1989
Pierre takes part in his first triathlon and finishes second to last.
1992
Pierre participates in his first Ironman competition. He has a strong race and finishes first overall!
1996
Pierre wins his age group at the Ironman World Championships held in Hawaii. He also finishes in the top 3 of his age group in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2013, even setting a new world record in 2005!
Pierre and his wife Lynne became first time parents of a healthy boy named Bruno-Pierre in 1991.
Their second child, Laurie, was born in 1993. Pierre and Lynne were informed that she suffered from lactic acidosis, an orphan disease to which there was no known cure. The disease took Laurie’s life in 1997.
Raphaël, Pierre and Lynne’s third child, was born in 1998. He also suffered from lactic acidosis and died at the age of 20 months.
Pierre and Lynne became proud parents of a fourth child, Joly-Ann in 2004. Thankfully, she was not affected by the lactic acidosis disease.
Laurie
Their third children, Raphael
Bruno-Pierre
Lynne and Joly-ann
Lactic acidosis is a very rare hereditary disease that affects children from birth. Children affected by this medical condition generally experience muscle weakness and are susceptible to viruses and illnesses. They are also prone to acidotic crisis, which can be fatal.
A hereditary disease is an illness transmitted at birth by the mother, father or sometimes by both parents.
1999 : Pierre Lavoie launches the first edition of “The Défi Pierre Lavoie” (“Pierre Lavoie’s Challenge”) in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec. During the challenge, Pierre rides is road bike for 650 km in 24 hours in order to raise awareness towards the lactic acidosis disease. The “Défi Pierre Lavoie” is such a success that Pierre holds it again in 2000, 2002 and 2005.
2005 : During his ride, Pierre challenged children from the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean area to do 15 minutes of physical activity every day in order to get the chance to cycle with him for 1 km. The challenge was so popular that it convinced Pierre to expand it to all children across Québec, setting the stage for “Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie” (Pierre Lavoie’s Great Challenge) and the “Energy Cube Challenge” !
The first Défi Pierre Lavoie
Beginning of the
GRAND défi Pierre Lavoie
Pierre Lavoie launches a new challenge for kids: grey matter cubes!
2011: Pierre Lavoie launches a new challenge for kids: grey matter cubes! That’s because healthy life habits include moving more, eating better… and working hard in school!
2012: The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie au secondaire is launched as a pilot project. Twenty-one secondary schools took part in a relay race between Québec and Montréal.
