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Our top tips for winter running success Eastern Canada, home of XACT in Montréal, QC, is prone to some pretty harsh cold snaps in the winter. Temperatures can easily dip to -25C (-40C with wind chill) but it is by no means a reason to not get outside and enjoy your favourite endurance sport. For many, winter running itself is the challenge to be conquered, and for others who are signed up for a Spring marathon, training in the winter is a must. And just like any time of the year, fuelling those long runs is the key to success and having fun! Stick to your regular nutrition plan. You will burn only a few more calories due to heat loss in the cold. Shivering does burn many more calories, but hopefully you are dressed for the task! 
 Avoid ‘freezing’ foods! Many granola bars and gels hardened up in the cold weather. Right to the point where chewing will be a workout in itself. XACT ENERGY fruit bars have been tested all over the world including the Candian Arctic by our very own Ray Zahab and Jen Segger. Even in these crasy temperatures they keep their softness. 
The XACT ENERGY that is .. Ray and Jen are abviously as hard as nails .. never soft!  Keep your fingers warm. Opening gels and bars is next to impossible if you are one of those who gets ice white fingers that go numb (also known as Raynaud’s disease). If you can keep your hands warm you can more easily open your gels / chews.. and maybe more importantly, that zip pocket where you stashed your house keys! Change your gel / chew pocket. Rather than using your jacket pocket, your mid-layer or leggings may have a stash pocket that will be slightly warmer! Just think about ease of access versus the need to keep food warm. Pro tip: chocolate doesn’t want to get too warm ;) HYDRATION Just because you are not sweating like you might in the summer, it doesn’t mean you will not dehydrate. Your intake may be lower but hours on the trails without fluids will affect your performance. Aim for 250-500 ml per hour depending conditions. 
 Some like it hot! ... their hydration that is! Why not try a hot drink in your flask rather than the usual water. This will give you more time before your bottle freezes and doubles as a nifty hand warmer. Just don’t pour straight from the kettle, give it a moment to cool. Coffee or tea works and add a little sugar for sweetness and extra carbs. 
 Alternatively, mix in a hydration powder, the sugars and salts will bring down the freezing point of the water. 
 Some hydration gear manufacturers offer insulated bottles. This can be handy for keeping drinks cool in the summer too! Want the elctrolytes but not the carbs in your fluids? Check out XACT ELECTROLYTES sport hydration tabs with highest-in-class sodium content 

1-3 days before the race: Think about building up your glycogen reserves and give your body a rest. Meals should be mostly carbs, (pasta, rice and potatoes) plus a variety of veggies, fruit and a little protein to make sure you’re in top-notch shape when race day rolls round. Whole grains (e.g. brown wholemeal bread) pasta and rice have more nutrients than  to white. Hydrate often but don’t overdo it; add a glass or 2 of water or electrolyte mix to your regular daily routine. If you are serious about your race then NO alcohol. Plus, get a couple of good night’s rest and stretch regularly.   The day before, pre-race dinner: Stick with the carb plan! This is the energy source endurance athletes need to perform their best. Often you are away from home so pasta is an easy option to find in restaurants or prepare beforehand. Go easy on the fats, proteins and fibre (yep, white pasta is OK on this occasion if too much fibre doesn’t agree with you). Don’t stress about a poor night’s sleep, you already had two good night’s rest beforehand, right? ☺. And once again, still NO alcohol. The big day ! Breakfast: Carbs continued! Don’t over indulge, you’ll carry what you eat. Foods like bagels and porridge provide sustenance and bananas are easy to digest. If you drink coffee then go ahead and have your morning cuppa. Caffeine has some great benefits to stimulate the body. Keep it simple and aim to have eaten at least 2 hrs prior to the race to be sure your stomach has settled and the food digested. Right before your race : If it has been over 3 hrs hours since breakfast then you may want a quick snack around 30 minutes before the race to bump up your blood sugar level at the start line. A XACT ENERGY fruit bar is perfect mobile snack to keep your energy reserves up and can be eaten easily between check-in and the start line. During the race: 5 k + 10 k event Aim to take an energy gel or chew like XACT ENERGY fruit bar every 45 minutes from the start of the race. The number of gels you eat depends on how long it will take you to run your race. This could be between 1-3 chews or gels depending on how long it will take you to finish.   XACT ENERGY is at the transition zone for the 5 + 10 k event .     30 mins before race 1 XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bar with electrolytes +/- caffeine or a Kronobar ENERGY 45 mins 1 XACT ENERGY fruit bar  1 hr 30 mins 1 XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bar with electrolytes +/- caffeine or a Kronobar ENERGY 2 hrs  1 XACT ENERGY fruit bar 2 hrs 30 mins 1 XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bar with electrolytes +/- caffeine or a Kronobar ENERGY 3 hrs  1 XACT ENERGY fruit bar   Pro tips: Sweating is the main cause of electrolyte loss. The more hot and humid it is, the more you should aim to replace lost electrolytes. Your sports drinks and gels are the best source!  Help your bars and gels go down with a mouth full of water if you can. You should be aiming for at least 500-1000ml / hour fluid intake. More if it is hot. Mix up your energy chews. Have fun and take a variety of flavours to keep your taste buds on their toes (XACT ENERGY comes in 4 flavours: strawberry, apricot, orange and maple). Caffeine is great for stimulating your central nervous system and reducing perceived effort. XACT ENERGY Blackcurrant has 50 mg and will pick you up as you start to feel worn down. Scoffing a whole gel or energy bar in one go while on the run can sometimes be tough on the stomach, taking two or three small bites of a XACT ENERGY fruit bar will do the same job and be easier for your system to manage. After: Congratulations on finishing your race!! It’s time to reward your body so plan to eat a small snack within 30 minutes of finishing to get your energy back and start recovery. Aim for a mix of both carbs and protein. The XACT PROTEIN wafer (official marathon race recovery bar at the finish line) will have you covered. Before you head to the beer tent, try to drink 500-1000ml fluid to help rehydrate. Once you have something to eat and drink, now you’re ready for that celebratory beer!   Please come and visit us at the XACT kiosk at Canada Army Run Expo! Nutrition advice + free tasting + last-minute shopping! 

