J256 – 8/30/2006

6 days, not 7 (I would like to put it off): until arrival in Tokyo September 5 at 14H00 (local time) at the parking lot of the Prince Hotel.

Today in a nutshell:

Ludo and Jean-Yves started the day and then Eliane and Brigitte took over.  The day was divided between countryside and city.  The boys took over in the country, where it was dry, and the girls handled the city, in the rain.  There was lots of media coverage, no less than 2 TV stations and 3 daily papers.  We crossed Sendai, which has almost a million inhabitants and is the largest city in the northern region of Tohoku.

Now I  will hand over to Arlette and Daniel for their comments.  These two took over as followers between Monéteau and Munich.  Daniel then came back to join us a bit further on in China.  Both are Normans from Beuzeville-la-Grenier.

ARLETTE (age 56)
Participated between MONETEAU AND MUNICH

Daily routine: the days were long and stressful

Is Serge properly fed? Have we given him the right food at the right moment?
We mustn’t lose him when we go through villages and cities, we have to give him correct directions.

There was always fear of an accident due to traffic, darkness, bad weather…..
The flip side of the coin: satisfaction when the day went well.

The beginning of the race was particularly difficult because Serge had a daily struggle with his body and we felt helpless seeing his suffering and pain: talk, don’t talk?  What should we say? What should we do?

Adapting to the job of a follower is surely easier for those who are familiar with the long distance running environment, who are runners or part of a running team.  You have to be attentive to the runner.

It was a very enriching experience to be with an ultra runner on a daily basis and to share the good and the bad moments: It was part of the contract!

Note: We weren’t tourists but we had the time to enjoy the winter scenery because we were going slowly.

I have excellent memories of the time between Monéteau and Munich.

DANIEL (age 58)
Participated between MONETEAU – MUNICH and KASGHGAR – XIAN

My daily routine:

The first up at 6H00 AM and ready to help the team

Leave with Serge to ensure 15 to 16 daily feedings, every 4.5 kilometers.

At the end of the day, help the team at the bivouac, and get ready for the next day: food, fridge, equipment, vehicles….the next day started the night before.

The follower’s job:

Be sure you read the contract
 
Followers are there to take care of the team and most especially Serge.  

Serge is a running machine and we have to ensure no sand gets into it.

The qualifications needed to be a follower:

Take the job seriously without taking yourself seriously

Be motivated and strive for the success of the challenge

Have running experience (long distance or trail and ultra)

Keep to the schedule, Put the success of the team before your own.

Accept the living conditions (hygiene & food) and the life of the country crossed and, above all, respect others.

What surprised me the most:

Serge’s kindness to the children he met on the road

Life day-to-day, bad weather, the change in altitude, the unexpected .

To see Serge arrive exhausted at the bivouac and not let the team feel it.  To see him start again in the morning (how will he do another day????)

The Pace:

I think it was very good for this kind of challenge (I have some ultra running experience)

Serge used the Cyrano method very well and the caravan was able to adapt to his rhythm.

Conclusion:

My life as a follower was more stressful than in France or Germany and I found I had to keep up a pace I hadn’t anticipated.  This was in part due to the immensity of China, but the good feeling within the team and day-to-day life quickly compensated for it.

It was an immense pleasure to take part in this extraordinary challenge.  THANK YOU.