Day 9: Paris, France, to the Belgian border

June 9
Update Day: 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Emmanuel and the Arc de Triumph


Bonjour, Paris!

The air was chilly and the sky grey at La Defense this morning, but the Blue Planet Run (BPR) does not cease for inclement weather. The exchange point was in full swing when the runners arrived. Laurel Dudley and Simon Isaacs informed and entertained the crowd in French while Shiri Leventhal snapped photos of spectators under the inflatable arch. Sean Harrington then ran down the stairs, baton in hand, smiling jubilantly. He made a lap, then ran up to Simon and Laurel — at which point he began speaking in French about his experiences. Simon then took off, baton in hand, through the picturesque streets of Paris. He hit all the major attractions: the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, then down the river Seine to the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre.

The Run continued through lovely French countryside today and offered a particularly memorable exchange between Mary and Emmanuel of Team Silver. The mood was triumphant as our Team Silver anchor, Emmanuel, sprinted down toward his adoring fans. Even though black beetles sprung from the tall grasses onto our clothes, Emmanuel and Mary recited the speech with pure gusto.



Mary Chervenak and Emmanuel Kibet performing the baton ceremony in the French countryside.

Diplomacy was the order of the day, as runners passed out Blue Planet Run stickers and T-shirts to intrigued villagers. The first act of diplomacy took place in a small hilly town through which Laurel Dudley of Team Yellow ran. Two children wearing their newly acquired BPR T-shirts were game to play some soccer with the runners. In a nearby hamlet, Laurel, Rudy van Prooyen and Paul Rogan picked up a game of badminton and Frisbee with some locals, cheering as Heiko Weiner ran through. The villagers appreciated the BPR T-shirts so much that they offered cherry beer and Coke in exchange.


Sean runs into the pavilion at le Defense in Paris


Laurel, Sean and Simon toast with the baton at exchange at Le Defense

The team bunked in a hotel on the border of France and Belgium tonight, opting to pass through customs for the Brussels exchange point in the morning. Team Blue has the night shift — 21:00 to 3:00 — tonight.

Paul runs through the village of Pierrefonds

 

 

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