Participant’s Guide

Consult the Participant’s Guide to discover the resources at your disposal to help you enjoy the best possible experience on Challenge weekend. 

Private Facebook group link

Join us on the Challenge's private Facebook group! Expert updates, tips and tricks to keep you motivated, important reminders, the ability to share photos or videos… being part of the Challenge’s private group has its advantages!

Training programs

The FitSpirit Mother/Daughter Challenge comprises a 20, 30 or 40 km walk, run or bike ride in teams, over two days. Once you have chosen the distance you would like to complete and how you will complete it, you can follow the corresponding training program. Each eight week long program (from June 21st to August 13th) has been carefully crafted by experts and will help you finish the challenge both safely and with a smile on your face!

Runners:

  • Beginner (for those who plan to run a maximum of 5 km each day for the Challenge).
  • Intermediate/advanced (for those who plan to run more than 5 km each day for the Challenge).

Walkers:

  • For all levels.

Cyclists:

  • For all levels.

We are grateful for the support of The Running Clinic and Isabelle Gagnon, kinesiologist, for designing these training programs.

Weekly missions

Over the eight weeks of training leading into the event, we will give you a mission that may admittedly be silly (but always fun) to complete.

Free personal accompaniment and support

We have a kinesiologist and a nutritionist on hand to answer all your questions, confidentially, by email, throughout the training. Please feel free to contact them!

  • Valentina Gancia-Godoy is a nutritionist who is passionate about sports and eating well. Write to her for all your questions on nutrition: [email protected].
  • Kathy Landry is a kinesiologist who is available to offer advice tailored to your needs on staying active for fun, safely and efficiently. You can write to her at any time: [email protected].

Video tips from the experts

To help you during your training, check out our private Facebook group for weekly short videos created by five renowned sports experts from a variety of fields.

  • Cycling:
    Simone Boilard, Student and avid road cyclist
    A cycling enthusiast from a very young age, Simone eventually rode her way to a podium position at the World Junior Championships in Austria in 2018. Following an injury, Simone has been in recovery for the past two years, but she is convinced that the Challenge will motivate her more than any medal ever could. In addition to her career as a cyclist, she loves all sports, challenges, nature, cooking, a good book and the many precious moments she spends with her family!

  • Running: 
    Natacha Gagné, Kinesiologist and Teacher of Physical Education and Health
    Founder of the Grand club de course (running club for kids) in Quebec City, Natacha designs hundreds of training programs for people of all fitness levels every year. She is also the author and co-author of several physical activity books for people of every age, a regular sports columnist for the Journal de Québec and a speaker and trainer at The Running Clinic.

    Anne Bouchard, Corporate Tax Director at Innergex and trail-running athlete
    For Anne, trail running is a way of life, one that gives her the daily energy she needs to succeed. As a member of The North Face Canadian athletic team, Anne competes in both local and international running events and loves to share her values of solidarity and cooperation through her running community.

  • Nutrition:
    Valentina Gancia-Godoy, Dt.P, Nutritionist
    Valentina’s goal in life is to motivate as many people as possible to be physically active and eat well! A specialized sports nutritionist, she works with a very active clientele, giving them the advice and support they need to adopt healthy eating habits that foster a love of food.

  • Motivation:   
    Isabelle Doré, Ph. D. Professor at the Université de Montréal and Researcher at the CRCHUM
    Isabelle’s academic work focuses on physical activity as a strategy for promoting mental health and reducing the risk of anxiety and depressive disorders. Her research interests focus on teens and young adults, people with cancer, transplant recipients and those with suppressed immune systems.

We want you to keep us posted!

Share your ups and downs during training and your weekly missions by regularly submitting photos or videos to the Challenge’s private Facebook group. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can send your photos and videos to [email protected]. A video made up of all the photos and footage you share will be produced to commemorate the entire experience… a great way to remember and look back on your mother-daughter adventure!

Fundraising

FitSpirit Mother/Daughter Challenge registration is free. Instead, we encourage teams to raise funds for FitSpirit, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to get teenage girls to stay physically active for life. The goal of the event is to raise $300,000. Below is a toolbox to help you with fundraising.

Teams that choose not to fundraise can decide to do so at a later time. Simply log in to your team’s profile using your access code. To make a donation, even when there is no objective, simply click the “Donate” button on your profile page.

Toolbox

Guide to support your fundraising
Letter template for your fundraising
Participant's Guide
Template for Challenge Bib 

 

Contact information

For any question regarding the FitSpirit Mother/Daughter Challenge: [email protected] or toll free 1-855-430-5322 ext. 121