By Mathieu Bélanger, Cyclist, Coffee critic & XACT ambassador 5 minute read   I’ve been riding and racing my bike for more than 15 years now. I have a cross-country background, and I used to ride. round a very small circuit 5 to 8 times within 1.5 hours. I needed to be punchy and on top of my game each and every race. A couple of years ago I switched to longer distance races. As you might know this means longer training rides and a lot of hours on the bike. I thought I was getting lazy and wanted to get into something that would allow me to be a little less punchy and demand more stamina. I was completely wrong, I had to put in a whole lot more work, wake up early and get on the bike for 2hrs per day on short days and up to 7hrs on longer days. To be on top of your game for 7hr rides or 5hr races you need to stay on top of your hydration. That being said you don’t want to just put ordinary water in your body and hope that everything will be fine. On the other hand, chucking down Gatorade from the corner store may not help you out either. Racing under extreme heat means getting fluid into your body without having GI issues Finding the right drink mix is key to your success. After a couple years of trying a too sugary drink mix, having GI issues during races, getting fed up of sugar on hot days, I think I have finally found what suits me: XACT ELECTROLYTES. Those tabs have 2 main advantages. First they have all you need in them to survive a long ride in terms of electrolytes. In fact they have more potassium and sodium than most other brands. But they actually don’t taste of anything… WOAH, WHAT? Yes, I am only using the XACT ELETROLYTES ‘’Naked’’ version. I’ve been testing these tablets during training rides in Costa Rica in overwhelming humidity, and in the French Alps during one of the worst heat waves ever. In all situations it was always refreshing to get water that actually tasted like water, while knowing I was getting all necessary electrolytes to get through the day.   The event that was really an eye opener for me was the Everesting Challenge (article in French) I did in June; after 12 hours of riding I was really fed up of sugary drinks and sugar in general. For the remaining 4hrs I only drank XACT ELECTROLYTES Naked. I’m not sure if this helped me finish the Everesting Challenge but I sure finished it without throwing up Coca-Cola or Gatorade.  Climbing the last few meters of the Everesting Challenge while avoiding sugary drinks   XACT also provides a caffeinated option (Citrus Bang) and a flavoured option of the XACT ELECTROLYTES. I really encourage you guys to give it a try and think about it as being a game changer in your ultra endurance events or training.   Mathieu races MTB - CX - Gravel for Pivot Cycles and is an Engineer 🤖 at Robotiq in Québec City, Qc.       

Work hard, but play harder sums up the PEPPERMINT Cycling Team spirit. Whether we're training, racing or something in between! Plus we love to promote local businesses and friends that are implicated with PEPPERMINT Cycling Team. So it's with a great deal of stoke that we partnered with XACT, who share and promote the same values. As well as being neighbours, they make great products that are simple and exude goodness, and definitely get the job done! So we feel very good about using their products to fuel your goals this season. We asked team member Maya Purcell, who is a practising nutritionist, to give us the scoop on the key elements to manage energy levels effectively during a ride, whatever the intensity! What type of food should I eat? As carbohydrates are the most easily assimilated fuel for muscles during exercise, it's extra important to eat carbs, especially when your ride or other activity is 90 minutes or longer. How much should I eat? The amount of carbs you need relates directly to energy used during your ride or activity. So the harder your ride, either longer or hilly, the more carbs you should be taking in to replace those spent.That's why the girls on the team make sure that carb-rich foods, like XACT ENERGY fruit bars are to hand during races as well as during training, to prevent glycogen stores from running out. "In general, we aim for 30-60g of carbohydrate / hour of effort". Where can you get your 30 g of carbs? 30 g of carbohydrate can be found in 1 XACT ENERGY fruit bar, but also in 1 banana, 2 large dates, 4 small potatoes, 1 scoop of sport drink to name but a few. The secret is to find a product or food that is easy to and desirable to eat ! With a XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bar, what we love about them is not just that they're yummily delicious and effective, they are also super convenient and open easily, even with one hand on the handlebars ;)    Not just race fuel, but training time too  Especially since training with your race food or fuel is a game changer. Initially, your digestive system may not be so happy with the prospect of eating and taking on food, even easy to digest carbs, during exercise can provoke some pretty undesirable tummy reactions! So training your gut makes as much sense as training your muscles, and with time you will find it easier to take more carbs on even during more intense riding. Don't forget hydration and minerals! When we sweat, we lose water and electrolytes (those white marks on your jersey after a hot ride is salt that you have sweated out) and on longer rides or in hot weather, getting water and minerals (electrolytes) back in to the body is a must! If it is hot and humid, you will sweat much more (it can vary between 700mL to 1.2L / hour in endurance sports). Electrolytes (like salt, but also iron and other minerals) lost through sweat vary from one person to another, but do not wait for big white marks on your jersey to start thinking about replacing fluids and minerals! For girls who sweat more "the ideal'' is to consume a combination of products: water, sport drinks, bars, jujubes or gels, to ensure adequate hydration, energy and those precious minerals like sodium, iron, calcium and potassium. XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bars have minerals (electrolytes) added so they give you energy as well as minerals you lose through sweating. The E-Beet XACT ENERGY bar (our favourite!) has 155 mg of sodium, considerably more than many other similar products available for cyclists.    This season PEPPERMINT Cycling Team chose, without hesitation, XACT ENERGY fruit bars by xact nutrition to give a little more energy throughout the season, without compromising on taste and fun of course! Ready to play hard? Do not forget to fuel your goals ☺   To follow us:  @peppermintcyclingteam  #breakthepattern    

