D13 – 52.5Km
‘A so long day for a so short stage! When you are a 3 hours marathon runner (Serge takes part in very few competitions but ran the Paris Marathon 2003 in 3h07 ‘), when you like so much to run but not to walk, to spend 10 long hours to cover 50 K is a psychologically very painful test . However, when it comes to end, it can only reinforce you mental one. At the edge of exhaustion, Serge still folded without breaking over this new difficult day, agreed to shorten his stage, arming himself with patience, waiting to be able to give his legs back to the race. 52 K with the snatch since 4 AM until the shade of an enormous baobab tree which will shelter us for the night. The fact is enough rare to be noted, Serge will run only during the two last hours of its progression. Only good news of the day, it always makes (too much) hot but definitely less wet and the night temperature approaches acceptable, something like the simple canicular summer of our temperate areas that we left a few weeks ago. Accompanied by Stéphan which goes to its sides during several kilometres, Serge moans and groans, incompetent to catch up with his walk an inacessible walker front of him… the landscapes of this Malian Far-West crossed today will undoubtedly have helped it not to sink, like the very many isolated walkers, crossed or passed all day long. The bush as far as the eye can see and its many herds of zebus guided by proud cow-boys. From village to village, one travels as in a book, answering the hello of the populations in turn Sarakollé, Peul or Maure ones, recognizable with their different features and their vestimentary behaviours. With far, some camps of nomads are also guessed. We move to the North-East towards the town of the Nioro-du-Sahel, near to the southern border of Mauritania.After Ludo yesterday here is the 2nd presentation of team member, today Rémy (photo 5 above). This genious handyman nicknamed Mac Giver from South America to Western Africa, is our mechanics chief engineer, the one in charge with the maintenance of the two vehicles (a Toyota HDJ8 and Saviem TP3 equipped with a air-conditioned cell) and everything from the power generating unit to the tap of shower. Former owner of an automobile garage in Pas-de-Calais, it carried out a U-turn three years and half, leaving the businesses to migrate towards French Guyana, South America, where it resides since, in edge of Amazonian rainforest. He met Serge last summer on Transe Gaule Footrace, a stage race through France in which they both took part (Serge finished 2nd and Rémy 23th). Rémy embarked for Africa with a full paperboard of 40 kilos of pencils offered by a generous giver and friend of Boulogne-sur-Mer, which it distributes daily to the children who send it back to him in as many smiles. He likes its small truck so much that he transformed its cabin into an apartment for night where he falls asleep after a Amsterdamer rolled cigarette, listening to some zouk music.’
