Anne-Marie Girard runs. She runs for the son she lost with always the same adage: “In life, everything is allowed, you just have to accept it”.
A little problem with the balance and the story begins. “At 48, my doctor told me I had gained weight, ten kilos! So that was the shock. Immediately, I bought a pair of sneakers and went running by myself. Finally, I got a taste for it and found myself undergoing treatment in Bagnères-de-Bigorre in the Hautes-Pyrénées where I embarked on a half-marathon with my son, just to see. The next day, I had no soreness! “.
We find her at the age of 53 on the starting line of the Bruc-sur-Aff marathon, in Ille-et-Vilaine. “It was only to give me confidence, I had to see if I was going to go the distance. Finally, I reached the end in 4 hours 19 minutes. » Then Anne-Marie continues with those of Paris and New York. “I have always undertaken my travels solo. In life, anything goes, you just have to get involved, that’s my way of living.”
“It was a bit crazy but whatever”
At 60, Anne-Marie Girard still needs adventures. So, when she discovered, during a jogging course, photos of the Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara, she did not hesitate. “There, it clicked for me, it was a big crush. I took the direct plane, telling myself, all the same, that it was a little crazy but that doesn’t matter, we don’t know the settings, we get to know them. I still think I hear a quote from Saint-Exupéry (smile). Right after, I treated myself to the Cléder 100 km.”
At the age of 74, she set off for the Vienna marathon, attempting the New York marathon for the third time and then the Brussels marathon. “The latter was a surprise for my grandson who had trained for three months to do it with me.”
During a Van Gogh exhibition in Paris, she discovered Japan and there, a new journey became necessary for the marathon runner: the pilgrimage of 88 tents to Shikoku. “There too, it was a dry flight for Japan. I didn’t speak English at all but you can always express yourself with your hands,” laughs Anne-Marie, who stayed there for two months.
“Three days of fasting”
After a stopover in Bessans (Savoie) in February, she settled in Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer for the Easter holidays. “During these three days of fasting, I did meditation sessions, sophrology, yoga while eating only water and herbal teas. I’m used to it because I fast every Friday to eliminate toxins and I eat very little meat, a little fish and above all a lot of vegetables.
However, the backpack and sneakers are never far away. On May 13, she will head to Puy-en-Velay for a 750 km journey to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. “It’s my own little Santiago de Compostela.” For her, life must remain beautiful: “I set goals for myself, I always listen to my heart and my body, otherwise I would not be the way I am today…. I lost a son, my three husbands and running, traveling, it’s my therapy.”
Between two trips, she does not hesitate to take her car to visit her family in Quévert, her great-granddaughter, Marina, and her two great-grandchildren who are impatiently awaiting their “marathon grandma”.
2024-04-04 05:25:02
#York #Japan #Morocco #run #marathons