NATHANIEL MAH IS A NORDIC COMBINED ATHLETE AND REPRESENTS CANADA ON THE WORLD CUP CIRCUIT. This review will focus on 3 main points that I believe people look for when trying to find a bar for that suits all their training needs: taste, effect, and portability. First off let me start by saying that this bar truly tastes like beets, not fake beets, but real, authentic beets.  I personally love beets, I eat them a lot partly because I love the taste but also because being a high performance endurance athlete I know the benefits of eating beets.  Now realistically if you’re going for a run, or bike, or anything where you’re not carrying a backpack, bringing beets may be difficult.  Technically you could shove a few zip-locked beets into your jersey pocket but good luck eating them while on the bike, have you had a beet before, it goes everywhere!  But with XACT ENERGY E-Beet bar this suddenly becomes possible.  I’ve now been using and testing the bar for the past few months as I travel and Compete around the  world as a Nordic Combined Athlete.   1. HOW DOES E-BEET TASTE? Now let’s start with taste, this is probably the most important aspect of an energy bar.  Lots of bars taste good, like a snickers bar for example, it tastes super good, but eating a couple of those during a training session may not make you feel so good.  Like I said before the E Beet bar truly tastes like beets, so if you absolutely can’t stand beets, then maybe another flavour of bar offered by Xact Nutrition is what you’re looking for.  The nice thing about the E Beet bar is it also has a surrounding layer of sugar on the outside of the bar, this gives the bar a nice candy like taste when you first put it in your mouth, that slowly turns to beet flavour.  I think that having a sugary taste is super important when it comes to an energy bar.  It’s right when I hit that 90 minute mark into a workout that I start to feel a little sloppy and slow, having a tasty snack I find mentally and physically recharges me and helps me get through the rest of the workout.  If I’m being honest, I have a hard time not eating these bars while I’m just sitting around not training.  I find that a lot of bars seem to compromise on the taste vs effect debate.  Lots of companies are able to make great tasting bars, for example a vector bar or clif bar tastes great, but you’re mostly eating empty calories and a small amount of protein that may work as something to fill your belly, but doesn’t actually give you any electrolytes which is what your body needs during a workout.  The E Beet bar doesn’t compromise taste, or effect, which leads us to the next area of critique for this bar. 2. EFFECT OF E-BEET DURING TRAINING I personally use this bar for 2 type of workouts, high intensity, or long zone 1  endurance sessions.  Let me make something clear, this bar was created for before, or during exercise, it is not a protein or recovery bar so eating it after your training session may taste great and make you happy, but will have little effect on your performance.  Xact does make a bar for post workouts called the XACT PROTEIN wafer, but the XACT ENERGY E-Beet bar is a performance energy bar.    I use the E-Beet bar about 10 minutes before an interval session, or a race.  It’s small, about the length of a pinky so it won’t make my stomach feel full or sick during the session.  During a long endurance session I’ll use it about 60 minutes in if I’m doing a 120 minute workout, and if anything longer than 180 minutes i usually have 2 spread out through the session.  As we all know eating and drinking during a long training session is super important.  THE DREADED BONK You may have heard the term “bonking” before, bonking is what happens when you don’t eat or drink during a long training session and i’ll tell you from first hand experience, it is not fun!  The crazy thing about these little bars is I truly do feel a difference about 10 minutes after eating one.  It could be totally mental, it could be the sodium, potassium, iron and magnesium having an impact, or it could just be that i’m rewarding my efforts with a treat and that gets me pumped up!  I have no idea, but the fact is I feel re-energized and ready to crush out the rest of the session.  The cool thing about the E-Beet bar is your not just putting sugar in your body like a lot of other energy bars.  A really popular energy food that I used to use and plenty of people still use is the clif bar blocks, and the honey stinger chews.  Now I’m not trying to put down these products as they do work for lots of people, but if you’re going to put something in your body it may as well have other nutritional benefits in it besides just sugar.  The Clif bar blocks and Honey Stinger Chew’s do contain a small amount of potassium and sodium but about half as much as 1 single E-Beet bar.  And they’re both about 2-3 times the size.  Besides having more sodium and potassium, the E-Beet bar also contains 6.5 mg of Iron, 32 mg of Magnesium, and 50 mg of antioxidants.  Plus once again, it tastes like beets! 3. PRACTICALITY – HOW PORTABLE IS IT?   Now finally let’s talk about portability, for me this is huge.  Usually when I go out for a training session I like to carry as little  as possible and be as light as possible.  If i’m going for a roller ski or cross country ski I carry my water belt, if I wanted I could f it around 20 E-Beet bars in it so as far as storage in my water belt goes, with 1 E Beet bar there is plenty of room for other things such as my phone, car keys, camera, etc!  But if you don’t use a water belt when you train and you’re more of a pocket person then this bar is really perfect for you.  Like I said earlier it’s about the size of your pinky, so in a pocket it’s small enough that you may not even know it’s there.  I actually know that for a fact as every once in a while I find one of these bars in a pocket to one of my  jackets or pants that I must have trained in and forgotten it was there.  These bars are small enough that they fit in the waistband pocket of my 2XU ¾ length tights, so if i’m running with just a t shirt and tights on I can still carry one with me.  If you’re travelling like I do they don’t take up lots of room in your bag either, I started my 3 months of living out of a bag with about 100 various XACT Nutrition bars, they all fit in a small ziplock and go everywhere I do with ease!  What i’m trying to get at is these things are small but don’t compromise on the nutrients inside them.  Compared to any other bar their size, they double or sometimes even triple the nutrients inside without any artificial or fake ingredients. IN SUMMARY So all in all, I’m in love with this bar!  I’ve been a Nordic Combined athlete since I was 6 years old and have had plenty of experience with energy bars, GU’s, Protein bars, you name it!  None of them match the taste, portability, effect or nutritional content of XACT ENERGY E-Beet bar!  If you don’t believe me, I say try it for yourself!      Check out Nathaniel Mah’s athlete site 

