J257 – 8/31/2006

5 days until arrival in Tokyo, September 5 at 14H00 (local time) in the parking lot of the Prince Hotel.

For more information, click on the “Arrivée” icon on the welcome page of the website

As Michel said, a follower follows Serge, naturally, but sometimes he goes ahead to be sure he knows the road, find a hotel or the best place to bivouac, or stock up on food.  He thinks “Guardian Angel” might be a more appropriate word.  I would add some others: actors, links, escorts, friend, team mates, confidants.  Today, it’s the turn of Eliane and René, who faced the cold, then the heat, always with a sense of humor.  When you read their input you will see how Eliane’s practical side and Reneé’s sense of organization made a first rate duo.

ELIANE MARTINEAU (age 61)
Participated between MUNICH-ISTAMBUL and SHANGHAI-TOKYO
(She is still at the heart of the action)

A follower’s day is not an easy one. Up early, heat the water for the thermos bottles so meals will be hot, get the team’s breakfast before leaving, make sure nothing is missing for the day’s feedings.  When it was cold we warmed up the car and cleared the ice from the wind screen.

Everything is ready when Serge arrives, so no time is wasted. During the day, between 2 feedings, food has to be bought for several days.  In the winter there was no problem storing food but when it was hot we had to shop for food every day. At the end of the day, park the vehicles and ensure that nothing is missing for the next day.  Take out the luggage for the night (that was a lot of work), do the washing….All of that every day for several weeks, read months.

A follower has to be patient, considerate, attentive, quick, available, able to adapt to life in a group, to take initiative and accept all sorts of conditions. To be Serge’s follower means you have to be attentive because his days are long and difficult.  The 17 daily feedings are not always easy to manage.  Serge’s caloric needs vary depending on the time of day.

The weather and the temperature also play an important role.  If Serge’s body can’t accept something it’s up to us to find an equivalent and to adapt with what we are able to find in the country we are crossing.  Everything has to be ready at feeding time.  Serge can’t wait.  We watch for him and he eats while he walks so as not to waste time.

It’s difficult to imagine Serge on the road for 10 to 11 hours per day with extreme fluctuations: -20° with snow, which made the race very difficult.  There were entire days spent in the rain, soaked from head to feet and getting sprayed by passing vehicles.  50° at noon in the sun was just as difficult.  When it was hot he sweated profusely and had to drink a lot to compensate.

He asks so much of his body with such long days!  What courage, what tenacity.  How can he cover so many kilometers each day without a single day of rest?  It’s a question I have asked myself without finding an answer.  You have to be next to him to feel all he has endured, physically and psychologically. I’m full of admiration for this exploit.  One day I made note of  something Serge said: “In all athletic effort there is a physiological balance.”  When I committed to follow Serge on his journey, I wondered what conditions I would find living in a group and in such a cold period, because living around the clock with strangers is not always easy.  Will we sleep in tents or in the camper?  How will the days be organized?  It may be very tedious to spend 10 hours on the road and have to wait every 4 kilometers in all kinds of weather. What other jobs will I have to do beside feeding (washing dishes, laundry, straightening up, cooking, etc….)?

In the end, everything went very well and I shared moments of suffering and happiness.  It was a very positive experience.

RENE GIRARD (age 58)
Participated between MUNICH-TIRANA and ISTAMBUL-TEHERAN

LIFE DURING THE RACE:
Life in a group, at the pace set by Serge (getting up, preparing the departure, the race, the arrival…) But more than that, a life of discovery: scenery, populations, incidents — mostly unexpected because you know only two things for sure every day: the point of departure and more or less where you are going (depending on the kilometer objective of SERGIO).

THE ROLE OF THE FOLLOWER:
It’s being in the right place at the right time, with everything Serge needs and to make the race easier (including toilet paper)!
Examples: have the food and drink which suits the profile of the stage and the weather conditions and be at the place which is best suited to the runner’s needs and security.
But also, if it’s cold, with rain or snow: have a change of protective clothing: warm and dry cap, gloves and socks.  In the case of heat, have a hat, sunglasses and sun block.
Be there to prevent mishaps during the race: change of itinerary, stray dogs, high risk populations in some cities or countries.  Immediately have a solution and keep the other members of the group, who are not with us, informed of the situation.

THE MODEL FOLLOWER:
There is no age limit.  Someone who is ready to be helpful, has already experienced living in a group and can accept rules, someone having more good qualities than defects, someone who can adapt to all imaginable and unimaginable situations.  Someone who can smile even when things are difficult and who is able to say that for Serge it’s tougher and longer! Someone who can accept that today is more difficult than yesterday and will be less difficult than tomorrow, due to the condition and mood of the person for whom he is there: Serge.  Someone sensitive (for example, when our runner would get into the four wheel drive in the morning and not say a word, the unwritten but obvious rule was: SILENCE.  On the contrary, when he was happy and talkative then everything was GREAT!)  In summary, the follower is a privileged “junior adventurer,” who is under orders but who gets immense pleasure from taking part in such a challenge.

A VIEW OF SERGE DURING HIS RACE
With Serge, aside from his willpower, the thing I couldn’t measure was his capacity to recuperate, especially over a long period, going through different countries and seasons.  When you have seen him stagger from an attack of hypoglycemia, then take off again and finish a normal sage, there can be only admiration.  As well, when his intestines made him suffer all night and Laure said we were to have breakfast without him and then 20 minutes later he got out of the camper with difficulty only to run a 78 kilometer stage, you can say that the average man uses only a small portion of his physical and psychological potential and that by forcing himself a little he could easily make more of himself.
When the pace was slow, I was able to see how much SERGE loves “people,” especially children, with whom he made a point of spending time, to show them his happiness at being there.  And I was happy to discover countries I didn’t know in a way other than ordinary tourism, as well as populations for whom the problems are basically different from the States to which they belong.  Their kindness and the happiness we gave them by accepting their hospitality act as a pledge for the future.

TO CONCLUDE,
 I would say that the time I spent with the caravan more than satisfied me, as I think it did all the followers, most of whom were on their first “crossing.”  I realized to what point the homogeneity of the group was important and even reassuring for SERGIO.  It was also a source of satisfaction to the participants, who must not forget that without Serge we would not have known these pleasures.

I’m ready to start again whenever you wish.