Olivier Duhaime has never been a stranger to taking on hard challenges. Running his first marathon at just 18 was a gateway into endurance sport; the Gatineau native tackled events from the Ironman to ultramarathons and even a multi-day cross-province run from Quebec City to Ottawa. But a shocking cancer diagnosis in late 2021 put a pause to his endurance-sport lifestyle and presented a test of perseverance unlike any he’d faced before.
From training every day to barely being able to get out of bed, Olivier was faced with a mountain to climb that dwarfed even his longest trail ultras. But from a lifetime spent pushing his body to do the impossible, he knew that at rock bottom there’s nowhere to go but up. And after 51 rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, he emerged from a years-long battle cancer-free.
Next week, Olivier will make his long-anticipated return to a marathon starting line close to home at the Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon, where he’ll toe the line in support of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation whose care helped save his life.
Olivier joins The Shakeout Podcast to share his journey of recovery and his return to full-intensity marathon training, and why this marathon carries extra importance as he raises awareness and funds for the system of care that gave him back his health.
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