J62 – 2/17/2006

The days follow one another but are never the same.  Thursday’s blue sky was replaced by the kind of drizzle we have in Normandy; the sky was low and gray.  Serge wallowed in mud and had to stop to clean it off the soles of his shoes.  At kilometer 37 he crossed the city of Eregli, which hosts the most important steel mill in the country.  A constant stream of trucks ensured a shower of mud as each vehicle passed.  The Black Sea was the color of the sky: gray.

A journalist followed us for four hours.  The question that bothers her is: why does Serge run? That question could be asked in a different way: What is he running after?  Faithful readers, I think you can find a portion of the answers in this incredible venture, of which we take the measure of magnitude and length every day.

At kilometer 42, Serge started the ascent of a col of 500 meters.  It’s a trifle taken in the full context of this long distance race but Serge suffered just the same.  He finished his day with these words: “tough day between the col and the mud.”  His face was marked by fatigue, his eyes sunken, yet, as always, his determination remains intact.

Serge participated in two official trials in July and August during his preparation for this race: the 48 hours of Cologne and the Ultra-Trail of the Mont-Blanc.  Yesterday evening, he explained that these two trials had taught him a lot about himself and his capabilities, and that he puts these experiences to use daily on this Trans-Eurasian race.  Could it be this discipline, which is the ultra, that is the quest?  I will let you meditate on this and say, see you tomorrow.