An early morning departure at 7:25 AM in the damp because it poured rain all night. We slept at Sophie’s, my sister-in-law, who spoiled us with a soft bed, our first laundry, a gastronomic meal of homemade osso bucco and this morning warm croissants and fresh bread. We felt like kings!
This morning the square in front of the town hall was deserted and Serge, 5 minutes ahead of schedule, was met by, among others, Eric and Eric from the Hélio Service Company which is one of the event’s partners and is actively participating by organizing a challenge within the company. It consists of having all the employees and managers make a weekly tally of all their mileage, whether it is on exercise bike, roller blades, bike, running outside or in a gym, rowing, swimming…
Once on the plateau, Serge reached the countryside via Isneauville just as it started to rain. René and Joël were behind the wheel of the van while the girls went to the printers and later got in touch with the company that has taken over our website to do some fine tuning.
At the intersection of D151 and D100, Serge met several runners who joined him to run a bit. In one of his moments of solitude he tells us “It’s really tough but I feel so good when I am on my road ».
Wet feet, Serge changes his shoes and socks. He reaches Arques la Bataille where he has to wait a bit because he is ahead of schedule for a meeting on the waterfront of Dieppe at 4:30 PM. The team of the Dieppe chapter of CJD has prepared this stage which is “first rate” like all the others. Serge answers questions from the local press before mounting the podium and responding to questions from the audience, of which at least 50% are children and young people. Their questions are a delight and Serge’s face shows no sign of the fatigue he feels more intensely as the hours pass on the road.
“When you finally arrive in Paris will you run back to your home?” That’s a question that can only make you relax on this 5th day of the race.
The photos were taken by Philippe Cyrano