On Friday afternoon we (Jacomina, Chantal and good friends Marjolein and Marcel) departed from Utrecht and arrived at Paris at 22:30h. First we took some pictures of the Eiffel tower in the dark and then we went to the camping, to put up the tent and get some sleep. Nervous as we were, we didn’t get much sleep though! The next morning we had to pick up our race numbers and sign the ethical charter on the Quai Branly, opposite the Eiffel tower.
C: I became slightly nervous at the sight of the Eiffel tower in broad daylight , as I’m afraid of heights and the Eiffel Tower and its stairs looked quite…. high!
We went by train and bus to the start at Saint-Quentin en Yvelines. The weather was very nice and it was quite warm. The nice thing about trail running to me is the fact that the participants are generally very relaxed; while we were waiting for the start, most of us were enjoying the sun and everybody was chilling! At 12:30h the fourth edition of the 80 km trail de Paris started. There were 1891 participants (of which 149 were female), so it was kind of busy on the track at the beginning, but it was a nice view to see so many runners, exited and on their way to Paris!J: Just 200m out of the start I already lost sight of Chantal and Marcel. And really, everybody was flying by at high speeds - not my stuff. So I concentrated on my own speed and let everybody pass by. I know I see many of these runners back in the coming KMs.
C: After 2:04:57 I arrived at the first nourishment/aid station at Buc (22KM). As the next aid station was situated at 56KM at Chaville – Parc Mare Adam, I took some time to fill my camel bag and eat. My legs felt fine so: On y va! Cheers and nice vibes from many supporters made the trail even more enjoyable.
J: Only 9 minutes after Chantal and Marcel, I arrived at the first stop. I thought that I started slow, but that was quite fast for me as a diesel!
The trail led us through beautiful country sites such as the Etang the Saint-Quentin – a very large lake. On the way from Chaville we were treated to a great view at Paris from the "Observatoire de Meudon" (unfortunately Jacomina's head is right in front of the Eiffel Tower...).
C: At Chaville (5:51:30) my legs still felt ok, so after a quick stop I went on to Domaine national St-Cloud. After a while it was getting dark and we did have to find our way through the woods using our headlights. This was quite tiring, because I couldn’t see the uneven road properly.
J: The 34KMs between stop number 2 and 3 went surprisingly fast. Although I was tricked a few times by people giving me wrong information - or is my French that bad..? But I felt good and my legs were going at steady pace. At Chaville (6:39:03) I refilled my Camel Bag and changed clothes. We had some rain on the way and it was getting colder. From here on I had to use my head light. I noticed that in comparison with the other runners I did not have much light - so I changed batteries. And well, it turned out that it didn't help! So I tried to run as much in the light of others. This didn't work quite well, cause everybody was slowing down except me!
C: The 9KMs from St Clouds (73KM, 7:51:40) to the Eiffel tower, felt like 20 kilometers! During these last kilometers I was accompanied by a French Runner (I think his name was Claude). At 21:28h, after 8:58:12h I finally arrived at the Eiffel tower. Luckily it was dark so I didn’t notice the height on the stairs up… After 9:01:53h I finished (hand in hand with Claude!) at the first floor of the Eiffel Tower!! What a great way to get to know Paris! J: At St Clouds I refilled my Camel Bag for the last time with my own energy powders and water. After all these hours running, I was looking forward to see the Eiffel tower. My homie Anneke was in town as well, so I text her that I went for the last 10KMs. On our track we sometimes had a view on the Eiffel tower - it was still so far away. But suddenly it was there, the last bit.. just one stairs to get to the bottom of the tower. And there I heard somebody shouted: "He Jacomina - it's you... you're so fast, please wave for the photo!" Now only 54m in heights separated me from the finish line (10:05:45)... Other runners were climbing up the stairs in the pace of a snail, so I had to ask if I could please pass them - I wanted to sit down, I wanted a beer, I wanted to lift my feet, I desperately wanted to finish!! I got there at 10:10:06 and I was so happy!
The results:
Chantal: 9th woman overall, 5th in SE F
Jacomina: 26th woman overall, 13th in SE F
And now recuperation with a massage from Velofit this evening (Monday)!!
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