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Le Grand Défi, is a unique sporting event that takes place every year in the province of Québec, bringing together children, adults, schools and all sorts of organizations to promote health and physical activity. Last year XACT was approached by one of the staff of a secondary school from Montreal taking part in the Grand Défi, looking for support for their students preparing and for the Big Challenge itself. These kids were going to need feeding if tey were going to be up and running for 30 hours! Eric Alvarez’s enthusiasm was contagious; before I knew it I found myself enthusiastically agreeing to donate XACT ENERGY bars to sustain the students and staff through day and night, as the Grand Défi runs. , as a relay, from Montreal to Quebec City. The challenge was successfully completed and at XACT we were happy to help out in whatever small way we could. Roll on 6 months, I meet Eric  at Bromont Ultra. And his time he doesn’t let us get away so easy this time….and duly convinced  XACT team to play a more involved role, and sure enough I found myself agreeing (enthusiastically) to come and join in the event for 2016. A couple of weeks ago the xact nutrition team rolled up to the  athletics track one cool April morning at the back of Gérard-Filion High School on Montreal’s south shore. The music was playing, the sun shining and kids in sweat pants and tuques were milling around impatiently waiting for the event to get under way. Eric Alvarez took a minute to describe what the the day was all about: Eric Alvarez’s enthusiasm was contagious; before I knew it I found myself enthusiastically agreeing to donate XACT ENERGY bars to sustain the students and staff through day and night, as the Grand Défi runs. , as a relay, from Montreal to Quebec City. The challenge was successfully completed and at XACT we were happy to help out in whatever small way we could. Roll on 6 months, I meet Eric  at Bromont Ultra. And his time he doesn’t let us get away this easily, and convinced the XACT team to play a more involved role, and sure enough I found myself agreeing (enthusiastically) to come and join in the event for 2016. A couple of weeks ago the XACT team rolled up to the  athletics track one cool April morning at the back of Gerard-Filion High School on Montreal’s south shore. The music was playing, the sun shining and kids in sweat pants and tuques were milling around impatiently waiting for the event to get under way. Eric Alvarez took a minute to describe what the the day was all about: 6 hour challenge for Grand Défi Pierre-Lavoie from XACT on Vimeo. So as the “La Grande Course” portion of the Grand Défi gets under way today, children from all over the province will embark on a an adventure, one that will see them working together and encouraging each other to achieve their goal of running, in relay for up to 30 hours the students run the 250 odd km from Montréal to Québec City. #FuelYourGoals

Maple syrup as  sport nutrition Maple syrup is 100% pure and natural, much loved and well known by Canadians, especially at breakfast time. Our understanding of its make up has increased greatly very recently as researchers characterized not just mineral and vitamin content, but also the nature of the sugars present and other compounds with significant antioxidant properties. It is well known, especially among Eastern Canadian athletes, as a great refuelling choice, particularly for endurance sports as an energy gel or, diluted, as an energy drink. In the last 12 months several companies, Brix, Rekarb and Endurance Tap in Canada and Untapped in VT, USA have started producing maple syrup in packaging developed specifically for sports. Maple syrup differs from other sweeteners in that it is a source of minerals and antioxidants as well as carbohydrate. So how does it compare?         Source: The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers VITAMINS AND MINERALS Riboflavin (vitamin B2), zinc and manganese are required for carbohydrate breakdown and energy metabolism, as well as other vital functions. ANTIOXIDANTS Pure maple syrup contains many active antioxidant elements, like polyphenols and vitamins. Recent scientific research discovered that it combines many families of antioxidants, some of which are also found in berries, tea, whole wheat, flax seed and red wine, making it a great source of antioxidants, similar in strength to broccoli or bananas; the darker the maple syrup, the higher the antioxidant activity. SUGARS There are slightly fewer calories in maple syrup than equivalent volumes of other sugars, and these are absorbed slightly more slowly. This may be advantageous for the athlete especially when it’s combined (for example in a home-made energy bar) with other quickly absorbed sugars. It appears that one of Quebec’s most loved natural product, maple syrup, is set to take off as manufacturers of sport nutrition products strive to find the next best ingredient to offer their customers. Just remember, you can very easily use Canadian maple syrup at home to make your favourite natural energy gel or even sports drink. MAPLE SYRUP SPORTS DRINK RECIPE,  750 ML STANDARD WATER BOTTLE: 630 ml water, 30 ml fruit juice, 60 ml maple syrup, 30 ml lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt: Mix all ingredients until salt is dissolved. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Drink ad enjoy! XACT will previewed a beta version of their soon-to-launch XACT ENERGY  maple fruit bar at Montreal’s salon du vélo, the Montreal Bike Show, February 2016. XACT tea-boy and chief bottle washer, Lawrence Colsell, said that XACT will make XACT ENERGY maple available via your local specialty run, bike or outdoor store in May 2016. XACT ENERGY Maple bar will be the first Canadian brand to use maple syrup as an ingredient in an energy product for sports. Using Maple syrup instead of glucose syrup confers several advantages that are of interest for any athlete : true to XACT’s philosophy, fantastic taste, but also a source of potassium, minerals and vitamins as well as being lower glycemic index. Oh yeah, it’s vegan too, like all XACT ENERGY fruit bars. Sign up to our newsletter to make sure you hear about XACT ENERGY Maple and when it will land! #FuelYOURgoals #theSapisRising #CanadianMapleSyrup

