The 68th Traversée internationale du Lac-Saint-Jean will be held on Saturday, an edition under the sign of the return of international participants.

Swimmers will leave Péribonka at 8:30 a.m. to go to Roberval, a 32 kilometer crossing.

Émilie Tremblay and William Racine are taking part in the crossing for the first time. They are the two Canadians who will participate in this event.

"It's the first time I've taken part in such a big event, it's really annoying," confirmed Émilie Tremblay.

Each of them has only one objective in mind, that of completing the crossing.

"I do triathlon, I learned to swim recently, compared to other swimmers, so I do it for the challenge really," said William Racine.

Even though the marathon swim is no longer part of the International Swimming Federation, 14 athletes will jump into Lac Saint-Jean this year.

“The response from swimmers is good, it’s a year of recovery. We are very happy, we did not expect to complete the 25 registrations,” said Olivier Lévesque, president of the Traversée internationale du Lac-Saint-Jean.

This recovery is also a breath of fresh air for Roberval.

“For our merchants and restaurants, it is the return to this strong economic period that allows them to take advantage of it. We feel this joy to return to the normal crossing. This is a plus for Roberval,” said the mayor of the municipality, Serge Bergeron.