The Devil's Key Trail Race 2026

Before the Race

Between ENDURrun and this race there was barely any recovery, let alone training. The fever and cough that followed stage 7 stayed with me through most of that week, and by the time I stood at the start line I had no idea whether my legs, or my lungs, had anything left to give. The only goal I allowed myself was to finish without hitting the wall — no expectations about time.

To feel a little bit more confident, I ran a 5k shakeout run the day before to see how my body reacted. The first 15 minutes were weird, feeling my legs heavy and unable to breathe through my nose. After that, I believe my body realized what was going on and changed my feelings to good. But that was too short to give any positive hope for what was about to come.

This time, instead of staying the night in the region, we decided to drive to the race. For that, we had to wake up at 4 am and take the road at 5 am. There was no traffic, so we arrived 30 minutes earlier, as planned, with plenty of time to pick up the race kit, use the porta potty, set up the last details, and attend the pre-race briefing.

Four Climbs, a Keyhole, Rocks, and Roots

The Beast, as this distance is called, runs almost entirely on the Bruce Trail, with a few blue-blazed side trails mixed in. It packs four major climbs and plenty of smaller ones into 66.6km, 1734m of elevation gain in total. The first one goes straight up the Devil's Glen ski hill; later the course squeezes through the "keyhole" on the Keyhole Side Trail, a crack in the rock barely wide enough for a runner and a pack, and follows the Mad River for a long stretch. The last big climb, through Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, tops out at the highest point on the entire Bruce Trail system.

Some sections are as technical as Quebec Mega Trail — rocks, roots, tight singletrack — but on a smaller scale, overall more runnable. QMT certainly gave me the skills and the strategy to run this race, but ENDURrun gave me the mental toughness not to even question that I was becoming a finisher that day.

The race has a theme that adds a bit of mysticism to the experience. The organizers sent an old-fashioned key by mail a few days before the event. Then they gave instructions about what to do with the key during the race. In this edition, we had to show the key at every aid station.

The Race

The race started on time, with nothing shorter than a ski mountain climb. We headed south to a 16 km loop on stunning, beautiful trails, with exuberant nature. That felt like a warm-up. Before heading north to the longer stretch of the course, we passed through the start of the race, where the 3rd aid station was located. I gave one more kiss to my family and ran alongside the Mad River.

We ran north and back south through the same trail, passing at the two aid stations on the way twice. My family and I thought that would be a good opportunity to train crewing for future, more gruelling, races. So, instead of just cheering, they helped me refill flasks, handing out food, and getting rid of garbage. They got many things right and many lessons learned for the next opportunity.

Every time I left an aid station heading north, I found a big uphill. That was tough. But the good news was that all those hills turned into downhills on my way back. That's really reassuring. However, the trail marking was really poor. That actually cost me time. From aid station 4 to 5, we only had trailblazers for guidance. As you can see in this cutting, I missed a sharp right turn. When I looked back, I saw two trails marked the same way, and I didn’t know which one I came from. So, I picked the wrong one until I met a runner behind me, who told me that I was running back too soon. Also, the section was really technical, and we had to choose between looking at the ground or at the blazers. That brief moment looking up could result in a stumble.

In the far north, the course takes the shape of a lollipop. It started raining when I was there, making the rocky section slippery. The stretch of thunderstorms while running on the most technical part of the course made the experience more exciting. But only the noise and the scent made us aware of the rain, since the tree canopy over the Bruce Trail is dense enough that we barely felt any drops. I actually prefer running on trails when it rains because the scent of nature is pronounced and the green becomes more intense.

With more than 45 km completed, it was time to head back south. The course was now mostly downhill. I met my family again in the same aid stations, and it was noticeable how much they improved crewing after the initial attempts. The two kids replenished my two water flasks with water and electrolyte, and my wife got rid of the trash and replaced it with new gels she got from a pocket in my back. People around were really impressed by their efficiency. I'm really proud!

I passed 17 runners, 10 going north and 7 going south, and no runner passed me. That’s the game I like to play during the race to keep my excitement going. But the game was about to gain a new chapter as the end approached. Up to the 58 km mark, the last aid station, it was all about endurance, but the last 8.6 km was pure racing. In a trail full of curves and elevation changes, it is hard to know whether someone is behind me and how far away the next runner is. But there are straight sections good for checking those gaps. I tried to be discreet, looking back behind the bushes so they don't think I'm worried about them. For my surprise, I saw what made me push hard until the finish line: three runners locked on me!

I took my final gel and used what was left of my legs to sprint the remaining 4 km. Any noise was a reason for panic because it could mean someone was approaching. So I pushed even harder. The final stretch was a steep downhill I was speeding but being careful at the same time to not spoil my position at the last minute. I knew that, as soon as I saw the river and nobody was visibly around, my position would be preserved. I could hear the river flowing, feel its humidity. Then I finally saw it, ran side by side with it, and opened a big smile, running safely to the finish line.

The Finish

The Happy Trails' flags were waving, the loud music in the background, and everyone cheering out loud. There is nothing more welcoming than trail racing. To make it even more special, the winners waited at the finish area to greet all other finishers. My family was there too, and we talked so much about our experiences!

It was no surprise to see Rob Brouillette as the overall winner and new course record holder. Both of us ran ENDURrun Ultimate a week ago, and I could see how strong and well-prepared he was for this race. I'm a big fan!

I finished in 9:54:16, 25 minutes slower than the year before, a lot to explain by the sickness, the lost recovery week, and the time spent off course. Still, I got through 66.6km without hitting the wall, which was the only goal I'd set for myself.

Looking at the condition of my shoes after the race, I've made the easy decision to retire them. I didn't really like the HOKA Speedgoat 6, which is too tight on my feet. So, I'm on the market for a new pair of trail shoes.