This Tuesday, August 15, 2023, Louis Fouquet, residing in Guérande (Loire Atlantique), will fly Canada.

At his side will not be his partner Annie Paringaux, with whom he nevertheless trained for this crazy challenge: Run 5600 km from Vancouver to Gaspé in 55 days!

Annie’s package

Annie, a multi-record female, was injured during the 10 days in Italy last March police, an ultra endurance race. Five months later, the verdict came: Despite her iron health and her steel spirit, she had to stop running for three months. It is therefore impossible for the 58-year-old Guérande resident to face the challenge with her coach Louis Fouquet.

Alone, but as a team

That’s why the 58-year-old runner runs a hundred kilometers alone every day. more than two marathons every day, for almost two months.

“I couldn’t have imagined giving up despite Annie’s absence. Because you have to do things when they are there. I don’t know if this opportunity will arise again,” explains Louis Fouquet.

But he doesn’t go all alone. At his side his wife Catherine, an unconditional supporter, his brother-in-law Loïc Chauvin who will accompany him by bike on the roads where the motorhome cannot travel. An invaluable aid to supplies and morale. David Antoine, videographer and photographer, will immortalize the sporting achievement and Xavier Servel, co-organizer of ultra-distance races, will oversee the course.

But no masseur or doctor. A small but solid team that will watch over Louis for 55 days.

Great start on August 21st

The starting signal is planned for August 21, 2023. The return to France will take place on October 21, 2023, “I will return to work on November 2”, reveals the plant manager of André BTP.

His company in the Brais area in Saint-Nazaire supports him and offers him two months’ leave.

A real boost because the budget for such an adventure is high: more than 50,000 euros between the rental of mobile homes, fuel, the competitions that punctuated the year, plane tickets, the five pairs of shoes, equipment and food. A few months ago a cat was put online. Another welcome boost.

“People are made to run”

Louis prefers the word “experience” to “exploit”.

“In fact, I’ve been preparing for this for eight years. I know my body, my limits, my mind. I’ll follow my own sensations”…while keeping an eye on the data he’ll collect on his connected watch.

“It’s an inner and outer adventure. I need to find that balance in this “Body, Heart, Mind” triptych, linked to another triplet: sleep, food, and physical activity.

Louis Fouquet has never run more than 10 days in a row. So he has to surpass himself and pay attention to his limits, because the 50-year-old is not a hothead, just convinced of the advantages of long-distance sport.

It’s not a sport, it’s an innate activity, a gift that everyone has. Man was born to run and he forgot it. If he resumed this practice, his health would improve and the world would be a better place. In 30 years, children have lost 25% of their cardiovascular capacity. We’re not moving enough.

Louis Fouquet, through his association born to run would like to share his experiences, especially with the youngest.

” I’m ready “

Since Monday, August 7, 2023, Louis has been in the “adjustment phase” and is increasing his race duration every day. Upon arrival in Vancouver, he was expected to complete 5 to 7 hours of daily walking before finally hitting the road on Monday, August 21 and hitting his 13-hour daily walk six days later. starting the journey in the Rocky Mountains just to get the legs in order.

” I’m feeling good. I’m ready,” Louis Fouquet confided on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, a week before the big start.

Useful: to follow Louis Fouquet: association created to act on social networks, www.nespourcourir.fr, https://courses.solustop.com/

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.