EMILY HSUEH
QUEBEC May 15, 2021
A man and his muscles from Île du Grand Calumet are going up against some of the world’s most chiseled challengers after sweeping a national bodybuilding competition last month.
Marc Pieschke competed at the . . .
International Drug Free Athletics natural bodybuilding competition on May 15, taking home two first place and one second place standings. Provincially, he won second for transformation, having lost 117 pounds in the last 8 years, first place for the masters category for contestants over 40 and first place for the open category of 18 and up.
Because he placed first in the open category, he was immediately eligible to represent Quebec on the national level, where he placed second in the country against New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.
Pieschke was proud of his accomplishments, having just turned 50 on May 12 and being one of the older competitors. However, he was surprised to learn his winnings did not end there.
“I got a telephone call last Friday from the Federation, and since I finished second — they usually only let the winner go international — I received a call at 9 p.m. that they were inviting me to go to the internationals since there was no one over 40 years old for the old-timers,” he said. “So they wanted me to go international to represent Canada.
“It’s a dream. I never even imagined [competing in nationals] and now I’m going international on the fifth of June.”
The competition was all done online, as will be the upcoming international competition. Due to the intense nature of bodybuilding, he will not have to keep training for the next event; his submission from the last contest will be used again.
Pieschke started on his bodybuilding journey eight years ago. He weighed in at nearly 280 pounds and began experiencing back and knee pain and breathing problems. He had done some bodybuilding in his past as a teenager, but after getting married and growing a family, he gained a lot of weight.
To remedy his health issues, he went back to the gym and stuck to a diet and noticed he was losing weight fast. He soon fell back in love with bodybuilding and has since dropped to 178 with an impressive 17 pounds of pure muscle.
Living in Malartic, Que. he owns a gym and coaches people of all ages and backgrounds.
“I used to work in the mines as a mine supervisor, but now with all the coaching — I have a passion for that — I coach twelve other people and I even help kids with problems with alcohol and things like that, I take them to the gym. I have a few clients that are finally off drugs. I try to work with all people,” he explained.
With his winnings, new opportunities are opening up for Pieschke and he sees a full-time career in fitness as a likely path.
“It’s changing a lot of things and a lot of doors are opening right now. Maybe I’ll have a change in career.”
Though he left Calumet some years ago, he frequently visits his Pontiac home and says he is proud to be from the region. He noted that he would love to return one day to help Pontiacers achieve their fitness goals as he did.
“I’m proud to be from the Pontiac and maybe one day I’ll come back and try to help out, maybe do a gym,” he said. “I want the people of the region to know that I’m from around here and it’s like a dream. It’s never too late to get back in shape.”
