J22 – 1/8/2006

This was the second day for our new team that is getting used to the routine, in spite of some stress for Eliane and René who were afraid they were not doing a good job.  This morning Serge was stiff with cold because he didn’t dress warmly enough the first hour.  Luckily the sun broke through and gave us hope for good weather on the Alpine massif.  At 10H30 Serge crossed the border to Austria, we were at Schwartig.

The distance covered in Germany was 432Km.  We are now in the Tirol, the capital of which is Innsbruck.  The route is hilly and dangerous.  In the morning there was little traffic but from 11H00 onward a constant stream of cars filled the alpine roads.  The small roads and paths have not been cleared and Serge did not feel like running on the icy snow.  Serge crossed Innsbruck at 15H00, before beginning his climb toward the Brenner pass, which will be crossed tomorrow before reaching Italy.
 
The scenery was magnificent: the contrast between the blue of the sky and the white of the snow which covered all the vegetation and the villages was thrilling.  The temperature did not rise above -2°C.

For those of you who would ask about the pace of the race, Serge leaves around 8H00 in the morning, at sunrise. He then runs without a break (that is, he doesn’t pause to eat a real meal at noon, he doesn’t sit down, it’s nonstop).  Most of the time he eats while he walks and he talks very little.  The only ones who are able to talk with Serge are those who run with him.