Isabelle Sauvé has always had a passion for challenges. In her younger days she competed for Algonquin Secondary School as a multi-sport athlete. Upon being selected as an OPP officer, she took up running to maintain her physical fitness while continuing to train in various martial arts.
After years of extensive training she graded for her first black belt in Okinawa Japan. She also earned a spot on the Canadian Jujitsu Team and competed in various international events.
From that humble beginning Isabelle has established herself as a top Canadian endurance athlete competing in some of the world’s harshest conditions. To gain an understanding as to what she has accomplished, this endurance racing involves a self-supported footrace of approximately 250-290km with the athlete carrying everything they need over a period of 5-6 days and covering between 50-100 kms per day. Competing in these events is one thing, but to win or place in the top three is a major accomplishment.
Isabelle’s first multi-stage race was the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert which is considered the world’s toughest footrace. Isabelle had the top Canadian performance at this event. In 2018, Isabelle won the 4 Deserts- Racing the Planet 1000km + Multi Stage Racing Series. This event is widely recognized as the most PRESTIGIOUS FOOTRACE series in the world. The series consists of the Namib Race (Namibia), Gobi March (Mongolia), Atacama Crossing (Chile) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). It is also known to be held in the driest, hottest, coldest, and windiest of all deserts. Isabelle also won several other ultra marathons. Of note, in 2017 she set a course record in the Ancient Khmer Path Cambodia Ultra 220km footrace followed by a top female finish in the Vietnam Raid des Buffles150km race. She also set a course record at Iceland’s toughest footrace called Fire and Ice in 2019.
Isabelle has competed in over 100 half, full and ultra-marathons with podium finishes. She has also set two Guinness World Records. In 2016 she set a world record in the Perth Kilted Marathon and followed that with a world record in the fastest mixed pair marathon in Baton Rouge Louisiana where she and her running mate were handcuffed together. The end result was an eclipsing of the current world record by 13 minutes! Aside from the ultra-sport competitions, Sauvé is also a former bodybuilding champion taking the overall women’s physique category title at the UFE Natural Bodybuilding Championships. She won gold at the Can-Am Police Games in the Biathlon event. She is also a former Canadian National Triathlon and Duathlon Champion and Multiple International Iron Man competitor. Thinking about competing in such a gruelling sport is one thing, but to actually do it and establish oneself as one of the world’s top athletes in the sport is a very special accomplishment.
Isabelle Sauvé ultra-sport competitor record holder and champion.