Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 50

Sean at the finish with his
rescuing angel, Barbara
The plummeting descent
from Tourelle included a
number of rope sections
sucked on my water bladder pipe... and nothing. I had
used all my water on the long climb. able to hear Jérome’s voice pulling me in to the
finish, and then it was done.
Perhaps that played heavily on my mind, because
500 metres later I was lying on the trail, dizzy and
vomiting. The finish seemed so close, yet I was
unable to get up. I think I sat there for about 15
minutes, trying to pull myself together, and that’s
when an angel appeared coming down the trail,
It was Barbara, one of the 50km runners. She is
originally from France and only speaks halting
English, while my French is limited to impersonating
the French Knight’s outrageous accent from Monty
Python and the Holy Grail, but I managed to convey
to her I had run out of water, and was vomiting. She
yanked out every water bottle she had and told me
to drink as much as I wanted. Let me tell you, that
water was like a miracle cure... A few minutes later
I was up and walking, Barbara insisting on staying
with me, and it only needed one more short rest
break before we emerged from the trail. A quick
stop to speak to the medics at the trail’s end, and I
was pushing for home, now even able to run again. I
crossed the river next to the sport grounds, already The day before, Jérome had told me when I finished, I
should come join him on the mic, and I had joked that
I would be out there would be no more commentary
to do by the time I finished. Well, I wasn’t far off. The
first 15km had taken me four hours. The last 9km
had taken me five hours! Jérome insisted on a
quick interview, and I must admit, I was a wee
bit emotional as I thanked Barbara, who had
finished a few minutes ahead of me and was
now reunited with her family. I doubt she will
read this, but just in case, merci, merci, merci
mille fois!
in hot and humid conditions to prepare yourself for
the tropics is hard to do in SA in June, but I reckon I
will be better able to handle it next time, knowing that
I need to drink more. It was an awesome trip, and
a most enjoyable run, and on a personal level, I am
thrilled that I didn’t add another DNF to my running
journo’s ‘hall of failure.’ I think I learnt a few things
about myself along the way, both physically and
mentally, and that made ‘earning’ that view from the
top of Tourelle all the sweeter!
A Lasting Impression
The Dodo Trail 25km is tough, and extremely
technical at times, but in my case the heat
and humidity, coupled with not quite being
fit enough, were the reasons for my long
slog on Tourelle, and I would love to go
back and give the race another go now that
I know what to expect. Of course, training
Huge thanks to the Dodo Trail organisers and sponsors for making this incredible trip possible.
You can find out more about the event at www.dodotrail.com.
50
ISSUE 124 OCTOBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
OK, another pic of the view
from Tourelle... Too stunning
not to use this pic!