Since XACT created XACT ENERGY fruit bars for the trail running scene in 2012 at X-trail Mont Orford, we have seen athletes all over Eastern Canada start using XACT ENERGY for energy during races and training runs. The number of athletes choosing XACT ENERGY fruit bars for during-effort energy has grown hand-in-hand with XACT’s presence at sporting events and specialized retailers. Back then we had a grand total of 2! Thank you, le coureur nordique in Québec city and Le Coureur in Sherbrooke, for your confidence in XACT ENERGY back then! XACT’s retailer partners have since grown to well over 100 today. Find the store carrying XACT nearest to you. XACT NUTRITION AND INNOVATION At XACT we are all about fantastic tasting nutrition for sports. Early on we met an amazing company in Spain that had the technology to make the best tasting protein bars — wafers actually — we had ever tried. So it seemed a great next project to use their production savvy and combine it with our formulation expertise. Enter XACT PROTEIN wafer— the protein bar that doesn’t taste like a protein bar. Opinion remains divided as to whether it resembles KitKat or Coffeecrisp more? In 2015, following athlete demand, we created the now best-selling XACT product, XACT ENERGY Blackcurrant.  This new product is a blackcurrant flavoured energy fruit bar with guarani (naturally sourced caffeine) + electrolytes + antioxidants. And it’s all vegan. But we are not stopping there; with the imminent release of XACT’s latest ENERGY fruit bars flavour, maple & apple, we felt it was time to reach out to the running communities in the West. So go West we did. XACT Western Tour We thought it made sense to see how Western folks would like the current XACT  lineup, where they would like to see it available and in which stores. We also wanted to discover for ourselves the beautiful terrain that BC and Alberta have to offer. Thanks to an amazing amount of help and positive energy, we are able to reach out to run groups and crews in Vancouver, Squamish, Edmonton and Calgary… not to mention new race partners, in order to showcase XACT ENERGY as on-course nutrition. Thanks for your amazing welcome in BC and Alberta to Lions Gate Road Runners, Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club, Mountain Madness, Ladies of the Trails, Uprise Coaching, Squamish, East Vancouver Run Crew, WISE, Fast Trax in Edmonton, Gord’s Running Store in Calgary and the Trails In Motion 4 film festival supporting MitoCanada. It was so much fun to see so much positive reaction and witness such surprise during the XACT demos… whether the demo was out of the trunk of a car, in a fantastic store highly engaged in the running community, a parking lot, a microbrewery or half way down the Chief in Squamish, just after sunset. So what are the results? XACT will be offered at all 5 Peaks trail races feed stations as national feed station sponsor. This means that racers at over 20 trail races across Canada will get to re-energise during their trail race. If you haven’t tried a trail race before, the 5 Peaks trail race is a great way to try it out: expect super organisation by a team of passionate organizers and volunteers and ambassadors.   We are also delighted to announce our partnership with Sinister 7 ultra trail race. This is one of the premier trail races in Western Canada, named after the beautiful 7 sisters mountain range in Southern Alberta. We look forward to energizing you on-course in the weekend of 6-8 July 2016! XACT is now available in these fantastic stores in Vancouver: Distance Runwear, North Van and Vancouver, the Vancouver Running Company and Speed Theory. But watch this space as a bunch of other great stores are still evaluating XACT for their store.       Edmonton: Fast Trax; Calgary: Gord’s Running Store … and many more stores are still evaluating xact nutrition products. Did we miss anywhere? Please tell us where you would like to see xact nutrition products on sale in BC and Alberta.

“It’s your friggin’ melon man!” the words my good friend, ski guru and occasional coach as well as technical adviser on all things ski, said to me as I balked at the expense of a fine helmet when I was taking up alpine ski racing at the tender age of 38 or so. “Its your head. You should buy the best helmet you can afford!“ WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR HEAD? Sometimes you need someone just to tell you straight out what to do and state things uber plainly. “Do you have the money” “Yes I have the money” “So why wouldn’t you want to protect your head?”. Sure enough, I have been lucky enough ever since, despite numerous opportunities, to have sustained 0 head or spine injuries (Craig also made me buy a back protector and one for my children, they were also taking up ski racing, and at that time only helmets were obligatory). Or is it luck? I would say in retrospect that it isn’t luck. It was definitely a conscious decision to make an investment in injury prevention. I was able to afford some of the best equipment available at the time, but it was evident that I dint initially perceive the investment as such, more like an expense to be minimised! I was lucky enough to have Craig step in and give me some guidance in his own unique way. But we dont all have access to our very own intervention in head safety! Someone who was able to make me see buying an appropriate piece of protective equipment as an investment and not an expense. SIMON POULIN, ISABELLE RICHER, LYNE BESSETTE, JEHANE DAGHER & LOUIS BARBEAU AU LANCEMENT 2È ÉDITION DEFI TÊTE LA PREMIERE “Sports are healthy, only if you have the presence of mind to protect … your head! As far as I’m concerned, helmets are not a choice, it’s MY decision “- Lyne Bessette, spokesperson for Défi tête la première and nutrition XACT ambassador commented earlier when asked about her motivation for supporting the charity. SIMPLE. EFFECTIVE. AWESOME. So one of the fantastic things that Défi tête la première does is not only go out of their way and to reach out to sporting communities, medical and paramedical professions to educate and raise awareness, but they actually turn up in schools and hand out, free of charge, helmets to kids so that they can enjoy their bikes safely. Simple. Effective. Awesome. DR RICHARD BÉLANGER, SIMON POULIN, FOUNDER OF DÉFI TÊTE LA PREMIÈRE, JEAN-MARIE DE KONINCK A 500 KM RIDE TO EDUCATE COMMUNITIES ACROSS QUÉBEC “Défi tete la première” (literally The Head First Challenge) is a fundraising event which aims to raise $ 60,000. All money collected will fund educational activities and awareness of the “outlier de la prevention” organisation. From 27 to 29 May 2016, more than 60 cyclists will ride more than 500 km over three days to raise awareness of the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. A team of head injury prevention stakeholders, along with various partners, will tour 9 municipalities of Quebec to educate and raise awareness of road safety and the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. ENJOY YOUR SPORT MORE. WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOUR SPORT. At XACT its no secret that we love sport. We think that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy sports, as we believe it makes the world a happier healthier and more fun place. Thats one of the reasons why we got in into the business of making food that helped people enjoy their sport more. Whoever you are, whatever your sport. So it seemed the most natural and awesome of partnerships to support the bouclier prevention and Simon Poulin’s team at Defitetelapremiere.com so that people can enjoy their sports more safely too. Whoever you are, whatever your sport.

