(Mont-Tremblant) There were night terrors, then extreme anxiety. Then came suicidal thoughts, which led to self-harm. After 19 years of suffering, Esthéban Archambault found the remedy in 2021 that allows him to stand up to his demons: training.
Friday afternoon, Esthéban Archambault joins us on the terrace of the media center, very close to the finish line. He wears the warm smile of an athlete who has been waiting for this weekend for quite a while. He is also one of the few to take part in the two events of the weekend: the 5150 triathlon on Saturday and the Ironman 70.3 on Sunday.
“At the weekend, it’s training,” he tells us, adding that he is in full preparation for his first full Ironman at the end of August. Just that !
But what could incite a young man of 21 to push his body like this? To answer this question, you have to jump back in time by… 20 years.
Esthéban Archambault has no memories of his night terrors when he was just a baby. “I got up at night and I was anxious,” he summarizes. That’s what his parents told him.
Over the years, this anxiety got worse. Considerably.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Esthéban at the start of 5150, Saturday morning, with 1.5 km of swimming
“In third grade, I couldn’t sleep in my bed,” he says. Overnight, I didn’t want to anymore. »
Still to this day, Esthéban ignores the trigger behind this deep anxiety. He believes it all started after he watched a zombie movie with his brother.
“That’s really stupid,” he laughs. But I saw zombies everywhere. They were really big crises for three months. […] I was thinking if the door was locked. I got up to go and bar the door. Nobody had to sleep before me, otherwise it would stress me out. It was like a race to sleep. »
From the height of his 8 years, the small Esthéban suffered, even if he was surrounded by a loving family.
The darkness
The years passed and, once in high school, the young man began to float in an abyssal and unbearable darkness. Suicidal thoughts started, then self-harm.
“I was tired of worrying. I wondered what was the point of living. I had zero fun. It wasn’t worth living for, there was no benefit,” he explains bluntly.
Over the years, Esthéban’s parents took him to consult all the specialists possible and imaginable, without ever finding an antidote to his ailments.
“My parents were A1 all along,” he insists twice during our interview. […] It was a pain to live, literally. It’s a curse, the cursed seal. »
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
After 40 km of cycling, we move on to running.
The native of the village of Saint-Rémi-d’Amherst tried the drugs well, without success. He constantly felt like a morning after, as if his brain was “in molasses”, he illustrates, which interfered with his studies.
“I was still exhausted, but I thought it was useless. A robot, literally. »
Esthéban has never attempted suicide, but “it came close”. Often. Until the day when, after a mentally difficult first pandemic year, he started running. Then to swim. He also found a job as a lifeguard. His training tired him enough to allow him to sleep at night; that’s what he needed.
“It’s really from there that I made a comeback in my life. […] I went from doing nothing, on the verge of farting dangerously soon, to playing sports, finding a job. »
One fine day, while he was watching the pool, his gaze was caught by the Tri-Action Mont-Tremblant logo. In November 2021, he began training for a first triathlon with the help of a coach, Gilbert Ayoub.
All his life
Today, Esthéban still lives with his anxiety; it will probably always be there. Some times are more difficult than others. But ultimately, he found his own cure. Training allows him to “outsmart” his brain.
“It’s all just a false impression of life. I’d be surprised if anyone out there thought that about life, he said, pointing at the tourists. It’s me who thinks that. »
The one who is now studying denturology completed his first half Ironman last year in 5 h 55 min. And here he is embarking on a full Ironman next August.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Esthéban on track to complete the 10 km race
My goal would be to be on the Canadian team, do sprints, 5150s on the mat. To make podiums for Triathlon Québec, I would really like that.
Estheban Archambault
Esthéban does not cut corners: he will need to surpass himself physically all his life to succeed in defeating his demons.
” A healthy mind in a healthy body. let’s go, let’s go. »
Need help ?
If you need support, if you are having suicidal thoughts or if you are worried about someone close to you, call 1 866 APPELLE (1 866 277-3553). A suicide prevention worker is available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Consult the website of the Quebec Association for the Prevention of Suicide
Visit the Suicide Action Montreal website