Day: September 4, 2006

1 day until arrival in Tokyo, September 5 at 14H00 (local time) at the parking lot of Prince Hotel.  
For more info. Double click on the icon “Arrivée” on the welcome page of the website

Send your questions to Serge at the following address: sergegirard@wanadoo.fr.  His replies will be posted on the website September 6 & 7. (The website will be updated through September 7)

Watch for Serge on French TV – TF1 at 20H00 on Tuesday, September 5.

THOMAS GIRARD (age 16  – Serge’s son) Participated between Xian – Shanghaï

We were 4 followers at the time.  Every morning two of us left and we made a change at midday.  The starting duo went with Laure to look for a hotel and the other two finished the day.

The most important but not the easiest thing is for the follower to be on hand for Serge at all time.  We had to be very well organized to manage our work (feedings, etc.).
I still don’t understand how Serge can run 70 km per day in such heat.  It was impressive.  The thing that surprised me most about China was the people.  Welcoming, always smiling, often a bit too clinging but never nasty.  I didn’t think they would be and I wasn’t surprised.  It wasn’t easy every day.  Being a follower is a lot of work but I had been briefed so I knew what it would be like when I arrived in China.

STEPHANIE ET THOMAS CRABOT (age 32 and 34 respectively chiropodist and photographer) Participated between Xian et Shanghai

Daily life: Take Serge to the departure point, give him food and drink every 4 kms, prepare the vehicle for the feedings, take photos for the website and massage Serge’s feet every evening.

Followers are there to help Serge’s around the clock: feedings, camping.  They should be patient, reserved, capable of adjusting, of anticipating, of accepting life in a group and the personalities of all the others.

What surprised me about Serge and about the slow pace:
For Thomas:
HIS ABNORMAL WILLPOWER.  To reach his goal beyond physical pain and complain so little. I kept asking “how can he run in such heat, whereas I don’t feel well while I’m sitting at the roadside waiting for him.”  Even with the slow pace and the repetition of feedings the time didn’t drag.

For Stéphanie:
The time didn’t drag.  As for Serge, his tenacity: run no matter what, keep on top of things, live with pain, heat, noise, the media, the teams……..

Our life as followers with Serge:
For Thomas
-Serge away from the race:  a communicator, a joker, hospitable
-Serge during the race:  pinched features, reserved, NOT A WORD, never knowing what he was thinking about you.  Destabilizing and sometimes psychologically wearing because we didn’t know if we were doing well or not.
In closing, a word about the simply enormous job done by Laure, who is the head and hands of the adventure.  Bravo, Laure, for all you accomplished.

For Stéphanie
I didn’t expect the days to be so emotionally tough.  In the end, it wasn’t too difficult to manage the heat, the bivouacs, driving the 4×4.  But Serge’s physical suffering and his silence made me ill at ease.  I felt so helpless. I though I would have more contact with Laure.  Once there, of course, I realized how enormous the logistics for the Trans-Eurasia were.  You are an exceptional little woman to have done all that!