Quebec athletes have been unimaginable to disregard this spring, and behind a lot of these successes is Coach Félix-Antoine Lapointewho says the philosophy driving Quebec’s latest distance-running dominance is surprisingly easy: consistency.
“Consistency is essential,” Lapointe, the top coach on the Provincial Centre of Excellence in Athletics in Quebec and provincial head coach at Athlétisme Quebec, informed Canadian Working. “I’m not a coach the place I need to get one loopy week after which not with the ability to be constant within the following days and weeks. In my program, there’s a stability between mileage and high quality work.”
Runners from Quebec all had very sturdy performances at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend final month. Thomas Fafard took nationwide 10K silver, Elissa Legault was the primary Canadian ladies’s finisher within the marathon and Jade Berube made a 2:36 marathon debut; all three are coached by Lapointe. La Malbaie, Que.’s Florence Caron additionally dominated the Canadian 10K Championships in her debut on the distance.
Lower than two weeks later, Caron and Fafard each took on the 10-km distance once more, this time on the observe for the Canadian 10,000m Championships, with Caron successful her third profession nationwide title and Fafard claiming his first.
So what are Lapointe and the Quebec system doing proper?
A easy philosophy
In 2024, after 14 years as head cross-country coach at Université Laval, Lapointe stepped away and took on the positions with the Provincial Centre of Excellence in Athletics in Quebec and Athlétisme Quebec.
Laval head cross-country coach shifting on after 14 years
For Lapointe, success comes from discovering the right stability of high quality and amount for every athlete and stacking weeks of constant coaching. “We would like the athletes to come back excited and ready for his or her key classes on the observe,” Lapointe stated. “Simple days are straightforward to ensure that athletes to have the ability to work exhausting and believe on exhausting days.”
Through the years, Lapointe has realized that whereas the identical coaching doesn’t work for all athletes, it’s all the time key to have a look at the long run course of, prioritize each exhausting work and relaxation, be constant, and ensure the athlete enjoys the method and has enjoyable.
Enjoyment and longevity
Lapointe believes enjoyment is likely one of the most neglected elements in athlete growth and success. He factors to Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutotwhom he coached for 15 years, for instance of an athlete whose longevity was constructed on a wholesome relationship with the game.
“If he was not having fun with it, he would’ve give up earlier,” Lapointe says. “Having enjoyable coming to the observe is necessary for staying within the sport in the long run.” He provides that the identical precept applies at each degree.
What’s subsequent for Quebec athletes?
Fafard will race his second marathon in Chicago in October. He made a 2:10 debut at December’s Marathon Challenge, marking the third-fastest debut by a Canadian. Lapointe believes there’s vital room for enchancment and hopes Fafard can transfer nearer to 2:07 to have a shot on the L.A. 2028 Olympic workforce.
Photograph: Kevin Morris
Legault will probably be returning to Valencia after her breakthrough 2:29 efficiency in December. “The purpose was to get wholesome, and a pair of:29 was a shock,” Lapointe stated. “Replicating that end in Ottawa on a slower course is thrilling.” He provides that Legault’s capacity to persistently deal with 160- to 180-km weeks whereas sustaining high quality exercises has been key to her development.
Bérubé is now making ready for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the place the purpose will probably be to dip below 2:35. “She anticipated to run 2:35 to 2:40 in Ottawa, and he or she ran 2:36,” Lapointe stated. “Now, she will probably be extra ready and extra assured for Toronto.”
Olympic steeplechaser Jean-Simon Desgagnesone other of Lapointe’s athletes, kicked off his season on Wednesday on the Paavo Nurmi Video games in Turku, Finland, together with his quickest season opener ever: 8:14.85. Lapointe says the Canadian document is excessive on Desgagnés’s radar.
However the success and growth of all Quebec athletes is a precedence. Lapointe says it’s thrilling to see Caron having such a tremendous yr up to now, and he seems to be ahead to seeing what up-and-coming Quebec athletes Robin Lefebvre and Xavier Perras-Phaneuf have in retailer for 2026.
(Lefebvre is Canada’s third-fastest U20 miler. Bitches-Phaneuf owns the Canadian indoor 5,000m document and, at simply 20, positioned second on the 2025 senior cross-country championships.)
Golden Shoe Awards: 2022’s Worthiest Runners and Supporters
Lapointe’s recommendation for all runners
The lesson applies nicely past elite athletes. Lapointe says the runners who discover a stability between ambition and delight are those most definitely to remain within the sport lengthy sufficient to attain their largest objectives. “When you could have that motivation, even by way of the ups and downs, you’ll proceed to run and revel in it,” he says.
