Mario Boudreau

Inducted into the RunNB Hall of Fame: November 2012

Mario has been a runner for more then 29 years and he accomplished a lot during those years as a runner, and he has been and still is an example for other runners in northern New-Brunswick, especially within his community. Here is a list of his accomplishments, as a runner and a builder in the running field.

Mario:

  • Ran a total of 31 marathons.
  • Is the only runner to have run all the editions of the Saint John By the Sea (NB) marathon.
  • Won the first edition of the Saint John By the Sea marathon with a time of 2:46.
  • Participated in the Boston marathon twice but qualified many times.
  • Ran many half-marathons.
  • Ran a multitude of 10km races.
  • Was part of the team that won the Cabot Trail NS relay race in 1996.
  • Participated in the World Cup Cross Country Ski competition in Lake Placid USA and also on another occasion in Labrador NL.
  • Has completed 2 half ironman, one in Tracadie in 2008 and one in Frederiction in 2009.

Builder…Mario

  • Was part of the team of runners who started the 10km Chaleur race which will celebrate it's 20th anniversary this summer.
  • Was part of the team of runners who built the Chaleur Running Club (Club de Coureurs Chaleur) in Beresford.
  • Builds programs for new runners and has them posted in the local newspapers to help people start running and get ready for their first 5km or 10km.
  • Was the first in the province to introduce run for kids (300m and 1km) held during the yearly 10km Chaleur race. It is free and children receive a medal for participating. It is a great success.
  • Was part of the team for the Bruce Hadley Memorial Run and was able to raise $2000.00 for the cause.
  • Has been able to raise $6,730 for the Lung Run in October 1994.
  • Has been President of the Chaleur Running Club for many years and is the spokesperson for the Club, and participates in many interviews, both radio and newspaper.
  • Will be the person responsible for organizing all the running events for the upcoming Games for Seniors (Jeux Seniors de l'Acadie) in the summer of 2009.
  • Mario started running in 1988
  • joined Chaleur Running Club in 1990
  • ran first marathon in 1991 in Montreal with a time of 3:07
  • ran the New York City Marathon in 1992
  • ran the Boston marathon and qualified many times.
  • 1995, won the first edition of the Marathon By The Sea in Saint-John, NB with a time of 2:46
  • Mario is the only runner who completed the first 15 consecutive editions of the Marathon-By-The-Sea in Saint-John, NB
  • 1995, became president of the Chaleur Running Club. At that time, there were around 50 members. Mario brought the club membership up to 150 members.
  • The club's 10km race, held yearly for the last 23 years, has seen participation go from 150 to now over 700 in 2012, with Mario being the president and main organiser of the event.
  • Mario brought the idea of having fun runs for the children after the main running event at the 10km race, it was an innovative idea that was reproduced at other events since.
  • In 2008, Mario started organizing fun runs to get people active and involved in running; and many of those new runners have gone to run 10km races, half, and full marathons.
  • Mario completed 33 marathons, one Ironman (2011) with a time of 11:35 and a 3rd position in his age category, and many other races such as 10km, half-marathons and half-ironmans.
  • In 2012, was recognized by the village of Nigadoo and the City of Beresford for Sports Development and exceptional contribution to the well-being of the community.
  • Mario is currently part of the organizing committee for the new 10km race to be held in Bathurst starting in the fall of 2013.

The Chaleur Running Club is proud of Mario and everything that he has accomplished. He has very positive energy and has influenced many individuals to start and continue to be active in the sport of running; he teaches by example and continues to build utilizing his energy and experience.

Mario Boudreau from Beresford will be inducted as a builder to the Hall. Mario has been running for 29 years and is an accomplished marathoner running 31 in total. He won the first edition of the Saint John by the Sea marathon with a time of 2:46.

Although a great runner, Mario is best know for his organizational abilities in building the Chaleur Running Club in Beresford. As president of the club for numerous years, Mario introduced many programs for kids and adults alike.

Photos