Swiss Jura Day 5

Today's stage was 53k for the long stage and 28k on the half distance. I was fine going to bed but it was hard to see my former group leave this morning while I waited on the later start.

To the untrained eye, the emotion I felt would have been called envy, disappointment but to me it was called desire. The desire to improve and be better next time. I have enjoyed this race tremendously, I have never run better on a race before even if I am falling short on my results and its because everybody else around me is better so anything less than 100% is unacceptable. Swiss Jura race is the opposite of Boston marathon where the man have harder times to qualify than women or so is the common theme if you go to running forums, here women have the same time limits but an average male can run faster than a woman of the same fitness level, so every year about half of the women move to the shorter distance and only about 1/3 of man do but instead of feeling its unfair it motivates me to want to be one of the female finishers.

Today was 28k long and very little climbing about 400m or about 9k for the 175k distance, I felt fantastic and run it all at a reasonable pace to let my body recover while still making a great time. I crossed the finish line 6 female in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, I feel guilty to tell you that I had such a great day and enjoyed every minute I was there.

We usually start 3 hours after the early group, we drive to the half way point then start the last two checkpoints, this is the first time that I got to see the dates runners on the chase, over all leader of the 350k is Nemeth Cesna of Hungary, this is his third year defending his title, the race directors call him the swiss watch because he logs identical times every year, he comes to swiss Jura to win for the prize money, he said that allows him to take his family to a vacation every year.

While not winning but certainly doing amazing is Rob who is now on 16th place, he comes looking fresher as we go along, now here is an inspiration for us all, he was out last year and he almost didn't come this year because of injuries and family illnesses but he is here and having the time of his life, sometimes you just have to go for it.

The other north American competitor Maria Medueno is doing great but not to her standards, she is still in pain from the burns she suffered a few days before coming, it has been raining hard everyday that makes it hard since the dressings stick to the burns but she is a trouper hardly complaining, although according to her family she is the original Mexican running wild.


Yesterday I told you that we where like one big family. Things got a bit strange today. As usual we arrived at the next place where we are spending the night, it rained hard and I was full of mud and looking forward to a nice shower, when I walked in I found the shower full of naked people, man and women, just one shower room for us all, close quarters too ,now, I am sure even families aren't that close thankfully, I saw my friends Judith Julia and Lydia Gomez of Spain showering already with all the guys so pretended I was European too and not bother at all, remember the German running on his speedo yesterday?and I though I had seen enough.

I am slowly panicking, two more days and this is it,777 run for sight will be a reality, it has changed me for ever and it will also impact many people's lives because the fundraising was so succefull, I am full of hope that if I can accomplish something that seem impossible just a few months ago then is not difficult to imagine a cure for my son Karl either. after all all this crazy quest started because a mom, me, just wanted to show her kids that while things that seem unfair will happen ,together we can ovecome anything. Hans, Karl mom misses you