Daily Archives: March 10, 2015

The last stage of the foot race on Reunion Island -

Grand Bois – L’Ermitage les Bains
51,2km – 6H50
At 8H30, at Grand Bois, the sun peaked out to give us a good start.
Between road works and closed fords, the first kilometers are complicated and we are glad we reconnoitered the course ten days ago.
After 5 kilometers, Philippe and Serge reached Saint Pierre, a pretty town on the seaside, then Saint Louis which we approached from the Bel Air shopping center, and exit going via the Gol sugar refinery, which one can visit to learn how the omnipresent sugar cane is processed. In any case, we will come back to this island, which is magic for many reasons. At this point, the wind came up and torrential rain made progress difficult for our two runners.
Family and friends joined us at Etang Salés les Bains. Their good mood is astonishing in view of the deplorable weather. Nothing stops them, the team is phenomenal.
Reunion Island is still in a state of shock because of this storm, which is surprising in its intensity, especially at this time of year. The locals tell us this kind of thing happens once every ten years. We are really unlucky!
Philippe and Serge were refueled by the shock team, René and Bertrand, who are beginning to drag but who forge ahead, like it or not. They pass through Saint Leu around 14H15.
A few local runners join Serge and Philippe: Christophe, the poet, but also Jean-Marie and François on his bike and who, by the way, sent us an e-mail after he saw Serge run past his pizza truck. We made contact and now here he is on the road with us.
Arrival at the Ermitage les Bains was in a happy mood, with so-so weather and showers which did not sap the morale of Philippe and Serge. As soon as they arrived they dove into the sea with a few “crackpots” of the team.
In one of the photos you can see the Reunion Island flag: the volcano, the sun’s rays, the blue for the sea or the blood of Reunion Island’s inhabitants.
Just a word about today’s photos: they were all taken today, there was no photo shopping, everything is “fresh”. The scenery, the sky, the ocean, the mountains and the beaches are of such a diversity of color and an infinite pleasure for the eye.
Thanks to today’s photographers: David, Bertrand, Thomas and René.