An extra special “bonne chance les amis!” to the 3 XACT ambassadors who will be on the start line today at The Grand Raid Réunion! JEFF GOSSELIN, FLORENT BOUGUIN, JOAN ROCH #FUELYOURGOALS Jeff Gosselin , Joan Roch and Florent Bouguin (who is from Réunion Island) will take on the might challenge that is the “Diagonale des Fous”, literally, the “Crazy Diagonal”, named thusly as it starts at Saint-Pierre, at the South-west end of the volcanic island and follows a diagonal route traversing its peaks and valleys, and finishes at the Redoute Stadium in island’s capital town, Saint Denis… 160 km with 9900 m D+ joy! Jeff Gosselin was the first of the trio to join the XACT family after discovering XACT ENERGY fruit bars at a feed-station during the Quebec Mega Trail race in 2013. Florent Bouguin joined shortly after his first UltraTrail victory at the inaugural edition of the 65 km Harricana of Canada trail race in 2014 and went on to partner with XACT in developing ENERGY Blackcurrant with Caffeine, what has become the best-selling product in the XACT line up. It is rumoured that Jeff and Florent formed a pact during their victory at Ultra Trail Harricana 2014 to run the Diagonale des Fous together… a long-held objective of Florent who has been preparing this epic trip and race to coincide with his 40th Birthday celebrations on his home turf.. or rather volcanic rock! Jeff being one of the most generous soul’s we’ve ever had the pleasure to meet couldn’t turn town such an offer despite his infamous disdain for running through the night and missing his beauty sleep  JEFF GOSSELIN, FLORENT BOUGUIN. IMAGE: UTHC Joan Roch joined the XACT earlier this year but has become a very active member of the XACT community after trialling XACT ENERGY fruit bars during the Massanutten Mountain 100 race. JOAN ROCH JOINED THE XACT NUTRITION COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER Good luck Jeff, Joan and a special extra good luck to Florent who is running on home turf with the support not jut of friends in Canada, but also on HIS island, La Réunion! #FuelYourGoals #JeSuisLoup  #DiagonaleDesFous2015

SPECIAL WORDS OF RECOGNITION: THESE 2 GUYS ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING  QUITE BRILLIANT WHAT MAKES IT BRILLIANT? We think it’s a mixture of: something very hard being attained by people that from a distance appear as “machines” or “different from us”, but the reality is they are not. What may appear as too hard, impossible, or another superlative, when broken down into its constituent elements becomes achievable. Joan is not a superman. He did not accomplish this easily. We saw Joan endure some tough moments. Preparation, planning, training, reflection, more training, adjustment, planning, more training, a lot more training(!) were the ingredients behind this achievement. Joan is very fortunate to have a friend like Nicolas Marchildon that thought it would be a great idea to pedal 250 km supporting and helping his friend, and out of the limelight. And that erhaps is another aspect that makes Joan a little bit special… The fact that when we got the call from him to support him in this endeavour, it must have taken all of 3 seconds to reflect and then say “Yes! We’re in!” I guess some would call it the power of inspiration and self-belief. Joan and Nicolas, thank you for inviting XACT to be a part of your adventure. We salute you. Joan’s run from Quebec City to Montréal is an awareness and fund raising project for the Fondation Dr Julien. Joan is an employee of ACCEO that supported and sponsored the #CourseACCEO to benefit the Dr Juluen Foundation.  If you would like to know more about Joan’s projects, upcoming lectures, book or where he’ll go running for a very long time next, we suggest you check his website/blog. Better still, go to one of Joan’s lectures. If you can’t make it, message him. If you can’t do that, message us, and we’ll ask him for you! Energetically yours, xact NUTRITION #FuelYourGoals  

For those of you who do not know Joan Roch, around here he’s known for his less than orthodox approach to training and running and pretty much questioning the first principles of anything concerning running…  UNORTHODOX What do we mean by unorthodox? Training plans, nutrition, clothing, shoes, ergonomics at the workplace, all of these, Joan has pretty much rejected the status quo in favour of exploring for himself and testing and documenting for the benefit of others .. the list is far from complete… and it was only very recently, during a car-pool ride with Joan (he chooses to avoid traffic in all forms) that he dispelled one misconception I had from reading his blog articles; (definitely worth checking out: informative and entertaining) one recurrent theme was his insistence on not eating during his runs, gels, energy