Runners invited to tour the city during Rendez-vous

Fleet-footed Wolfram Marx got a fleeting look at some Québec City landmarks on June 1 and was quite happy not to spend more time viewing them.

The German journalist and seasoned runner was among dozens of people on hand in Québec’s capital for Rendez-vous Canada 2023 — an annual tourism show promoting Canada to international travellers — who accepted their hosts’ invitation to go on a 6:45 a.m. 6K run that led them through Québec City’s famed old quarter — passing the likes of the long-standing and imposing Chateau Frontenac — and then on to the historic Plains of Abraham before ending at the convention centre hosting the show.

The run was the brainchild of Destination Québec — Quebec City’s tourist board, which partnered with Bonjour Québec which promotes all of Quebec, on the run — to give show participants an athletic look at the city’s long past.

“People (those who attend large tourism shows) say, ‘We were always inside and we didn’t see the city,” Destination Québec’s Patrick Lemaire said of the reasoning  for the run.

Some 1,500 people attended Rendez-vous Canada 2023. Large tourism shows are known for starting early in the day and ending late at night.

Avid runner Lemaire — who has his sights set on this fall’s Québec City Marathon and joined the Rendez-vous runners — said when he visits another city he likes to explore it with early morning runs.

The Québec City group had an international flair that included Lourdes Berho of Mexico City, who believes it’s best to view a city “when it wakes up. I think it was a great presentation of Québec City,” she said while noting its many historical structures.

Berho, who runs regularly, was getting her first look at the historical city.

The runners were accompanied by members of local running club La Foulee and Marianne Pelchat of Gestev, which among other things organizes the Québec City Marathon.

Part of the route the Rendez-vous group took is on the marathon course.

Pelchat said her hometown’s scenic side makes it attractive to runners but she acknowledged its hills can make it challenging,

She was “very pleased” with the turnout and hopes impressed participants will help promote the Quebec capital’s marathon.

Participants gave a post-run thumbs-up to the energetic activity.

“It was very nice,” Marx declared after the workout. “The course wasn’t very easy but you expect that in a hilly city.”

Marx went running by himself the day before and believes running is a great way of doing a little sightseeing. “If you’re running you can see more because you’re doing a longer distance.”

Dutch entrant Caspar van Bruchem said the run “was a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time,” but agreed it was a somewhat challenging course as, “I come from a flat country.”

(van Bruchem did concede that the run’s early start wasn’t ideal for him: “It did take a bit of determination to get out of bed.”)

Lemaire — who labels Québec City an “open-air museum” — says local tourism authorities were happy to accommodate Rendez-vous participants who like to start their days by pounding some pavement but added the run may have also served Québec City tourism well at the same time by engendering good will.

“I think people liked the idea,” he stated. “They have kind of become ambassadors for Québec City. The run wasn’t just us being nice. It was good marketing.”