Our relationship with Ultra Trail Hurricane Canada (UTHC) started back in 2013, our 1st season since launching XACT ENERGY in the trail running community. Each year the XACT team has returned to La Malbaie to support UTHC, friends and yes family too as the event has grown and XACT too. For our 5th UTHC we shall be running, soaking up the atmosphere, sharing a little fruity energy love and getting our cheer on as runners cross the line. Please come and say hi at the XACT kiosk on race day ! We’ll be offering free samples, prizes and contests … and not to mention captaining our own iPod battle team! GOURMET QUALITY FOOD .. FOR SPORTS? STRAWBERRY XACT ENERGY BARS ARE MADE WITH REAL FRUIT PULP THE INSPIRATION The whole motivation for creating our comapny goes back to some of those early experiences we had out on the trails .. and whilst many products did the job from a functional point of view (delivering carbs in a convenient package) we really felt that something just as effective could be soooo much more palatable. The passion for cooking and fine food is something that resides deeply with all the owners of XACT. and it didn’t take too long to awaken that passion and apply a few skills learned in other industries and careers and put it to new use. Voilà XACT ENERGY fruit bar, a way more tasty way to give you energy during your favourite sporting activity! LOVE AFFAIR WITH UTHC “We just love bringing our family to UTHC. It’s a fantastic event, we get to enjoy a great day out, sometimes a very long day, but sometimes a shorter outing. That’s the beauty of this event, no matter what distance you are running, or whom you are cheering for, there’s something for everyone, and a terrific region, Charlevoix to discover, and a fantastic cause, MS Canada, to support” – Marianne Regnault, XACT nutrition President

We caught up with Helene Dumais shortly after she completed the Montane Spine Race, and according to Hélène was the toughest physical challenge she has faced so far. But let’s put that statement in context… Here’s a selection of projects that Hélène has recently completed : Cross Florida Individual Time Trial: A 400 km coast-to-coast fully self-supported romp across Florida. This test was actually set up for mountain bikers… but recently people have been attempting it on foot. Hélène was the 1st woman to complete it successfully Infinitus 888 km – Hélène stopped 550 km into the event… so she’ll be back in May 2017 to settle unfinished business! 1st woman to traverse Ko’olau ridge, Oahu, Hawaii 1st woman to complete Nicaragua Survival Run What’s in store for 2017? So we were ultra curious to learn more about the Spine Race, an epic race that takes runners across the length of the Pennines in heart of the English winter as well as learn what she has in store for the rest of 2017…. and 2 standout events are the inaugural Canada Survival Run (Squamish, BC) and a return to the infamous Infinitus (The Endurance Society, VT, USA) The Montane Spine Race Now the English winter isn’t something that would strike fear into the heart of a seasoned Canadian ultra runner and adventurer… but winter conditions can be treacherous for their ability to turn very suddenly, plus the accumulation of fatigue from lack of sleep during the 6 days to race the length of the Pennine Way combine to make this quite a challenge that many underestimate. To share her experience not just of the Spine Race, but also as a professional coach, Hélène will be team-up with kinesiologist, trainer and sport osteopath Sébastien Boucher of la Clinique Sportive HPH located in Montréal to present a conference entitles “The Art and Science of Going Further” Thursday 16th February. This is a highly personalized interactive conference, where Hélène and Sébastien will talk about with you about topics as diverse as physical preparation, mental motivation and inspiration will be freely discussed. What will you learn at “The Art and Science of Gong Further”? Succeeding in challenging yourself… Hélène’s personal mantra of “mind, body, spirit” will guide the evening’s discussion. Helene will draw on her personal experiences including the only-just-done Spine Race to share with you how we can succeed in taking on challenging and even intimidating projects. Scientific expertise… Sébastien Boucher of Clinique Sportive HPH in Montréal, is a professional athlete trainer, with a background in sport osteopathy, kinesiology and nutrition. Sébastien will share his scientific perspective, whether it be injury prevention, recovery strategies or just how many calories you need to be taking in depending on activity type and duration. Challenge our thinking and inspire… No matter what kind of physical activity you do or are thinking of doing, Hélène and Sébastien will be delighted to share their experience, challenge our thinking and inspire us as to what we are able to do. We look forward to sharing this evening with you. A complementary beverage is included in the price of this conference. Conference + refreshments // $20 before // $25 at the door

Proper nutrition and hydration leading up to race day will help ensure you perform your best. You’ve worked hard for that finish line, and we’ll help you get there. 1. CALORIES  Calories are more than good in endurance running events, taking on calories when running not only helps performance but can also help you avoid, or at least lessen, the dreaded wall. Eat 100 Calories / 45 minutes to maintain energy levels, or 1 XACT ENERGY fruit bar. YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THE PORTA POTTY SHUFFLE 2. CARBS Keep carbs simple and avoid fibre, both during and the morning of your race (porta potty playtime can wait to the finish line) this will help ensure you digest well! 3. CAFFEINE Consider caffeine, as it can give you a welcome boost when the spirits are flagging. XACT ENERGY comes in blackcurrant flavour and has 50 mg of all natural caffeine from a guarana extract. 4. HYDRATION Proper fueling isn’t just about nutrition. Electrolytes are essential for basic health and body function, and even more so during training or a race. Here at XACT, we choose nuun. The folks at Hydration HQ looked at every ingredient and challenged themselves to find a clean, plant-based alternative.Now nuun is entirely plant-based (that means no artificial ingredients!), certified vegan, and so a great match for XACT ENERGY fruit bars. Drinks such as nuun are perfect before, during, and after exercise because they contain the electrolytes your body needs without the carbohydrates it doesn’t. Staying hydrated by drinking fluids through the day, everyday, is the best approach to staying ahead of dehydation. If you wait until you’re thirsty, it’s too late and you’ll find yourself playing catch-up! A good baseline is to drink 500 ml per hour. An easy way to check if you’re hydrated is monitor your urine. If it’s dark yellow, you need more fluid, and if it’s clear, your body isn’t absorbing the water. Aim for a pale yellow color like light lemonade.     As an example for a 4 hour 30’ marathon in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course, packing 6 XACT ENERGY fruit bars and 1 tube of nuun will help your marathon be both pleasant and successful. Better still come and visit us and nuun hydration at the #STWM expo Friday and Saturday. XACT is at kiosk  #156 // #FuelYourGoals   IMAGES FROM THE #STWM WEEKEND … @danieljanetos set a new Guinness World Record  for fastest marathon in full chef gear carrying a cooking pot.. and yes he was fuelling with #NaturalEnergyCollective @Brix

