One of our team members from Rivière-du-Loup will run the Boston Marathon! Jean-Robert Boudreau started running just 5 years ago, and this will be his 4th marathon! For the past 14 years, he has been a team member at Premier Tech as a Manager of a specialized engineering team in robotic systems.
From neophyte to marathoner
Five years ago, friends and team members who run influenced him and gave him a taste of the sport. It was during an event commemorating the tragedy of the Boston Marathon in 2013 that he tried running for the first time. To mark the occasion, people in town were invited to run for 42 minutes to symbolize the 42 km of a marathon.
“I realized that I had been making good time and that I had already done a good distance. I had never run before in my life, I always thought it looked really boring! But that day it just clicked, and I haven’t stopped since. It has become a passion,” enthusiastically explained the marathoner.
To reach this level, Jean-Robert obviously had to climb a few rungs. As little as 3 weeks after his first running experience, he took part in a 5 km race at La Pointe in Rivière-du-Loup! He then ran a half marathon that same summer, and a year later, he ran his very first marathon in Ottawa. When you have a specific goal in mind, you can reach it with a lot of effort and probably a little sweat too!
His goal: to complete a distance of 42.2 km in the streets of Boston in the company of 32,000 other runners.
Always pushing further
In light of his athletic evolution, Jean-Robert is obviously a man of challenges, even in his work. He joined the company in the field of engineering, and as a result of his leadership, he was given a team management role a few years later. His task is to coordinate, organize, and manage the implementation of robotic cell projects that are then sold to different clients across North America. Quite something to manage!
Obviously, perseverance and rigor are required when he runs projects of this size, and the same holds true for running. He runs four to five times a week, plays hockey with other team members, and even does cross-country skiing in the winter. A full life for a tireless athlete!
"You have to be perseverant and tough when training, otherwise you won’t get results. A marathon also happens a lot in the mind: after the first 25 km, it is necessary to talk to yourself. What's important to me is to think that I'm going to cross the finish line and to be proud to have finished, which helps forget the pain of the 42 km," says Jean-Robert, with his feet in Rivière-du-Loup but his head already in Boston
Last year he joined the Club Filoup, where he has the chance to share his passion with other runners. “It motivates me a lot more to run in a group,” he said. Like at Premier Tech, we see the power of team work!
Towards a new path
Eager for new adventures, Jean-Robert has decided to put the marathon aside after Boston, but it will be, by no means, the end of running. Instead, he plans to try cross-country competitions and will probably continue to run half-marathons.
"I did a cross-country competition in Charlevoix and I found that it was less difficult mentally and physically. It's different, the time is not so important, and it goes quickly since we always have to watch where we are putting our feet," he concludes.
Are you a runner that is looking to join other passionate runners at Premier Tech? Apply at www.premiertech.com/en/jobs-search!