bars, anything… hardly great ambassador material for a sport nutrition company right? SHOCKER: JOAN ADMITS TO EATING… DURING LONGER RUNS… TIME TO RUMBLE? JOAN PACKS XACT ENERGY But no, it turns out Mr Roch does eat during races (just not training runs) if they’re in the 50-100 mile range! So in other words, it turns out that Joan does eat after all, just maybe not very much, and yes he’s more than a little selective! INAUGURAL EDITION OF LA PETITE TROTTE À JOAN We’re pleased to say that XACT ENERGY do count among his choices, not only will Joan be packing XACT ENERGY for the inaugural edition of the “petit trot a Joan” (literally Joan’s wee jog”) one of the many races (although technically not a race, more a combination of personal challenge and trail running) taking place at this year’s Ultimate XC, a festival of running and trail running held in St-Donat, Quebec. You can follow Joan on Facebook, Instagram and his blog…

This weekend saw the 5th edition of the Trail des Neiges, a true celebration of winter sports organized by the hardened professionals of adventure racing, Endurance Aventure, Orford, QC, Canada. A UNIQUE CHALLENGE Trail des Neiges is definitely not your run of the mill winter race. You choose not only your distance, one or all three summits in the Mount-Orford ski area, but also the race discipline: ski, run or snowshoe! 220 winter sports enthusiasts (aka winter sports nuts) took up position at the start line as day time skiers were leaving the hill and the lifts had long-stopped running.  The weekend’s racing had near-perfect conditions: -2 C, no wind except for on the summit of Mont-Orford and great visibility afforded tremendous views of  the valley floor. NEW RECORDS SET As last year, the fastest times were recorded by the skiers, with George Visser and Lyne Bessete claiming the mountain victories and course records; Eric Turgeon and Sarah Bergeron-Larouche, the reigning snowshoe world champion, claimed the fastest times on foot for the 3 summit 13 km extravaganza. Pascal Labreque and Bernice Payeur-Poitras were the fastest on foot for the 5 km steep sprint up Mont Giroux North Face. TRAILEURS DES NEIGES CLUB TROPHY 2ND EDITION As Spring approaches it is time to bid this particularly cold winter goodbye. So what better way than with a competition amongst local trail running clubs to contest the XACT trophy des Traileurs des Neiges? A trophy hewn from local granite is awarded to the Trail Club that scores the most points in the running and snowshoe categories combined and brings together athletes from trail and running clubs from all over the province. Last year the locals, Le  Coureur Trail Club (Sherbrooke/Magog) won the inaugural edition of the trophy in challenging conditions : high winds, low temperatures, and a raging blizzard! Le Coureur Trail Club were this year’s runner’s up with a very strong performance in the shorter but very fast 1 summit race, but this did not compensate for the strong showing of Montreal Trail Club in the 13 km 3-summit race which offered more points for the competition. Montreal Trail Club (trailmontreal.com) is the youngest trail running club in the province but enjoys a passionate membership who are ready to travel to race together! A RACE FOR ALL AGES… Race Director and organizer, Daniel Poirier said in an interview “What is really extraordinary is there were more than a dozen children under 13 years old who raced one summit”. The atmosphere during and after the race was very festive, ages of competitors ranged form 8 to 70! Daniel Poirier, an experienced and competitive SkiMo racer himself competed in the event with Eloise, his 10 year old daughter. The trophy was awarded using a points system roughly based on the cross-country scoring system. A maximum of 15 points awarded to the 1st place male and female of the 3 summit course, 14 to the 2nd place and so on up until the 15th place finisher who was awarded 1 point. A maximum of  5 points were awarded to the club of the 1st place male and female finishers for the 1 summit course. Club Standings for the 2nd Edition of the XACT Traileurs des Neiges Trophy: Montreal Trail Club 67; Le Coureur Trail Club 34; le Coureur Nordique Trail Club 15; Bromont Trail Club 14. NEW RESOURCE FOR SKIMO ENTHUSIASTS Olympic athlete, race organiser (100b7.com)  and XACT ambassador Lyne Bessette chose the Trail de Neiges to launch a new initiative, SkiMoEast.com a website that brings together the SkiMo (Ski Mountaineering) communities in eastern Canada and the eastern US. Her partners for the project are the cyclist Tim Johnson and local SkiMo pioneer, Jeff Rivest. XACT provided XACT ENERGY fruit bars at the feed stations during the race and has been a partner of Endurance Aventure since 2012. XACT looks forward to fuelling your next race organized by Endurance Aventure.