Émy’s triathlon career broke new ground last weekend when she took on her first World Triathlon Series (WTS) event in Edmonton. Here’s how her race unfolded… GOAL A, GOAL B “Last weekend, I raced my first WTS ( World Triathlon Series) and there were a lot of very fast athletes at the start line; nearly 20 Olympians. My A goal was to be within 8% of the winning, to be able to get points. My B goal was to have a good swim and be able to place well in the cycling peloton and maintain that good position. “BRUTAL SWIM START” As expected, the start was pretty brutal, and I found myself among the last to reach the first buoy. After a quick analysis of the situation I spotted a gap in the swimmers and I slowly managed to gain a few placed during the rest of the swim. I left the water in not as good a position as I was hoping for, but after a good transition I got into the second chase pack on the bike. It only took us 4km before catching the chase peloton; that made us roughly 25 women in the peloton. The rest of the bike section went well and we arrive at T2 within 30s to the lead group made up of 9 women. The second transition was rather difficult (I forgot to mention that it was under 10 degrees and we were wearing wet suits on the bikes!). AT T2 my frozen feet didn’t  not want to get into my running shoes. Leaving the transition I find myself in the middle the pack but I am soon overtaken by several people. I finished 34th and am satisfied by my first shot at my  biggest race ever. RACE OBJECTIVES I achieved my first objective and earned points. As far as the swim went, I didn’t achieve my objective, but very much so for the bike section. NEXT STOP SALINAS! It was an amazing experience to compete with athletes of this caliber. I feel very motivated and I literally can not wait for my next opportunity to race a WTS (which will be in 2017 as this was the last race of this season). Now it’s time to get back to training in preparation for Salinas, a World Cup race.”   Follow Émy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and her website. # F U E L Y O U R G O A L S 

Since XACT first started, running has always had a special attraction for us… this weekend we shall be at Sinister 7 in the Canadian Rockies. Not only shall we be telling the stories of the race as it unfolds but we shall be supporting a truly phenomenal athlete, Helene Dumais, as she races this 100 mile trail course in Southern Alberta. You will be able to follow those stories as they unfold right here on this page and also on Instagram and Facebook, interviews and Sinister 7 coverage on our Youtube channel. TEAM XACT ALL TWEETS AND SPLITS  TEAM GOALS FUELED BY OUR NEW XACT ENERGY MAPLE

A GUEST ARTICLE BY XACT FUELLED WOMEN’S CYCLING TEAM, THE CYCLERY / OPUS, BY EMILY FLYNN Photo credit: Gregoire Crevier Another Preston in the books! This year we fielded a smaller team then in the past with myself (Emily Flynn), Ariane Bonhomme, Amelie Bruneau and Miriam Brouwer. However, we were one of larger teams and definitely more dominant. It was a hot one (felt like 35) with the race starting at noon. We had our pantyhose full of ice to keep us cool! The race went off and as planned we kept it chill for the first 10min to see how things were going and how motivated everyone was. After that we opened it up with attack after attack. Miriam got away for a good while by herself taking a prime or two. After that Amelie put in a good dig to open up a gap with a Trek-Stingray rider. When they were getting reeled in, I made my move and countered opening a large gap and staying away for what felt like forever. The gap got as big as 25sec and hovered for a long time around 12sec. I got some primes in there too and then eventually was swallowed by the pack again. The pace kind of slowed for a bit and as the laps counted down we started to go for some flyers. When that didn’t work we got together to get the lead-out train going to set me up for the sprint. We had great positioning and it was looking perfect until Chelsea Knapp, from the USA, sprinted early opening up a gap. Arianne latched onto her wheel and used her trackie speed to get her for the win! I hung on for third and we took fifth and seventh as well! All in all it was a great day for The Cyclery-Opus. To go along with her epic win. Ariane got to sit on the scale and measure out her weight in Kitchessippi beer! Thank you so much to all our sponsors! It is always fun to not only pull off the win, but an epic race in general in front of a home town crowd. Up next a few of us will head to Montréal to continue our crit game at the infamous Lachine and then it is Canadian National Championships, right here in Ottawa/Gatineau this weekend!   Thank you Emily and The Cyclery – Opus for agreeing to publish this account of the 2016 Preston Street Criterium as a guest article. You can follow The Cyclery – Opus on Facebook and Instagram too. Photo credits: Gregoire Crevier, Francine Lavoie and Denis Bruneau

