There are announcements that make you proud of a region. When we heard that Mont-Tremblant had secured a spot in the UTMB World Series — the global ultra-trail circuit that includes the legendary Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France — it felt like a genuine milestone for the Laurentians.

The inaugural Boréalys Mont-Tremblant by UTMB takes place August 14–16, 2026. It's the only UTMB World Series event east of the Canadian Rockies, which tells you something about how seriously organizers take this corner of Quebec.

What makes it more than a running race is the cultural ambition behind it. The event draws from the chasse-galerie legend — that old Quebec tale of voyageurs making a pact to fly their canoe through the night sky. The Boréalys frames the race as a similar kind of pact: runners and the boreal forest, bound together. There'll be traditional music, local food, pre-race storytelling. It was designed to belong here, not just placed here.

Course distances run from a 5K all the way up to a brutal 100K, with a 50K, 20K, and an 80-person relay in between. The terrain is classic Laurentian — rooted, rocky, technically demanding, and beautiful. August heat is part of the challenge.

If you want to race, check availability at borealys.utmb.world. Registration opened in September 2025, and inaugural events like this fill before people expect.

If running 100 kilometers through the forest isn't your plan, mid-August in the area is still worth building a trip around. The forest is at its greenest, the days are long, and the energy of an international event changes the whole atmosphere of the region.

In the meantime, the trails in Parc national du Mont-Tremblant are open all season — no entry fee, no registration required.