  Sarah Bergeron-Larouche, elite athlete at XACT  & Salomon Flight Crew, became the 2015 snowshoe world champion at the ISSF Snowshoe World Championships held during the first weekend of competition at the Pentathlon des Neiges.  We caught up with her the day after her victory: HAVE YOU SEEN A CHANGE IN SNOWSHOE RACING POPULARITY?  Absolutely, pretty much since last year there has been an increase in the popularity and number of snowshoe races, especially here in Quebec. Prior to that there was just a handful of races, now there’s a race, often a couple, every weekend especially since the www.coupedesneiges.com series started.   HOW DOES SNOWSHOE RACING DIFFER FROM REGULAR WINTER RUNNING?  Well the course itself is very different from a road race, and thats the bit I like most. I feel that snowshoes let you take much more advantage of our winters… the snow, the terrain, as well as the the fact it is much more demanding physically, making it a great training discipline too. As far as the snowshoes go… they do let you get a lot more grip in the snow or on ice than without, so none of that “my feet spinning and sliding” feeling.… But what I like most is that I feel I get a lot closer to the sensations you get in trail running: freedom, fewer limits, the ability to go anywhere, especially in the downhills and the more snow the more the fun! The terrain and weather become part of the experience instead of something you have to endure… DO YOU DO SPECIFIC TRAINING FOR SNOWSHOE RACING? No, not really. My coach, Joel [Bourgeois, finished 3rd in the World Championships this weekend], prepares my winter training programmes so that I hit the summer race season which is 100% running in the best shape possible [Sarah’s a very successful cross country as well as trail racer]. So snowshoe running is a way to build more variety into my cross training which is cross-country skiing, run, skate and snowshoe. The variety also means a rest for the body, taking full advantage of the snow and that’s also good for the mind! WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED EQUIPMENT SET-UP? I ran this weekend in TSL305 step-in snowshoes and I also run in the new TSL Symbioz. I chose the 305s for the championships as there was a lot of soft snow whereas the Symbioz may be better suited to faster more handpicked terrain… WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS LIKE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON? Cold! About -20 and very windy. But what made the race was the fresh snowfall we had in the days leading before. That, plus the fact the course wasn’t prepared until the morning of the race meant for a tough, snowy course with little flat ground, about a 200 meter section at the most and soft snow. THE COURSE HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS AN URBAN COURSE; HOW DID YOU FIND IT? I loved the course, it was a real change as in trail and snowshoe races we’re not used to seeing spectators. But as the course went through sections of the city where the Quebec winter carnaval was being held that meant there were lots of people cheering. And as I was in my home town it was great to hear people calling my name! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT THE MORNING OF THE RACE? Not a great deal… The sport is very young, so apart from the defending champion, Amber Ferreira, from the US, you dont really know who’s who…  So I decided to use the free time to settle in a café and study [Sarah is training to be a chiropractor] with a good coffee… AND THE RACE ITSELF…? I managed to start as I wanted, not going too fast to start with and I kept 2nd position until we had run the first km. At that point I managed to overtake and take the lead, I managed to keep it for the remaining 9 km. I found it a very tough race, physically demanding, particularly because of the up and down nature of the course, and lots of snow. So the race was definitely slower but certainly challenged the athletes all the same. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WANTING TO TAKE-UP SNOWSHOE RACING? Enjoy yourself! Do it! The best thing about snowshoes is you can really have a lot of fun running in the snow, no matter what conditions are like… you are not limited, even if its icy or in the middle of a blizzard, you can snowshoe! Technical advice.. you need to lift your knees higher than running, so that you dont trail tour snowshoes along the ground… What I love though is the feeling of playing like a kid in the snow! You can find out which energy bar Sarah likes to pack for training and racing here…

Whether you’re looking for a boost in your endurance, performance or recovery, a new nutrition bar has hit the market for high performance endurance athletes. Originating in Quebec two years ago, XACT is now branching out into the Ontario sporting scene. For endurance athletes in sports such as triathlons, road biking, long distance running, Iron Man events, cross-country skiing and others, XACT’s variety of fruit bars are giving athletes the extra push across the finish line. One of the hardest parts of maintaining your performance throughout endurance sports is just following the nutrition plan and having the desire to eat on-course, according to President Marianne Regnault. THE WIN IS BEING ABLE TO STICK TO YOUR NUTRITION PLAN “By having a product that actually tastes better than the other products out there, that you can actually eat when you’re supposed to eat, just that can go a long way to improve performance,” she says. XACT bars are fruit-based, and date back to a 400-year-old recipe used in Spain, Portugal and Southern France; which is still where the products are made. The bars are natural, made using fruit, with enough sugar to bring one bar up to 100 calories, making them a compact, hyper-caloric choice for athletes. PEOPLE LOVE EASY TO EAT “That’s what people love about it, is just how easy it is to eat,” says Regnault. “It melts away in your mouth. So even when your mouth is parched and dry, you can still take on a XACT ENERGY fruit bar and carry on with your activity.” Additionally, the company is marketing their XACT PROTEIN wafer bar, which tastes similar to a Kit Kat or Coffee Crisp, but with 15 grams of whey protein, 19 grams of carbs and the vitamins and minerals essential for energy metabolism and muscle recovery.   The small, close-knit company is run by Regnault who looks after the operations of the company. Lawrence, her husband and Alain, Marianne’s father, are also involved in R&D and as business partners. THE XACT ENERGY STORY STARTED AT MOUNT-ORFORD XTRAIL The company has been expanding over the past two years, beginning with Lawrence and Marianne searching for a product that tasted better than traditional sports nutrition products that they were using for trail running. Their first pilot runs of the product launched at the Mount Orford XTRAIL, Quebec’s largest half trail race. After receiving tremendous feedback from runners, they have gradually opened new stores and recently made their debut in Ontario as an exhibitor at the Runner’s Expo during Toronto’s Scotiabank Marathon.   EXPANSION IN ONTARIO  As far as further expansion into the Ontario market, Regnault says they made some excellent connections at the Expo and sees many great events coming up for them to get involved with. GRASSROOTS “We’ve always taken a grassroots development, since being a very small unknown brand and it’s challenging to open an account,” he says. “What we find is by going direct to the athletes, either at a race or at an event like this, we’re able to generate some enthusiasm for the product.” UP NEXT: XACT NUTRITION PARTNERS WITH GATINEAU LOPPET Up next is transitioning into cross-country skiing where XACT will be sponsors at the Gatineau Loppet, Canada’s largest cross-country ski race, as well as getting more involved in snowshoe racing, and winter triathlons in Quebec and Ontario.