Samuel Roy was one of the 16 athletes chosen to be a part of the Salomon Running Academy with Anna Frost and Jonathan Wyatt in Garmish, Germany, last week. So XACT took the opportunity to ask Samuel a few questions about his experience. Interview with Samuel Roy by Pierre-Étienne Vachon CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE SALOMON RUNNING ACADEMY? Samuel: It’s basically a camp, with workshops and training sessions, set up by Salomon which sets out to find the next generation of runners for the Salomon trail running team. This year it went down in Garmish, Germany, 25 to 29 May.  PHOTO: SALOMON RUNNING Salomon were looking for ambassadors for the brand but also aiming to connect these young trail runners with one another but also with the previous generation, like Anna Frost and Johnathan Wyatt. We had  training sessions and workshops to improve our technique and also training on related topics too; for example we had courses on communication, social media, photography and video shooting during the whole length of our camp. They even taught us about athlete professional development. PHOTO: SALOMON RUNNING So it was actually more like an internship with very specific clinics rather than a straight forward training camp.  The concept of sharing trail running values, passion, how to be a valuable ambassador of those same values, within the community and also at the heart of the action itself. HOW WERE YOU SELECTED? Samuel: I saw the advertisement on the Facebook page of a Salomon athlete, and I decided to apply! This year’s Academy was the 2nd edition and the 1st time that it was open to anyone. Last year, Salomon had pre-selected the athletes. I had to make a video that answered a series of questions on me and my race results. I also had to present my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts. So actually they were not just looking for a promising athlete, but someone that could could be a good future ambassador of the brand and of trail running in general. There were 16 of us, 8 guys and 8 girls, selected from 500 applications. WERE YOU LITTLE BIT APPREHENSIVE? Samuel: Not really, just very excited! Even a few days before the departure we still didn’t know what was in store for us. The whole experience really surpassed all my expectations, I could have stayed all summer! NAME ONE THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU THAT YOU REALLY DID NOT EXPECT. Samuel: I really was not used to so much downhill…. descending.. PHOTO: SALOMON RUNNING One funny thing during  photo shoot, we were filing a guy jumping in a lake. I had someone else’s cell phone to film it, when all of a sudden I lost my balance and fell into the lake! Luckily I managed to save the phone I was filming with, but mine had no such luck… it was in my pocket.. AND YOU FAVOURITE MOMENT? Samuel: Hard to day, the whole week was so fantastic. However, the first day was really something. We went to the Zugspitze, the highest summit in Germany to do clinics with Anna Frost and Jonathan Wyatt. PHOTO: SALOMON RUNNING Right from day 1, all the athletes struck up an amazing rapport; and experiencing that, in that environment, is quite frankly one of the greatest moments I had the privilege to enjoy. LAWRENCE TOLD ME YOU BROUGHT SOME XACT NUTRITION BARS ALONG FOR THE TRIP, WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THE OTHER TRAIL RUNNERS? Samuel: I gave them to all the athletes and everyone loved them. They asked me if XACT sis available in Europe and the USA. ANY FINAL WORDS YOU’D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE? Samuel: It opens doors and I warmly encourage young runners to go and try trail running. I think trail running is accessible and built on the values of discovery, sharing, a strong community spirit and fun. PHOTO: SALOMON RUNNING Yes performance is a part of it, but it’s the community aspect that everyone rallies around, and that’s a part that I particularly cherish. I really want to focus on trail running because I think tis a very complete sport and loads of fun. Even Anna Frost and Jonathan Wyatt were super relaxed and had a very sharing and inclusive approach with us all. It really was very awesome! VIDÉO OF THE 2015 CREW:

During Ottawa race weekend, we have decided to put together a small team of runners whom we feel truly represent our brand. We thought it would be really interesting for us to tell their stories throughout the weekend. You will be able to follow those stories as they unfold right here on this page! As well as on Instagram and Facebook and our exclusive interviews and Ottawa Marathon coverage on our Youtube channel. TEAM XACT NUTRITION ALL TWEETS AND SPLITS  SAMUEL POHER 10K  BIB:60042 View Split times >> A young fast runner with huge potential. A half marathon trail specialist,  as set new course record at Bear Mountain 3 weeks ago. Hoping to impress on the 10k! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/spoher7/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/spoher7 Blog – http://samuel.poher.net/trail/ Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/6209129  MELISSA CHÉNARD 42.2K  BIB: 71 OR 1075 Last year she set her best times at the Ottawa half Marathon (1h21.44) and at the Philadelphia marathon (2h51.37), in novembre 2015. This year she has focused her energies on the Ottawa Marathon held this weekend in hopes to better her PB and move to new projects. MARLÈNE COUTURE 42.2K  BIB:1269 Marlène is the blogger behind ‘Les Aventures de Marly‘, a passionate runner on the trail and the tarmac. She shares her passion on social media and on her blog, showing that everything is possible when you put the work in. Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/marlene.couture1  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Run_GirlBlog: http://lesaventuresdemarly.blogspot.ca/  JULIEN LACHANCE 42.2K  BIB: 2711 Boston PB of 2:41. Julien is a rapidly improving exciting runner who gives the elites a run for their money. Julien only started to run seriously 3 years now he’s biting at the ankles of Canada’s elite and making the Quebec elite sit up and notice him.  TEAM GOALS FUELED BY OUR NEW XACT ENERGY MAPLE

XACT, a canadian based family sports nutrition business released today (May 26th 2016) the world’s first maple syrup energy bar.  XACT ENERGY MAPLE, a product that brings together one of the finest Canadian ingredients, MAPLE SYRUP, with the expertise of XACT, is an energy bar that promises to revolutionise how athletes fuel for sports and adventure. The benefits of maple syrup as a source of carbohydrate for sports are better and better known: maple syrup contains many nutritious entities such as minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. Hardly surprising when you consider that maple syrup is derived from maple tree sap, which itself constitutes the vital energy and defence mechanisms of the tree. The benefits of the XACT ENERGY MAPLE bar stem from that it has been specifically designed foruse during sports. There are practical considerations as well as just the right ingredients to make an energy product truly effective for sports. XACT ENERGY MAPLE, like its cousins XACT ENERGY fruit bars, is a great source of digestible carbs using only natural, vegan ingredients. The maple syrup used in XACT ENERGY MAPLE is more nutritious than regular sugar syrups found in most gels and chews, has a lower glycemic index, is a source of electrolytes, and has 45 mg of potassium per 30 g bar. The maple syrup itself is not just any old maple syrup: XACT partnered with food technology and sport nutrition experts to select an ultra-dark maple syrup from Quebec. As any maple syrup farmer or nutrition scientist will tell you, the darker the syrup, the greater the concentration of antioxidants, minerals and other valuable nutritional substances. XACT has long believed that just getting the right ingredients in a product is just the start of the game. Whilst the XACT team is highly qualified and expert in the formulation and sourcing of the most effective and up-to-date ingredients, when you talk with athletes, you often hear that the most frequent reason for having difficulty to eat whilst doing sports comes down to not feeling able to eat at all. In other words, not being able to follow the nutrition plan either because of digestion issues, dehydration, or just plain not feeling up to it! This is where XACT has chosen to specialize and bring our skills to bear; making sure our products have exactly the right macro and micronutrients, in a portable, waterproof package that can stand up to the toughest conditions. But above all, having best in class taste and texture, making eating an xact nutrition product an awesome experience. XACT, a Canadian family business, is proud to bring this iconic Canadian product to Canadian athletes so they can better fuel their goals. XACT ENERGY Maple ad from xactnutrition on Vimeo.

