Monday, November 5th. Day 68
Miles/day : 49.7 miles (80 km)
Daily running time : 9 h 58 min
Daily average speed : 5 miles/h (8 km/h)
Total : 2944 miles (4737 km)
Towns crossed : CAMPINAS/VALINHOS Next stage : ITATIBA
Region: NORTH OF SAO PAULO (spa region)
The final straight.
That’s it, now we’re quickening the pace… Motorway to the end. Serge runs at full speed. End of the stage 1 p.m. ! His hip is still painful but doesn’t handicap him like before. He is entirely in his race, it’s a good sign for the rest of the week. He jokes all the time. At the sight of a roadsign Rio, he stretches his arms out, sideways. Happy, like a child receiving his toys on Christmas day. That’s good, it’ll be Christmas soon…
8h30, there’s more and more traffic, Serge joins in with the cars and the trucks. The noise of the traffic will be constantly with him. The danger is always here and we must be on our guards, cars are pulling-out, motorway works reduce the road. Serge adapts to this new way of running. At about 62 miles (100 km) away from Bolivia, and from the land tracks. From now on, all the stages will be decisive, whatever he does, he goes forward . And he won’t go back… He likes talking about the exploit of D’ABOVILLE. This one once explained he had moved 6,2 miles(10 km) back, because of opposite wind. These words from the seaman will remain for ever on our runner’s mind. Whatever happens, he would have a lot of trouble turning back He has a passion for the extreme and for the extremists whatever the sport, he’s interested in sailing, (being born in Le Havre), however he admits he admires the explorers of the "Grand Blanc", Nicolas Vanier or Laurence de la Ferrière. The adventure remains, above all, human, with Man in the background in the middle of a world where dreaming is more and more difficult. A big thanks to them.
