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72.61km – 10H19’
Altitude : 104m
It was a day under the sign of school children, with a multitude of encounters. At km 10, we made a brief stop at the school of Mogielnica; the 6th grade students then accompanied the runners as they crossed the town. At km 15 and 20 students from the junior high school and the elementary school joined the group. Finally, in Grojec, Thomasz’s and Ewelina’s city, where the runners arrived with a police escort, the students from the kindergarten “Bajka” and the primary school, as well as a nearby elementary school all ran around the town. Angelika, an 8 year old girl who suffers from asthma and regarded growth is there. The “Biegiem Rezez Polske” Association, of which Jacek is president, supports this little girl and enables people to make donations directly to another association which arranges for the treatment of sick children. At the school in Grojec, we were able to meet Tomasz’s daughter. Our Polish friends were happy to be with their families and in their city.
Km 35, it’s time to leave. Jarek, the pastry chef and another Tomasz no longer accompany us.
Serge is tired, his knee, which had not given him trouble for a while, is showing signs of weakness. Severe pain at Km 23 forces Serge to walk for 2 km. He is worried right now and I don’t think he is serene.
Serge is worried about his weight (not quite 54kg.); worried about the pain in his knee and uncomfortable since last week because of the sore toe, the small problem I spoke about the other day. Fatigue has set in and won’t disappear quickly. René and I are often tired and I don’t dare imagine what it must be like for Serge, or yes, I can imagine it very well. If the freshness of the goods has yet to be established, we know that the expiration date is only next October 18. We have passed the mid-point of the race and it is better not to think about what remains but just to take one day at a time. Northern Europe is approaching fast and here we are, almost in the month of May. Even if we are lucky to have beautiful weather, which proves that spring is indeed here, the notion of time is relative on the Around the European Union Race. Tomorrow we will still be on the road, running toward our ultimate goal: arrival in Paris on October 17.
At the moment, Serge is in Raszyn, where our last meeting of the day will take place with children in a kindergarten and with some kids. After a run around the stadium, a soccer match took place for a few minutes between the runners and happy children, then Serge, who decided that his day had not been sufficiently long or busy, started running in the opposite direction: Tomasz and Jacek didn’t have time to say boo before they caught up with Serge, not thinking for a moment that they are dealing with a madman!
This evening we are invited by one of the partners of « Biegiem Przez Polske » from the community of Raszny. They have provided lodging and a meal; once again, the famous and unfailing Polish hospitality.
Tomorrow: 1 – we will cross Warsaw. 2 – We will meet the students from the Jean Renoir School in Bourges who are in Pulstuk.
Town : Raszyn |