XACT teams up with Ray Zahab In 2006, Canadian Ray Zahab, and two friends, Charlie Engle and Kevin Lin, set out on an expedition to cross the Sahara Desert by foot. 111 days and 7,500 kms after leaving the coast of Senegal, they completed their journey by stepping into the Red Sea. National Geographic tracked the expedition by web, as well as the documentary film ‘Running The Sahara’ was filmed to capture the expedition, and raise awareness for the drinking water crisis in North Africa. Ray went on to found Impossible2Possible (i2P) (impossible2possible.com), an organization that aims to inspire and educate youth through adventure learning, inclusion and participation in expeditions.  His adventures and expeditions have taken Ray all over the world, to the most inhospitable regions on the planet. In 2015 Canadian Geographic recognized Ray as one of Canada’s Top Explorers. In December 2015 Ray was presented with the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada. Ray is always on the look out for new technologies, equipment and even food that can help him succeed. This is where Ray’s relationship with XACT informally began, during a local fundraising trail run  Quebec. The real test of XACT products happened during the Arctic2Atacama completed March 2016, where Ray and his team relied on XACT ENERGY blackcurrant bars as well as beta versions of new products as they fatbiked through ice, snow and temperatures below -50.  When asked to say a few words to mark the launch of XACT ENERGY maple, a product that Ray, Jenn and Stefano used with success on the recent Arctic2Atacama expedition, Ray was quick to accept. On one condition, that he could get hold of some more XACT ENERGY maple bars! XACT products will also be showcased at the inaugural edition of Bad Beaver Ultra, a multi day stage race organised by Ray and his team in his favourite training ground, Gatineau Park, 6-8 August. He continues today with life as an adventurer and as a volunteer with impossible2Possible. ‘Running The Sahara’ would begin a lifelong journey of learning that some of the largest barriers to success are the ones we put upon ourselves. By breaking these down, Ray has learned that we are all capable of achieving truly extraordinary things. I2P GOBI 2013    