For trail running racing, the equivalent of the World Cup of the competitive side of the sport is taking place right now… The Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc… the championship event in the Ultra Trail World Tour. The first edition was held only in 2003, but has risen in popularity year upon year. As the number of participants are limited, it has become a much sought after race bib! Today several friends and XACT athletes took a spot at the start line in the mountain village of Chamonix, the birthplace of modern mountaineering… Here are some of them…    JOAN ROCH, MONTREAL (BIB #168) Joan is probably the most experienced Canadians when it comes to 100 mile trail races taking part in the UTMB this year. Joan  recently ran the Vermont and Masanutten 100 mile races, but neither of these come close to the daunting vertical that is the  hallmark of UTMB. Secret fact: Joan made sure he was packing XACT ENERGY fruit bars for the UTMB to supplement what is on offer at the  feed/aid stations! Good luck Joan! (PS it’s pronounced yo-ann) Photography: Alexis Berg / Grand Trail ALISTER GARDNER, BROMONT (BIB #125) Alister qualified for the UTMB in 2014 but was not able to start due to injury. 2015 has seen Alister perform spectacularly at some very competitive marathons, Philadelphia, New York and London.. it has also seen Alister open a specialty running store in Granby, Quebec, Course et Cie. We caught up with Alister and co-owner Audrey during a trail running camp they organized in the eastern Township mountains of Quebec (they promise a repeat next year) just last month and despite the marathons and the chalennges of starting a new business as well as being very active in his local running community (Alister designs and sets the Bromont Ultra course) managed to get in the training necessary for the UTMB! Secret fact : Alister is 100% vegan and is known to be a little evangelical. Just as well XACT ENERGY fruit bars are vegan too!     FREDERIC BERG, POITIERS/MONTREAL (BIB #754)  Frederick splits his time between Montreal and his native Poitiers, but most recently has been based in France but travelling a huge amount whilst working on his upcoming book, Grand Trail, a labour of love he has embarked upon with his brother, Alexis Berg that describes the most spectacular ultramarathons in the world (in french). Good luck Frederick and we cant wait to see the Grand Trail later this year. Secret fact : The photgraphy in Grand Trail is a work of art in itself!   SEBASTIEN CÔTÉ, MONTREAL (BIB #3202) Sebastien set off earlier this morning in the CCC (Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix) race, one of the many races held during UTMB week. One of the “smaller distance” races, it is a formidable at 101km & 6100m of positive altitude change. Sebastien is highly active in the Quebec trail running community, he co founded the reference Ultra trail race in eastern Canada, Ultra Trail Harricana of Canada, which this year ‘s edition will see some celebrities of the trail running world travel to race… Sebastien Chaigneault, Yohan Stuck and form nearer home, previous winners Florent Bouguin, Ian McNairn and Jeff Gosselin for the 125 km signature event…  and a host of local up and coming talent for the 65, 28 , 10 and 5 km distances. Seb also coaches on a volunteer basis for the Montreal Trail Club as well as representing Canada at ITRA (International Trail Running Association). Secret fact: Sebastien is known for his bohemian taste in legging wear!   THIBAULT CROCHON, GRENOBLE (BUT PREVIOUSLY MONTREAL!) (RACE BIB #3112)  Thibault also competes in the CCC today, he has been preparing for many months and whilst no longer a resident of Canada we still think of him as such… He helped found the Montreal Trail Running club and has been personally responsible for putting this writer (me) through many hours of pain (or fun depending on how long after we’re talking about) and most recently led and hosted members of the Montreal Trail Club in his native alps for the Marathon du Mont Blanc and Ice Trail Tarentaise races. Thibault we wish you all the best! Secret fact: Thibault ensures he never runs out of XACT ENERGY even when in the hexagon (France) by ordering them from our friends at trailstore.fr

JACQUES AUBIN, MASTER OF CEREMONIES EXTRAORDINAIRE! That was a pretty awesome celebration of trail running Monday night at the SAT! Thanks to everyone in the Montreal trail community for coming out and supporting Trails in Motion 3… It was great to chat over a beer (O.K. so it was a little watery!) to meet-up with friends and make some new ones; as well as to support a fantastic cause, Courir Pour la Vie, a suicide prevention charity. JACQUES AUBIN WILL RUN ANYWHERE: ST-DONAT’S VIETNAM, THE WHITE MOUNTAINS, AN IRONMAN… YOU NAME IT!   Jacques Aubin, dressed in full ultra trail gear got the evening off to a start in typical, Jacques Aubin style: 100% passion and energy! Jacques talked about not only the great films that make up Trails In Motion, but also the thriving trail community and the the number of great local, Quebec companies contributing to the healthy trail scene here in Canada, a good number of whom were at the event as exhibitors. Notable guests and speakers included the well-known actor and runner Pat Godin… JOAN ROCH, HONORARY PRESIDENT and Joan Roach gave a short speech underlining the explosion in talent, in the quality and the number of trail running events and locations in Quebec. One of the highlights of the evening was when Ultra Trail Harricana co-founder, Sebastien Côté, who had flown in from Paris from the Ultra Trail World Tour presentation, announced the news that UTHC, recently selected to be part of the 2016 World Tour, had chosen to support The Quebec Tour of Trails In Motion 3. The organization is particularly sensitive to the charitable cause of the film festival: Courir Pour la Vie. Sebastien described to the assembled 250+ audience that Charlevoix, host to the UTHC, has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, so supporting the film festival and Courir Pour la Vie was a natural choice for the young race organizers.   