16th post - Le Grand Raid

17 days ago, right before the exam, my professor asked me if I would like to work as an interpreter for the Grand Raid . It's been a long time since I realized so quickly that I wanted something! I immediately said yes and said I would be able to help on almost any day.

If you're wondering what the Grand Raid is - it's nothing other than one of the most demanding ultramarathons in the world! More specifically, the Grand Raid includes four different races on Reunion Island, all taking place at the same time:

Mascareignes - 72km and 4,007m+

Trail de Bourbon - 109km and 5,328m+

Zembrocal Trail - 148km and 7,905m+

Diagonal of the Fous - 165km and 10,000m+

Even before I arrived on the island, it was clear to me that I couldn't miss such a spectacle, after all, a total of almost 7,000 runners from all corners of the world would be taking part. But I would never have thought possible that I would have the opportunity to look behind the scenes, accompany the runners up close and at the same time gain experience for my dream job.

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On October 14th and 15th My area of responsibility was the airport: we welcomed the arriving runners from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There was music as well as food and drink for all runners. The foreign or non-francophone runners were then specially welcomed by us and we recorded their details so that we have all the important information in case of an emergency.

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On Wednesday, October 18th I was on the road from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - longer than usual, because this time I had to go to Saint Pierre , at the other end of the island. The starting number was issued there and the bags were checked. This was done because there are some things that every runner must have with them, otherwise they will not be allowed to start. These include, for example, bandages, a rescue blanket and a whistle. The queue for the whole thing was unbelievably 2 km long and without any shade, I felt pretty sorry for the runners - not the best preparation for the start the next day.

For me it was also very tiring, but also really exciting - I accompanied a Japanese woman, an American woman, a British woman and two South Africans, which was very educational and a lot of fun! I was even filmed by the largest Réunionese news channel and posted on their Facebook page - you would think I spoke Japanese. :D

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My last three working days were over the weekend, October 20th and October 21st. and 22.10. On these days I was at the finish line and greeted the arriving runners and helped them if necessary. These days were by far the most fun for me because you got a lot of impressions of the run, you could see tears of joy and frustration and you could understand the dimension of it all.

I was able to see and accompany really extraordinary people: Eva Sperger, Kathie Schide, Torsten Richter, etc.

I talked to the latter for almost an hour, unfortunately he had to drop out this year and so we had some time together.

The three days were sometimes really exhausting and stressful, but also just an incredibly great experience. I have never experienced such an atmosphere before, people were happy for each other without knowing each other, carried each other to the finish line, burst into tears to thunderous applause as soon as they crossed the finish line and fell into each other's arms. It was unbelievable, just crazy. This race means so much to the whole island and is a huge event here, everyone has respect for the runners and all the runners help each other. It is an event in the name of family and friendship, in the name of love and support.

The whole thing fascinated me so much that on Friday, after 8 hours of work, I took a quick shower and something to eat and then went straight back to the stadium to watch the finish of the first three finishers of the diagonal. It felt like the whole island was there and cheered, it was unbelievable. From there I walked 1.5 hours home, so I was busy running for a total of almost 14 hours. What can I say, I was absolutely under his spell!

So overall it was really great, I gained a lot of experience and a lot of impressions, improved my French, increased my enthusiasm for running and met impressive people. Nevertheless, I'm not entirely sad that it's over now - juggling an eight-hour working day and university during exams means one thing above all: little sleep :D