73.40km – 9H09’
Altitude : 98m
Stage October 16: Montargis – Fontainebleau
Rendezvous at: the courtyard of the château at 4:15 p.m.
At 6:45 p.m. there will be a conference, followed by a buffet, at the IUT of Fontainebleau, organized by the CJD. Speakers will be: Serge and two other people. The cost of participation is €10, to be paid at the door.
Finish October 17 at l’INSEP – Avenue de Tremblay, 75012 Paris
There will be no stage between cities
Serge will enter l’INSEP around 9:00 a.m. and will run on the track in the INSEP until 11:06 a.m. He will be accompanied by everyone who wishes to run these last two hours of the Around the European Union Footrace, and celebrate the 365 days of the race. L’INSEP will wish to see an identity card for everyone who wishes to enter the site.
Last night we stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Gaudry and the table d’hôte was succulent. We were delighted to see Thomas B, whose work brought him here.
Our Carrier Pigeons woke with their feet in water; “Adrienne” sprung a leak! They were due to head back to Normandy today, which is good because they can make the repair. They will join us again tomorrow.
Serge leaves alone on a small road for a 5km round trip run from where we stayed last night. Our hosts wait with us until he returns to leave with the team. We know that Serge will have visitors and there are a lot of people: Jean Luc and his “Madeleine cakes,” William back for the 3rd day; Jérome, Philippe, Gérard with the cakes made by his wife, Agnès; Patrice and Alain. They all ran a good part of the stage. There are few villages; however, the roads are straight and with a fair amount of traffic, which makes them dangerous and it worries Serge, who keeps reminding everyone that it is not up to vehicles to be careful; it is the responsibility of the runners. Serge has trouble relaxing, always apprehensive about the danger on the road for a group that keeps growing. After Sandillon, there is a bicycle path which provides peace of mind but fatigue is ever-present.
At l’ile Charlemagne, the group has a rendezvous with some children and off they go to the Place de la Loire, where Serge arrives at 5:00 p.m., 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The UFF and the CJD worked together to organize the finish of this stage. Our thanks go to Philippe, of UFF and Yann of CJD, for this event, and to the two teams assembled at the Place de la Loire.
For Eliane and René, these final days pass quickly, because the presence of other vehicles and runners, etc., who always go talk with them, takes up their time. Each in his/her own way likes these exchanges. Serge is eating well, he is fine but we don’t have the time to talk or discuss things seriously. As for me, I feel like I’m surfing on this last wave, without being able to fully appreciate these last days and hours. I’m not sure we realize that we are at D-3 from the end of this adventure, even if I am already projecting myself into next week, with the firm intention of putting everything in order in 5 days so that I can start a new project.
Life goes more quickly than ever….
Town : Orleans (Loiret)