69.3 km – 9H17’
Today I will start with things I forgot: I spoke too soon on Saturday and forgot to mention two courageous runners who accompanied Serge on the first stage: Patrice, an experienced runner and Hervé, for whom it was a first long-distance race. Both of them had been encouraged to run by their colleagues at UFF in the true team spirit.
Encounters: Loïc surprised us by his visit yesterday evening at the Jean Bouin stadium. He was waiting for us when we arrived. Many thanks. Today Patrick Malandain, who ran from Le Havre to Istanbul last June and July, came to say hello. We expect to see him again very soon….David ran several kilometers with Serge today on the roads around Evreux.
Today we got a good start with a poem by Bernard, the Jean Bouin stadium’s custodian. He was there at 7:30 to read it to us:
“His brilliancy lies in the way he runs, he’s an athlete and helps us dream, He’s a sportsman come from afar. By the way, we don’t know where he comes from. In Evreux he delighted our hearts, this October 19 we will remember a man, a star, Bravo Mr. Girard » Poem 2009
The race today shows on the face of Serge who is not very talkative. The stiffness in his legs interferes with his running.
The evening was unforgettable. 100 people, of which more than 50 were children, were waiting for Serge at the Place du Vieux Marché in Rouen. The finale was incredible, a 1 kilometer race in the center of Rouen with everyone watching all these future runners… improbable but very real!
Serge and his followers were invited by the CJD, the UFF and the municipality of Rouen for a chat and something to eat. We were also invited to have a look at Mr. Varin’s school, The Pouchet School which will follow us via the Internet for the next 361 days, along with the students of the Charles Gounod school in Canteleu. Thanks are in order for Alexandre and his team of the Rouen section of CJD who helped us with logistics.
This evening a comment: to each his challenge; from tiny Marie who ran her kilometer to Hervé who ran his first “ultra” as we say in our jargon. It was another fine day of sharing!
Town : Rouen
GPS : N49°26.690’ E 001°05.977’