Anaïs Quemener: when running becomes vital

The pack leader 🐺

Anaïs Quemener doesn’t have the build of a long-distance runner who clocks a half in 1h14. Standing 1.52 m tall and weighing 48 kg, this athlete is a fighter 🥊. Her main fight is against the clock ⏱️: 34 min for the 10 km, 1h14 for the half-marathon and 2h29 at the marathon in Berlin 🇩🇪. To train, she can count on the unwavering support of Jean-Yves Quemener, her dad 👨. Her other battle began in 2015, when Anaïs was 24. The athlete started fighting breast cancer as she was preparing for the French Athletics Championships 🇫🇷. Treatment began for 8 months 🎀. The toll was heavy: surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy… But Anaïs had only one thing on her mind: running 🏃. In fact, just a few months after the end of her illness, in 2016, she became French marathon champion 🏅. Because yes, even with stage 3 triple-negative cancer, stopping running was never an option. She kept training despite the illness, walking and jogging when necessary 🚶. She also founded, in 2020, her running club "La Meute". 

A symbol of resilience and driven by her fighting spirit, Anaïs is impressive. The athlete finished as the first Frenchwoman at the Paris Marathon in 2023, beating her previous record with a time of 2h32 and 12 seconds. Among many other races, she ran the Paris half in 1h14 and the Berlin Marathon in 2h29 (taking her to 7th place among women 🌍). Anaïs Quemener isn’t afraid of elevation gain either, as she won the Mont Ventoux Half Marathon in 2023, a road race featuring 1,610 m of elevation gain 🥵. For her, sport is more than just an activity—it is vital ❤️. 

A steely mindset used to never giving up 🦾

If cancer didn’t stop her, pregnancy didn’t either 🤰. The athlete’s 2024-2025 season was marked by a happy event 🍼. Anaïs Quemener ran until her 7th month of pregnancy and resumed physical activity 3 weeks after little Elyo arrived. Four months after her pregnancy, the athlete won the Chantilly Marathon in 2h45 💨. At 5 months postpartum, she took part in the Bretzel Ultra Tri: 5 marathons in 5 days 😲. She would rise to the challenge with flying colors, averaging 3h24 per marathon 👏. Inspiring and strong, Anaïs Quemener has left a written ✍️ and filmed record 📹 of her story. You can discover her journey in her own words in her book « All I Wanted Was to Run » 📕. Director Hélène Hadjiyianni made a documentary film about it in 2023, titled « Anaïs ». 

Anaïs Quemener is making her mark on the running world through her commitment, her contagious smile and her will to win 💛. She hopes to line up at the start of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and that’s all we wish for her.