MSA Uphill is the 5.0km vertical kilometre at Défi des Couleurs Simard 2026 (Jean Larose Falls, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada). The race starts on October 10, 2026 at 12:30 PM. It starts in Jean Larose Falls, Mont-Sainte-Anne and finishes in Mont-Sainte-Anne summit.
Short race: go all out.
The course climbs 770m+. With 154m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 85% of the distance is uphill, 0% downhill and 15% flat. The longest climb runs 5.0km at an average 15.0% grade (746m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.0% over 0.4km. Surface: 94% trail and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 9.8 FlatKM.
The highest summit on the course is Mont Sainte-Anne (808m), 5.0km from the start.
Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 2.0km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.
There is too little runnable descent to damage the quads: plan the race around climbing and fuelling.
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 9°C to 19°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 45%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 8% of days around this date.
223 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Meikael Beaudoin Rousseau (United States) in 28:55. Women's winner: Nina Engelhard (Germany) in 31:42.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for MSA Uphill.
Other distances of Défi des Couleurs Simard 202642 km Trail (42.0km)·32 km Trail (32.0km)·26 km Trail (26.0km)·21 km Sentier (21.0km)·17 km Trail (17.0km)·MSA Classic Up & Down (15.4km)·11 km Trail (11.0km)·10 km Sentier (10.0km)
Official websitewww.defidescouleurs.ca
