petit matin
le pont de Kanmon vu côté Kyushu
la vielle gare de Moji
Serge arrive au tunnel par le parc de Mekari
entré du tunnel
l’ascenseur
pendant ce temps sur le pont autoroutier
et Serge sous la mer
gigantesque bambous
ravito bucolique
l’école à pied
l’école à vélo
et un peu de sport
D220 – 73.2Km
TUESDAY, JULY 25
N33 53.744 E130 55.108 (15 m – Kytakyushu) – N34 05.096 E131 26.373 (14 m – Ogori)
73.2 km – 11H22′
The day’s run was one of contrasts, which began in the harbor district of Kytakyushu and went for 9 kilometers before arriving at the Tunnel under the Kanmon straits. Kyushu being an island, there are three ways one can cross the sea: for vehicles by bridge or tunnel and by tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists. Serge rode the elevator which took him to the 780 meter tunnel across to Honshu.
Mr. Koshita’s run took us on a small road which wound among wooded hills. Sometimes the roads were so narrow that we understood why the cars Suzuki lent us are equipped with the possibility, by pressing a button, of folding simultaneously the 2 exterior rear view mirrors. Far from being a gadget, this option is a necessity when you are in lanes so narrow that even a cat couldn’t squeeze between the wall and a vehicle. It’s also very useful when parking.
Serge isn’t in Olympic form. He walked or trotted the first 2 kilometers, head sunk in his sholders. He walked like a limping duck. Even Serge sometimes wonders how it will be possible to go on, not that he has doubts but he wonders how he is to manage with a body that resists all effort. Starting up takes longer and longer and is more and more difficult. Serge is now so near the goal but every passing day is an ordeal.
We reached highway #2. There was a constant stream of vehicles of different sizes. The 50 kph speed limit was not always respected, especially by the trucks. Sometimes there were no shoulders, which made running very tricky. A passing police car escorted Serge for several kilometers.
Another sensitive subject for our runner: urinating, because in the urban environment it’s almost impossible to find a secluded spot and even if you could, it’s just not done. Everything is so clean that you don’t want to soil. So Serge is obliged to stop and look for toilets, either in filling stations or in the “Convenience Shop” but sometimes they aren’t available when he needs them, so he has to wait.
A few drops of rain, then a ray of sunshine. I knew that eventually the four-leaf clover would bring us luck.
Last night, Fulvio left us to return to Paris because today, he has other projects waiting for him.