This morning’s final “short” stage of “only” 19 miles of hilly lakeside trail running started inauspiciously with a hugely violent thunderstorm, soaking runners and spectators alike at 7:15am. It is fair to say that Claire is not a fan of lightning, but she pushed on regardless as the day got underway.
The last five days have seen her steady, determined pace pay off. Fortunately the back and knee problems she experienced before the race have not proved too troublesome. Temperatures after midday each day were annoyingly high but just about doable. Claire started each stage prudently and then ran strongly on all but steep hills, and with a smile on her face.
Our twice-a-day blister ritual has successfully kept her from succumbing to DNFing. Draining, plastering and taping has been my sherpa responsibility, in addition to complete surgical removal of the toeboxes of her running shoes. Claire planned and managed her liquid, nutrition and protein intake excellently; this is vitally important in ultra stage races.
So our week in central France now draws to a close. It has been great experience. Claire has covered 300km (186 miles), in the company of kind, friendly and dedicated runners and volunteers. Completing this race so strongly is in my opinion one of her best athletic achievements to date.
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