when, sitting in school, he first heard about his teacher’s record. He then discovered the marathon (best time 2 h 32 min), then ultradistances of 80, 100 or 160 kilometers.

Years later, Chouinard’s story came back to him. And he thought: why not?

Last year, after excellent preparation, he went to Virginia to compete in the Dismal 100k, a race on asphalt. His goal was to go under the seven-hour mark. But it was abnormally hot that day, enough to completely wreck his body. “It was 25 degrees with 100% humidity. I got beaten up hard,” Castonguay summed up.

To reach the seven hours, he had to run at 4:05 per kilometer. “At 50 km, I was looking at my heart rate… I was soaking wet, I had trouble hydrating myself, eating. I had shivers. At 70, I started walking. At 75, I gave up. I was no longer able to put my foot on the ground without cramping, without suffering martyrdom. I think that it is the race in my life where I have suffered the most.”

That day, he fully appreciates his former teacher’s achievement. Didn’t he want to change his goal, to stick to the marathon or trail running?

“The afternoon after the race, I felt like a bit of an idiot for having tried. Like any runner, I thought: “never again”… but the next day, I was looking for another 100 km to re-register for. I think it’s masochism.”

How can we explain that Richard Chouinard’s record still stands, 45 years later? Of course, the 100 kilometers is a less popular distance than those, such as the 10 km or the marathon, which are found at the Olympic Games. Ultramarathoners, on the other hand, devote themselves mainly to trail running.

It would take a very unique runner to lower the mark. He would have to be fast in the marathon. Chouinard estimates that to beat his record, a runner must complete a marathon under 2 hours 25 minutes. The athlete would also have to devote himself to this distance that is rarely run on the road. Who knows if, one day, the younger generation of ultra-fast Quebecers, the Thomas Fafards or the Jean-Simon Desgagnés, will not be tempted?

Charles Castonguay has not said his last word. He would like to lower his marathon time next summer, then try a 100 km again in the fall.

“But without aiming for the record, I would aim for under seven hours. In my opinion, Richard’s record will hold for a while yet.”