J3 – 12/20/2005

What a great day, rich in encounters !  Hot coffee and croissants offered at the town hall of Bonsecours were just what Serge needed before setting off in icy early morning fog.

The assistance vehicle was manned by 3 people : Virginie, Raphaël and Christophe.  Virginie came from Paris to follow Serge for a day and even to run with him.  She heads up the Deleage Expansion Company, one of the partners of this expedition.

Serge and his three followers arrived in Saint-Paër at 11H00.  They received a warm welcome organized by the club of ’30 bornes de St.-Paër”.  Hot wine was very comforting and our small group left with  t-shirt and sweat shirt souvenirs.

In the photos you can see that Serge is often stopped. He slowed his pace in order to arrive as planned in Bréauté at 17H30. There were over a hundred people on hand to welcome him.  The atmosphere was euphoric and not just because of the hot wine.  Serge kept his smile the whole day, happy to share with local runners these few kilometers in Normandy.

Tonight we sleep at home after having slept two nights in hotels:  the Mercure in Meulan and the Champ de Mars in Rouen.  This will enabled us to make a last minute check before the nine-months which will lead us to Tokyo.