Laurentians nurse makes Canadian ultra-marathon history

Sandra Lafontaine is the first Canadian woman to complete the Grand Slam of Ultra-Marathons, finishing four ultra-distance events in eight months.

A Laurentians emergency room nurse made ultra-marathon history this month.

Sandra Lafontaine is the first Canadian woman to complete the Grand Slam of Ultra-Marathons, which consists of four major ultra-distance events, each spanning hundreds of miles, all finished within eight months.

Lafontaine is also the first Canadian to accomplish the feat.

“It was extraordinary!” she said.

She has run 40 ultra-marathons in the last 11 years, each ranging from 57 to 500 kilometres. Lafontaine said the races are more about endurance than speed.

She added that the training has helped her handle 16-hour nursing shifts in the Ste-Agathe-des-Monts Hospital emergency department.

“It helps with endorphins, it calms the system.”

Lafontaine said the endorphins she gets from about 20 hours of weekly training in the Laurentians help her focus and concentrate on the job.

“My colleagues are very impressed by me but they also think I’m crazy to do this big races!”

At 49 and injury-free, Lafontaine is already filling her 2026 calendar with more challenges.

The first is a February night run, which she describes as “In the dark, in the mountains, in the trail,” adding that running ultra-marathons is not a hobby — it’s her way of life.