On May 5, 2022, Denis Therrien’s life was turned upside down when he was told that he had Parkinson’s disease. Founder of the Quebec City Marathon in 1998 and a leading figure in the world of running in Quebec, the 72-year-old man decided that he was not going to let the disease outrun him.
Mr. Therrien, who was named honorary president of the 25e edition of the Quebec City Marathon, whose events will be held Saturday and Sunday in the streets of the old capital, decided that illness would not overcome his desire to promote healthy lifestyle habits.
With around forty relatives, including several former members of his team of volunteers when he was at the head of the marathon, he will take part in the 10 km event on Saturday morning.
Given his situation, he will cover this distance by walking.
“I’ll finish it, trust me. On my own two feet, too,” he promised.
A sledgehammer
Mr. Therrien received the official diagnosis in 2022, four years after he began to feel the first effects of this degenerative disease.
“That, and a blow from a club to the back of the head… When I got home, I collapsed. It’s been a difficult time because it also involves your family. My wife, her life has changed, my children and my grandchildren too,” he confided, his eyes red with emotion.
Once the shock passed, Mr. Therrien made the decision to fight. Five to six times a week, he walks a distance of 5 km. Sometimes, when he feels good, he also adds some running intervals.
“We have to move, otherwise what does it give me to be here? Otherwise, it’s medical assistance in dying and I don’t want that. I want to see my grandchildren grow up.”
As of yesterday, Denis Therrien had raised $45,000 for the Parkinson Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches organization.
A baby grown up
After participating in the marathon launch conference, Mr. Therrien answered questions from journalists on site for a good ten minutes, standing up straight and, above all, extremely proud of what his baby has become.
Because even though he has no longer been at the helm of the Quebec Marathon since 2015, the event is still an integral part of who he is.
You have to see him when he talks about the first edition in which 2,160 runners participated, the reactions aroused by the success of this first or the fact that the event was ranked the fifth best city marathon in the world by the magazine Runners World in 2013. Each time, he has stars in his eyes.
“When you give birth to a child, you remain a father or mother for the rest of your life. […] You watch him grow, age and become an adult, reaching maturity. I created this event and carried it at arm’s length. It wasn’t always easy but we managed to deliver a high-end product,” he proudly said, adding that he was very happy with what the marathon has become since the purchase of Gestev in 2015.
As a good father, Mr. Therrien will be there at the end of the week to witness the evolution of his baby, who has now become a 25-year-old adult.
And he will do it with a smile.
“I’m not dead, I’m still very much alive and I’m still running.”
