SANCTIONED BY THE FQA

Brave the lake in winter at night

Like its sister event SUNNY, La STARRY Traverse will take on a 37km course, starting from Dolbeau-Mistassini’s Centre Vauvert-sur-le-Lac-Saint-Jean and finishing at Chalets et Spa Lac St-Jean. The STARRY Traverse is the most demanding of the CRYO races. The only one of its kind, this crossing allows athletes who are up to the challenge to run in winter, in the dark, on magnificent lac St-Jean. The STARRY Traverse adventure begins just before sunset. Athletes take to the lake on a groomed, marked trail interspersed with refreshment points. In the middle of lac Saint-Jean, on the endless white lake, they’ll experience a change of scenery for sure.

It represents a major challenge, forcing participants to deal with nature, in the middle of the night, and to face up to the unpredictable. This event is aimed at hardened and experienced athletes who are used to running long distances and making a significant physical effort in a winter context, since the maximum time to complete the crossing will be reduced, passage times will be much more restrictive, and weather conditions may be less clement than for the SUNNY Traverse.

Participants have a maximum of 5 h 30 to complete the crossing.

This event is aimed at riders who meet one of the following criteria:

• Have completed an ultra trail race (over 42.2km) within the last 2 years
• OR have completed a marathon in under 3h30
• OR have completed the Micro-CRYO in under 1h40
• Important asset: winter running experience (micro-CRYO, polar trail, etc.)

In all, a maximum of 40 people will have the chance to take up this major challenge next February. Once this number has been reached, a committee of experts will evaluate the candidacies of those who have registered for the STARRY Traverse. As a result, proof may be required, and some people may be redirected to the SUNNY Traverse. These decisions will be final and without appeal.

Each participant is commited to raising $1,000 in donations for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, which helps young cancer patients regain their well-being by offering them the chance to take part in a therapeutic adventure expedition. Please note that fundraising is mandatory. Only participants who have completed 100% of their fundraising will be able to set off on February 24.

Are you ready to brave the night, the wind, the cold, the lake?

LOGISTICS

SUMMARY SCHEDULE

1:30 p.m. Departure of the shuttle bus (provided for all athletes from Chambord finish to Vauvert race start).

3:45 p.m. Meeting of athletes at the starting site.

4:00 p.m. Departure of the STARRY Traverse.

MANDATORY EQUIPMENT

IMPORTANT: THE LIST OF MANDATORY EQUIPMENT IS THE SAME FOR ATHLETES ON THE STARRY TRAVERSE, SUNNY TRAVERSE OR MICRO-CRYO. AS WEATHER CONDITIONS ON LAC ST-JEAN CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY, THIS EQUIPMENT COULD COME IN HANDY AT ANY TIME!

For the start of your event, we strongly recommend that you wear multi-layered clothing that allows you to easily add or remove layers as needed, depending on weather conditions. To increase your visibility to the CRYO race team once you’re on the lake, we recommend that you wear colorful clothing if possible.

In addition to the clothing you’ll be wearing at the start of your race, here’s a list of mandatory equipment to carry with you throughout your race.

Running shoes suitable for cold weather (trail or winter shoes) No road or street running shoes will be accepted.
Lined insulating coat (ideally synthetic).

👍🏼The Thorium hoody jacket

👍🏼The Cerium hoody

👍🏼The Atom hoody + wind jacket

👎🏼 Atom hoody alone (as it does not provide sufficient protection)

IN YOUR RACE BAG, WHICH YOU’LL NEED TO CARRY WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE EVENT, YOU’LL NEED THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF CLOTHING:

• • Second lined insulating coat that you won’t be wearing in the first place. This coat can be made of down since you shouldn’t wear it when doing physical activity;
  • Windproof coat, if not already worn;
  • Spare gloves or mittens;
  • Spare neck warmer or tubular scarf;
  • Spare tuque;
  • Spare socks;
  • Long running pants, which the organizers may require you to wear depending on weather conditions;
• Cell phone with fully charged battery (plan to keep it as warm as possible with hand warmers);
• Survival blanket;
• Foot and hand warmers;
• Eye protection, ski goggles as this is the only option that doesn’t fog up;
• Whistle;
• Reflective strips on your clothing;
• Race rucksack that can hold all your extra gear and allow you to add clothes that you can remove as needed;
• Necessary medication (asthma, EpiPen, etc.);
• Health insurance card;
• Reusable glass (to reduce waste, no glass is available at refueling stations. You are responsible for bringing your own bottles, glasses or any other container of your choice);
• Headlamp with at least 100 lumens maximum charge (bring spare batteries or a second lamp);
• 2 lights (bike light style) set to flashing mode (one on the bag + one on the front).

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT

• Gaiters ;
• Insulated liquid container ;
• Snowshoes (depending on trail conditions) – (It is possible to leave a pair of snowshoes in the drop bag for Traversée athletes);
• Crampons (depending on trail conditions);
• Energy supplements.

DROP BAG: STARRY Traverse athletes may drop off a clearly marked bag (first name, last name and distance) with a change of clothes and food at registration and bib pick-up. Bags must not exceed a capacity of 20 liters. Please identify your bag clearly. Bags will be available at the 3rd aid station, with 13 km to go.