JOAN ROCH, HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE QUEBEC TOUR OF TRAILS IN MOTION 3 PICTURED HERE AT UTMB, CHAMONIX, FRANCE CHALLENGE IRCM MAY 2016 It’s also great to see all the people in the various organizations that contribute to the exploding Quebec trail-running scene come out to support this kind of event, and meet them in person… Steves Morin, founder and organiser of the Institut de Recherche Clinique de Montreal (IRCM) Challenge told the audience how since 2010, the IRCM Challenge invites everyone, elite and 1st-timer runners alike, children and adults, to take part in the fund-raising races held each May on Mount Royal, right in the heart of Montreal. 3 races: 1 km for under 12’s, a 5 km race for all anyone (run or walk), and a 10-km trail race for avid runners wanting to get off the beaten track, literally.Participating in the IRCM Challenge means encouraging the future generation of researchers who will meet tomorrow’s challenges. CHALLENGE IRCM ANNOUNCED THEIR 2016 EDITION OF THE FUNDRAISING TRAIL RACE THAT TAKES PLACE EACH MAY RIGHT IN THE HEART OF MONTREAL   LOCAL COMPANIES SUPPLYING THE TRAIL COMMUNITY Did you know that XACT is a local family-run company, based right here in Montreal? That Ciele Athletics has been in business barely 1 year and is making waves across Canada as well as abroad and was started by 2 young dynamic Montrealers? That one of our favourite trail races,  Ultra Trail Harricana de Charlevoix (just selected to be part of the Ultra Trail World Tour) was founded by two young Quebecers? Not to mention Benoit Talbot Coaching and Stephanie Cote Nutritionist, two dynamic Quebecers that have founded a trail running coaching company and authoring a recipe book specifically for running…. Thanks for coming out, making it a “sold-out crowd” and fortunately there were some chairs that could be stolen from the bar as it was standing room only! Thank you for your support and we’re already thinking about making the 2016 edition better! Suggestions / comments by email (info@xactnutrition.com) or email Facebook: Lawrence Colsell LAWRENCE COLSELL, XACT NUTRITION, ORGANISER OF THE MONTREAL SCREENING PICTURED WITH COMPATRIOT, ALISTER GARDNER OF COURSE ET CIEAND TEAM SALOMON CANADA     The Québec Tour of Trails In Motion 3 was presented by Ultra Trail Harricana of Canada, supported by Accour Foundation. The charity partner is Courir Pour la Vie. The Montreal screening was produced and organized by XACT at the Société des Arts Technologiques.

By Alister Gardner - 5-7 min read   What better way to spend your long Thanksgiving weekend? The Fall colours are peaking and the trails are calling! Whether you are a rugged, seasoned ultra-running veteran or just dipping your toe in trail-running for the first time, fuelling yourself properly is the key to a happy, good race. To get started, here are our top 5 tips for your race this Bromont Ultra weekend: Your training should be as much about developing your nutrition strategy to be ready for race day as it is about developing your physical fitness.  By getting to know how your stomach reacts to different foods and how they help your energy levels, you can better develop your race day fuelling strategy. Start fuelling early.  Don’t wait until you are hungry or feeling like your energy is down.  By getting a few calories into your body early on in your race, you’ll be more likely to avoid bonking, plus, you will keep your digestive system active. Eating a little something more regularly is better than big feeds that are spread out.  Your digestive system will remain active so it will help you avoid digestive issues. Carbs are key (and always have been). There have been plenty of fashion diets that have come and gone but our muscles burn glucose best when it comes to moderate to high intensity exercise, and the best source is carbohydrates. Fats and protein come in handy when it comes to many hours out on the trail to the point where you’ll be missing meals.  Protein consumption will help avoid the body using its own protein (muscle mass) as a fuel source while fat  will be burned slowly alongside the carbohydrates. During the days leading up to the race.. For the two to three days prior to the race, you should aim for meals containing plenty of carbohydrates so that you can build up your glycogen reserves. Glycogen is what gives us the energy to run faster for the first 60 to 90 minutes. When those reserves are depleted and you start to feel sluggish, or even dizzy from lack of energy, this is called 'hitting the wall'. This is where energy gels and bars like XACT Energy come in handy!   Fuelling guide for the 6, 12, 15 and 25 km races  In short: Simple carbs and sensible hydration.  The harder you run, the more energy you burn and so you should aim to consume your carbs more regularly.  If you have a rough idea of the time it will take you to finish your race, you can use the table below to plan your fuelling strategy and know how many Energy bars you’ll need:    Bar  Every 30 mins.  Every 45 mins 1 30 45 2 1h 1h30 3 1h30 2h15 4 2h 3h 5 2h30 3h45 6 3h 4h30 7 3h30 5h15 8 4h 6h   While your fuelling strategy should be the same whatever the weather, your hydration strategy can vary a lot depending on the heat and humidity on race day. If you're running for more than 2 hours in hot weather and drinking a lot, aim for fluids with electrolytes.  The more you sweat, the more you will need to replace those fluids, and the more important electrolytes become.  