Mat training with poles and a headlamp on a snowy mountain above the city at night

MONTRÉAL → LAC DES ÎLESWINTER 2026–2027

250KM

Build the body
to match the ambition

On foot through the Québec winter.February 2027

MONTRÉALLAC DES ÎLES
QUÉBEC, CANADA
Portrait of Mathieu Benoit outdoors after an effort
Mathieu taking an outdoor ice bath in winter
Mathieu resting on the grass during an endurance outing

ENDURANCE ATHLETE & CREATOR

MATHIEUBENOIT

Built by hard things

I got hooked on doing hard things because of who they forced me to become. Running became one of the ways I kept pushing that further.

Mathieu with trekking poles and a hydration vest on the snowy Mont Saint-Hilaire trail during his 100KM challenge

MY FIRST YEAR OF RUNNING

3 ULTRAS

In my first year of running, I completed three ultras including a 100KM challenge.

Among them: Mont Saint-Hilaire

25

Summits

100

Kilometres

7,000

Metres of elevation

A DIFFERENT TEST OF ENDURANCE

4,000 PULL-UPSONE DAY

More than 16 hours in the gym to complete 4,000 pull ups.

It tested my endurance in a completely different way, not through distance but through repetition, fatigue and staying in it for hours.

Mathieu resting on the gym floor after an intense effort

ON FOOT
THROUGH WINTER

250KM

DEPARTURE

MONTRÉAL

DESTINATION

LAC DES ÎLES

The 250KM project is my next step: bringing everything I have learned from training, setbacks and rebuilding into something that once felt impossible.

Illustrated route from Montréal to Lac des Îles through Saint-Jérôme, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Mont-Tremblant and Rivière-Rouge

THE REACH SO FAR

Past challenges. A growing audience for the next one.

70KM run
4,000 pull ups
The filmmaker working with a camera and tripod in a snowy mountain landscape
Black and white portrait of the filmmaker holding a cinema camera outdoors
Filming equipment and drones laid out on a wooden table

FILMMAKER & PHOTOGRAPHER

ÉTIENNE
LESSARD

A graduate of Trebas College’s Film and Television Production program, Étienne has documented endurance challenges and expeditions, including Kilimanjaro and Everest.

THE FULL RUN ON FILM

Étienne will film the entire 250KM journey

From Montréal to Lac des Îles.

See his work @sometimecharles

HELP MAKE
250KM HAPPEN

I’m looking for partners to support the run and help bring its story to life.

WHAT THE PROJECT NEEDS

  • Nutrition and hydration
  • Gear and apparel
  • Financial and practical support

WHAT WE COULD CREATE TOGETHER

  • Your products in the preparation and the run
  • Social storytelling from MatLovePain
  • Photography and video from the journey

We’ll agree on the content and how your brand can use it together.