Pacers too can have their race story

I have always been fascinated by ultra trailers. I find these people brave, determined, but at the same time a little crazy. I admire surpassing oneself, getting out of one's zone as they say. You can push your limits in all sports and at your own pace, but they, those who span kilometers alone most of the time, in nature in complete autonomy or almost, I admit that I have a little crush on that world.

I run in between, that's my favorite thing about road racing. The forest, the animals, the loneliness, the sometimes uneven and sometimes flat terrain remind me of certain aspects of life. On the trails, I feel like Bambi, I run around.

June 23, 2019; My friend Eric (Wikipedia definition of Eric; male name, originally from Charlevoix now living in New Brunswick, superhuman who succeeds in everything he does. A passionate and very determined. He runs on I'm not sure what, but the Energizer bunny can go and get dressed) is looking for a pacer for his 110km he will do on June 29. The goal: to accompany him on the last 30 km of his race. My boyfriend declined the offer because of his lack of running training. Me, loving the challenges and plans of unicorns, I willingly propose. He accepts me. Well, it's in 7 days, I still have to train a little.

Here I am, morning of June 29. I feel a little nervous, but especially excited to go play in the big leagues. Maybe I'll meet Mathieu Blanchard! 😉 14 p.m .: I'm ready; camel-back on the back, electrolytes, gels, watch, etc. I'm waiting for Eric who is supposed, if all goes well, to be there between 15 and 18 p.m. It's been raining heavily for a good hour. I'm keeping my spirits up, because I'll have to cheer up my friend if he's looking down.

He shows up at pit stop MSA at 17 p.m., where he will be entitled to his drop bag to recharge with food, water and also change. He's kinda on fire. The first thing he said to me (I remember it so much) was: “There! The plan! It's to climb Mont-Sainte-Anne as quickly as possible and then, when it goes down, we click it AT the bottom! "AH my god, both of my legs gave up! It is impossible that after 80 km, it is top shape. While he is changing, I almost begin to doubt my ability to follow him, but I quickly return to my primary goal, to accompany him, to support him, etc. Well, Mathieu Blanchard has just crossed the finish line. It will be Mathieu for another time! Eric is ready, he kisses his sweet, we're leaving! WAHOUUUU

What a feeling. We walk the Mont-Sainte-Anne, we admire the spectacle by turning around a few times. My little stress is falling, I feel great. I quickly pick up the pace. I know he's in pain, I would like to share this pain, but I can't help it. Instead, I try to entertain him so that he thinks of something else. He has high morale and so do I. I constantly inform him about the statistics; time, distance, hour, elevation. At his request, I tell him every 10 minutes to eat. Everything is rolling for us, we passed the ravito at the top of the MSA. I feel in dangerous shape.

In walking / running intervals, we discuss life, we remake the world, we say silly things, we belch, we farts, life is good, but I know that for him it is rather painful. Let’s think about something else. Ah, here's a pretty porcupine. He and a beautiful salamander will be the only species we come across, unfortunately.

Time and kilometers go by, we are 200 meters from the last ravito before the finish, which is about 10 km away. Surprise, my boyfriend is waiting for us there. It's heartwarming and it gives us a lot of energy. After a few bites of fudge, cheese and mosquitoes, we leave with a smile on our face. Darkness has set in, my front light is not top, I don't see much in front of me. This is how the festival of “banging” feet on the roots begins.

The last km are long, but morale is good until I see the river in front of me… You have to cross it in the dark. Those who know me know how much I have a phobia of water. I say aloud several words from the church. Eric yells at me to hang on to him, which I do. One step at a time, from the water to the buttocks, I see my life go by. Oh my god. I will die here. I finally got back to the other side! Party in the village! I feel HOT! We continue to run. Oh no! We have to cross the cursed river again. I hold on to Eric before he even tells me. No time to fool around, let's cross. Victory number 2 for me. WOW

In the distance, we hear the music. Okay, it's not Eye of the Tiger from the movie Rocky, but it gives us a solid dose of energy that allows us to get to the last 200 meters. It is 23 p.m. I don't know why, but at that point we have sprinted. We could see the arch of arrival in the distance. Surprise, everyone was there, even Eric's children. I hide my tears. Tears of pride. We cross the finish line. What moment. For once, I wasn't running for myself with my performance symptom. On the contrary, I really felt like I belonged by highlighting my true values; solidarity, mutual aid, listening and fraternity towards my friend. I thank him for believing in me and for giving me the desire to push my limits even more. Pushing myself out of my zone led me the next day to register for the 42 km in between in October. Excited and feverish, I can't wait to tell you about it!

Marie-Eve Harvey

- 35 years; - Job: accommodation manager at HI la Malbaie; - Training: nurse; - Passions: the outdoors, photography, travel, cooking; - Running experiences: I started running when I was 11 years old. I have never stopped and I prefer to run in the mountains.

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