Hydrating with many litres of water alone can lead to hyponatremia (a problem where your blood-salt level is too low).    Energy bars with added electrolytes, salty foods and salt tablets can help, but by drinking fluids with electrolytes already included is one thing less to think about and your fluid absorption will be improved.   Aid station notes - 6, 12 and 25 km races: On the 6 km course there are no fuelling or water stations: you will have to be 100% self-sufficient On the 12 km course there are 2 water stations. If you think your race will take over 60 minutes, bringing fluids and fuel with you is a good idea to supplement your run. On the 25 km course there are 2 water stations plus a full aid station at the 15th km. This station will be a handy spot to refuel as there is still one large climb up Mont Gale. 55 km Aid station notes  Despite the massive distance, the fast runners will be adopting a non-stop or minimum stop at feed stations; using energy bars and gels at regular intervals and not spending time resting at feed stations.  However, for most runners, it will be 8 or 9 hours out on the trails.  This means a slightly different nutrition strategy.   "Ideal amount to consume ..." Your main source of energy will still be simple carbohydrates. Again, the ideal amount to consume is 100 calories every 30 to 45 minutes. However, the idea of eating nothing but 15-20+ energy gels is probably heavy going for some (if not most) runners, so it will be handy to take advantage of the variety of foods available at the feed stations.  Salty chips, potatoes and broth will be a welcome change in taste to your primary fuel. What’s more, more complex carbs help you feel more satiated and provide additional, slower-burning carbs.   " No need to rush through the aid stations..." With so many hours on the trails, there is no need to rush through the aid stations (as you might do on a marathon).  Take a moment to eat and refill your hydration pack.  A couple of extra seconds fuelling at the feed station will more likely mean a better pace out on the trails, which will more than make up for the time lost.  Plus, a moment to chew will reduce the risk of indigestion.  There are three feed stations and five water stations along the course.      Aid station notes:  Feed stations are at 15, 32 and 48 kms, meaning a likely two to three hours gap between each one.  Carrying your own fuel will be important Using the table above you can calculate how many bars you will need. It might seem a lot but they are compact and portable, so a few more is better than not enough. Hydration will depend on the weather. There are regular water stations so filling up regularly could make sense rather than carrying a full bladder or bottle from the start which means extra weight carried...    80 & 160 km Races  It will be an early wake up call on the Saturday with the 160 starting at 6 am and the 80 starting at 7 am.  This means an early breakfast.  It is an important meal as it will be topping up your carb levels ready for the day ahead.   You will be finishing your race either later that evening or well into the next day.  On a regular day you will have eaten two or three meals in that time and have done relatively little activity.  This gives you an idea of the thousands of calories you need to fuel your race.     Simple carbs in the shape of Energy bars, gels and chews are a great way to get energy into your system fast, but as quickly as that energy comes it will go, so it is important to fuel often.  Regular and consistent intake will help control those ups and downs of energy but it also helps to mix in more complex carbohydrates, some fats and some proteins.  These will help you feel satiated as well as provide some diversity in what you’re eating.   It is worth noting that the ingredient maltodextrin is not a slow-burning carbohydrate source but actually has a higher glycemic index than glucose itself.  While rice, banana bread and pita bread may not be low on the glycemic index, they are still lower than glucose and maltodextrin and thus help you feel satiated while providing easy-to-absorb energy.  Salty foods at the feed stations will also help with your sodium intake as well as provide a welcome balance to the usually sweeter carb sources. "Sodium intake is very important..."   Sodium intake is very important during such long distances. Hydrating with water alone can quickly lead to hyponatremia and can slow down gastric emptying (that ‘sloshing around’ feeling in your stomach). So do not be shy to tuck into the salty foods at the feed station and use the electrolytes on the course.  You should also consider energy drinks with carbohydrates in them to help get more energy into your body, especially if you are having difficulty eating solids.   Drop bags (or if you are lucky, your support crew): You may have a particular food that you have been training with or love to eat when you are hungry (ice cream!!) and your drop bag or crew can get it to you while you are on the course.  Drop bags are also a handy way of carrying smaller amounts of gels and chews over the whole course, and you can refill your pockets at the aid stations.    Aid station notes: There are 4 feed stations and 5 water stations on the 80 km course. For the 160k there are 9 feed stations, with the addition of the base camp station at the halfway mark.  With 15-18 kms between feed stations, 2-4 hours of autonomy are required. This gives you an idea of how much food you need to carry between the aid stations, keeping in mind that drop bags and crew are not at every station. The nights will likely be cold so it will be important to plan to get your calories from food sources rather than to rely too much on fluids. More details on Bromont Ultra