Guy Pilon JR: The Obstacle Trainer

Guy Pilon JR thrives on running, challenges, and intense training. In 2012, alongside his partner Mélissa Boisjoli, he founded Obstacles, a company offering a training course specifically designed to prepare for obstacle races.

As the training season kicks into full gear and new sessions are constantly added, we sat down with him to talk about passion, perseverance, and, well, a little bit of his life. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation.

“Whether your goal is to improve in a specific sport, work on obstacle-clearing techniques, or simply train outdoors in a group for fun—you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

Patrick: Guy, how did you and Mélissa discover obstacle racing?

Guy: Through Facebook—it’s that silly! In 2011, it was the second year of Spartan Race. It was still very small back then, and Mélissa saw her cousin post about an upcoming race. She thought it looked awesome.

P: Can you describe what a Spartan Race is?

G: Spartan Race is one of many obstacle races, but it’s the one that really put the sport on the map in Quebec. There are different formats: the Sprint (5–8 km), the Super (12–15 km), and the Beast (20–25 km). Each comes with a set of physical challenges to overcome. Other races have followed since, but Spartan laid the foundation. That said, XMAN Race is now voted the most exciting race in Quebec.

P: What kinds of obstacles are we talking about?

G: Anything from climbing, trench crawling, balance tests, javelin throwing, weight carrying, and rope climbs. In the Beast race, you even have to memorize a 10-character alphanumeric code and recall it 8 km later. So, it’s mental too.

P: What do you love about these kinds of races?

G: The group training and the team spirit that naturally forms. Even if you show up to a race alone, you’ll leave with 10 new friends. People help each other out—it’s incredibly supportive.

P: What do people love about Obstacles?

G: Many of our participants never actually run races—that’s not their goal. What we offer is an outdoor group boot camp that draws people in. Yes, we have obstacle courses, but our training is so much more. We mix running, intervals, weight and bodyweight exercises—always supervised. Whether you’re there to level up your sport, tackle obstacles, or just enjoy an outdoor workout, we’ve got you covered. People push themselves without even realizing it.

P: Do you have a team working with you?

G: It’s just Mélissa and me, but our partnership with Centre Multisports will help us scale. I’ll still lead the sessions, but the Centre brings visibility, new trainers, new facilities. I’m excited about their vision for the region, and I’m glad we can be part of it.

P: What would you say to someone who wants to try a Spartan Race but doesn’t know where to start?

G: We train people from age 14 to 63—our oldest participant still races! You don’t need to be an athlete, but it’s not for someone who’s never run at all either. You should be able to jog for about 7–8 minutes. If you can make it through our warm-up, we can take care of the rest.