A GUEST ARTICLE BY XACT AMBASSADOR KIM OSBORNE IN HER QUEST TO QUALIFY FOR KONA IRONMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.  At 6:40am on May 14, the starting gun went off at Ironman Texas, and initially the lack of movement was a little anticlimactic. Rolling starts lack the immediate chaos and exhilaration of mass starts, but I enjoy the few moments of calm between when the starting gun fires and I become one more body in a sea of flailing arms and legs. The athletes ahead were either in a mad dash to gain control of the lead swim pack or trying not to drown in the first ten seconds of an 8-10 hour day, but those of us seeded several rows deep wouldn’t even get our toes wet for another minute. I took a deep breath and remembered to enjoy the moment. I adjusted my goggles on my face. And then it was time. I dove into the water, and was immediately surrounded by turmoil as hundreds of athletes tried to get around the initial turn and into open water. It turns out the swim never really got better and was one of the worst open water swims I’ve done – it was foggy and difficult to sight, constantly crowded with athletes swimming in all directions, and on more than one occasion I was ready to kick the next person who grabbed my thigh or ankle. Fortunately I have enough experience and confidence racing open water to hold my own, and while the conditions were annoying and kept me from ever really getting into a rhythm, I was never afraid for my safety. An hour and 19 minutes later, I almost stopped dead in my tracks when my feet hit the ground and I saw my time. Despite swimming the short lines and harder than I probably should have, I was already 15 minutes behind plan and had no idea how that had happened. I was disappointed in my swim, but once on the bike I was buzzing with the adrenalin that comes with the crowds around transition. I got down in aero position, brought my speed up to 35km/hr as planned, and prepared to start passing everyone who had beaten me out of the water. It wasn’t long until I realized that my legs weren’t responding quite the way I expected them to. I was handling the turns well and holding my target speed, but my power should have felt easy and it didn’t…and I hadn’t caught a single person in my age group after riding for nearly 20 minutes. The final straw was when a 27 year old woman went by and it hit me that not only was I not passing anyone…I was actually losing my position. I hadn’t expected to feel out of contention so early, and I started counting down the four more hours I would have to spend on the bike before starting the run course. A few miles later I took a turn a little too fast, swerved to avoid a reflector and went flying into the ditch. As I lay on my stomach, stunned to realize that I had just crashed, I heard two people asking if I was okay. I did a quick check: no sharp pain, I could move all my limbs and didn’t seem to have hit my head, so I sat up. Nothing broken. Was I going to continue, they asked? Yes, I suppose I was. There didn’t seem to be a good reason not to. But I knew that there was no way I would be able to make up the time I had lost, and that Kona had slipped out of reach. If I’m being honest with myself, I was looking for an excuse to quit well before I landed in the ditch. I was really disappointed in my swim time, I wasn’t feeling as good as I expected to on the first part of the bike, and I was pretty sure I had lost any chance of going to Kona. I wanted the race to be over, and taking a turn a little too fast gave me the excuse I needed to back off and stop racing. I keep reliving that part of the race, trying to figure out why I couldn’t find it in myself to keep fighting to do my best. I wasn’t hurt in the crash. My bike was (mostly) fine. I was shaken up but otherwise completely able to continue. After a lot of thought, the conclusion I’ve come to is that I was so focused on Kona that when that goal disappeared, I had nothing left to race for. I wasn’t prepared to be out of contention so early, and so I stopped caring and only committed to finishing because of my strong belief that quitting a race is unacceptable if it is possible to continue. Over the remainder of the bike course I was plagued with mostly made-up reasons to stop: bandaging my hand, adjusting my brake, and having a good cry when I saw Hector added up to a lot time that I wasn’t riding. Overall I was physically fine, just feeling incredibly sorry for myself; I wanted to stop so badly that I almost wished I would crash again just so I could quit for good. I tried to rally for the marathon. I’m a runner at heart, and I knew that I should be able to put the bike behind me and throw down a really fast run if I could find it in myself to fight for it. I thought about how Jeff Symonds ran 2:50 in Kona after riding with one leg following a mechanical problem on the bike, and how he said afterwards that he was motivated to prove that he could get ugly and race hard even if he wasn’t chasing a personal best. I saw Hector on my way out of T2 and he told me that Paolina had said to take the first two kilometres easy, just like we’d planned, then run the fastest marathon I could. Going into the race we had been targeting a 3:30, and after taking it easy on the bike I should have been able to run harder than that. My heart dropped at Hector’s words, but I committed to getting through the first 2k before making any decisions. Two kilometres later, I looked deep inside myself and found this great big black hole staring back at me. I knew running a fast marathon would be unbelievably challenging, and I had stopped caring about this race hours ago. I wanted nothing more than to give up and go home, and I knew that by not doing my best I was failing exactly the kind of mental test that differentiates elite athletes from everyone else. The first lap of the marathon was the hardest, and I spent a lot of time choking back tears, but as I started the second lap my mood improved, and I even joked with a spectator who told us rain and thunderstorms were forecasted in the next hour. I was not prepared for the intensity of Texas thunderstorms. As I ran through the halfway point, lightning started striking so close that we could see where it hit, and big cracks of thunder seemed to be right overhead; torrential downpours and gale-force winds were quick to follow. I welcomed this change in weather because it was something I could overcome. In a race where I hadn’t found the mental strength to truly race, this was something that made me feel like I was at least badass about something. And so I ran through the storm, through the crowds of spectators who had now gathered under the bridges downtown, through parts of the course that had flooded with several inches of water; and when the hail started, I ran through that too. Forty minutes after the storm broke, I finally got pulled off the course by marshals who told us to head into a parking garage until the storm had passed. The temperature had dropped and I was soaking wet, so it didn’t take long to start shivering; fortunately, about 10 minutes later we were told it was safe to start again, and hundreds of athletes flooded out onto the course with cheers. I don’t remember much of the last lap – after everything that had happened, I was almost done with this stupid race. I started crying as I made the last turn towards the finish line, and didn’t stop until Hector found me sitting on the curb at the end of the finishers chute. I was so frustrated with myself for not having the race I knew I was capable of, but was even more crushed to realize that although I have the fitness of an elite athlete, I had failed the mental test that differentiates elites from everyone else. Elite athletes are faster not only because they are fitter, but also because they are willing to overcome more to give their best effort; if I want to compete with the best then just getting up isn’t good enough; I have to keep fighting. I have no doubts that I am a different person from the one who started Ironman Texas at 6:41am. A lot of people talk about how you have to fail to be great, and I am working to apply the lessons I learned here to make myself into a stronger person and a better athlete. I know I have to do better if I want to qualify for Kona, and now I have a fire in my heart that will not let me quit. ———————————————————————— Thank you Kim for agreeing to publish this account of IronMan Texas as a guest article.

“Our Favourite Stores” is a series of portraits of retail partners across Canada. This quick glimpse of The 11 Inc. is the 1st in a series. We had heard a good deal about Heath’s new cycling store, The 11, in Toronto even before they opened their door’s in March 2015. And several attempts to meet with the the owner, heath, had come awry for all the usual reasons… so it was a long time in coming, but just recently XACT owners, Lawrence and Marianne got to visit the store, including a personal guided tour by XACT ambassador, Logan Cornel. We were not disappointed!  What we liked most from our tour of The 11 was undoubtedly the use of the space and how this lends itself to displaying such beautiful products at their very best. We loved the customer parking, the stunning Bianchi that at first glance looks like a vintage bike but in actual fact is a contemporary build but eligible for L’Eroica, a bike race in Italy where only pre-1987 bikes may compete. The only exception being the Bianchi that was in front of us. As we sat down at the mosaic table to start our business meeting with Heath,  enjoying a freshly brewed espresso, we listened and learned the brief history of The 11 Inc and some of the exciting ideas being put into place. Then we were on for a real treat as Logan took the time to tell us the story behind the products, the services being offered and some of the  unique equipment in the store. When touring the bike fit station we  spotted what appeared to be a used bike… it turns out the BMC bike in question is Rohan Dennis’s frame that he gave to Heath as a gesture of thanks; Rohan set the hour record of 52.491 km, beating Matthias Brändle’s record by over 600 metres on 8 February 2015. The record stood until 2 May 2015, when it was broken by British rider Alex Dowsett. The signed Blue Jays bike jersey dated from a fundraising event benefiting the Jays Care Foundation, which strives to create lasting social change for children and youth through baseball and creating safe places for playing. We were reassured to see a half eaten XACT PROTEIN wafer next to a steaming cup of espresso. One of my favourite post ride snacks… but I guess bike fitting can burn the calories too! The last word has to be on the quality of customer service that you can expect to enjoy at The 11. Knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming staff, and a store philosophy of really listening to the customer seems like a such a simple idea, but I can tell you, it works so well. XACT is delighted that all products are now available to enhance your cycling pleasure and enjoyment. # F U E L Y O U R G O A L S