It was a few hours dark, midnight was approaching and the rain was still pouring in large drops. Far from being the first charitable sporting challenge Luc Richer has launched himself, but late Thursday night, on his bike, the general manager of Motivaction Jeunesse approached, mentally, an unknown zone.
The night was really trying and every time there was light rain and I decided to change a little into some dry clothes, it started again. It was a battle in the mindRicher recounted that, at age 56, he gave himself the challenge of achieving a iron man of hopeWednesday, in Quebec.
There are 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 42.2 kilometers of running and 180 kilometers of cycling to raise funds for the organization he founded 23 years ago. I can say that was one of the hardest challenges of my life. Everything is intensedescribes one who decided to split distances throughout the day to take the challenge in its own event.
Before the first daylight, the 50-year-old started at 4 a.m. the approximately fifteen-kilometer race before jumping into the swimming pool for 90 minutes, Thursday morning. Then, he had time to pedal a few tens of kilometers on his bike before being joined by young people from Motivaction Jeunesse and some Olympic athletes from the Quebec City region for the official launch of the 3rd edition of Défi 55, in Cartier Park -Brebeuf.
We were really happy with the launch. It went really well, there was a nice vibe and we avoided the morning rain, launched Luc Richer. The presence of Olympic medalists Miha Fontaine and Laurent Dubreuil, among others, made the children happy.
On the other hand, I was a bit delayed in my business because I thought I could race with young people, but there were so many things to do. When everyone left, I realized it was noon and I wasn’t that advanced in my program.
Time to finish his marathon race, the afternoon was seriously advanced. He still has the less enjoyable part: cycling in the rain. I laps on the Saint-Charles river in bulk, but at some point at the end of the day, it starts to feel redundant.
Difficult condition
The president of Motivaction Jeunesse took shelter in the dry for about thirty minutes, then left when it started to get dark.
About 9 pm, I had another fifty kilometers to go and I had an old friend come with me. We decided to climb the Côte de Beaupré. I was so sick and decided to go somewhere I could do nothing but go back.he says.
” It becomes more uncomfortable. No one in the streets. It is rare to have such bad days. But for me, the option to give up does not exist. “
Finally just minutes before midnight when Luc Richer got off his soaking wet bike, his first Ironman in life was over. The day was hard, but lucky for donations. The $ 75,000 goal for Défi 55 is almost reached and Quebec mayor Bruno Marchand will lead a race on Saturday afternoon, around the Saint-Charles river, to continue fundraising for Motivaction Jeunesse.
Contacted by Radio-Canada on Friday morning, Richer ends up restoring his strength before heading out on the field for a day of activities with former Rouge et Or players. There’s no question of staying in bed for too long, even if you finished pedaling at midnight the day before.
Ultimately, it was a pretty big day. Demanding and difficult, but I’m glad I experienced it. Mentally, I now know that I have been on my knees for quite some time.
And Luc Richer was the first to say so, his sporting challenges are insignificant compared to the barriers faced by immigrant youth and youth from unfortunate backgrounds in Quebec’s central districts. Young people whose Motivaction Jeunesse can continue to contribute to the money raised as part of Défi 55.
Source: Radio-Canada
