J174 – 6/9/2006

From Shuangta, at 1,863 meters, there was a slight upward slope until the 30th kilometer, then it was a continuous climb through the mountains.  This green valley contrasts sharply with the red rocks and brown earth of the terrain.  Eden must not be far from here and Serge was able to appreciate the scenery in spite of the pain in his knee which continues to hound him. We tried to give him some relief with an elastic knee bandage but it caused irritation at the back of the knee, which isn’t compatible with a long distance race.  Serge removed it as fast as he had put it on.

In spite of the terrain’s profile, our runner wants to exceed 75 kilometers, as he has done for the past three days.  The past thousand kilometers (the longest) made an impression on Serge: he wants to reassure himself and better his time on the current 1,000 kilometer portion. There is no doubt that he feels capable of pushing the machine a bit further each day.  Ever watchful, Laure points out that he has to spare himself because there will be a few thousand kilometers after the 13,000 kilometers are clocked.  Her advice goes unheeded because Serge knows himself and his body and he is the only one who can manage his daily progress.  Of his 5 crossings, this is perhaps the only one where we have to rein him in or at least ask him to take care.  No team member needs to stimulate, push or encourage him to go on.  In spite of this, occasional congratulations are welcome.  Serge seems to have programmed himself for this challenge.  He is in his element, to the point that he gives the impression that running comes as naturally as breathing!