Esmond Mah's trip to the

100KM DE VENDEE IAU World Championships Chavagnes en Paillers, France  May 15, 1999

Chavagnes en Paillers - It is a town of 3,000 people situated 45 km SE of Nantes in the Département de La Vendée, Région des Pays de la Loire.  Most of the Canadian team flew to Paris and took a bus provided by the organizers on Wednesday May 12.  The 400 km journey took 6 hours.  I landed in Brussels on Thursday and took the fast TGV train from there.  Brussels to Paris (300 km) was less than 1.5 hours and Paris to Nantes was just over 2 hours.  The organizing committee's mini-bus was waiting at the Nantes station ready to pick up runners and bring them to Chavagnes.

Bus from Paris airport  (Sherry McLean photo)

Where we stayed:

	The Centre Spirituel des Ursulines was run by Sisters who treated us very nicely.
	View from the residence.
Nice staircase in the residence.	The Canadian presence was seen everywhere.
Mark Bomhower and Aimee Runge pass the coloured signs giving directions to the various national teams' quarters. (Sherry McLean photo)	On our way back to the residence: Helena Slovakova, Jozef Frank, Tony Martin and me.  (Sherry McLean photo)

Beautiful grounds surround the residence  (Sherry McLean photo)	Palm trees too! (Sherry McLean photo)

Eating: Most of our meals, served buffet style, were taken at the Salle Emeraude, about a 10' walk from the residence.

	Late dinner Wednesday night after the long bus ride from Paris.(Sherry McLean photo)
	Japanese team lines up for breakfast.
	Portuguese team lines up for breakfast.
	French team takes breakfast.
	Tony Martin, a transplanted Newfoundlander, enjoys a good scoff at lunch.
	David Blaikie (plaid shirt) of Ultramarathon World enjoys the ambience of the dining room.  Behind him is the Czech team in the red striped jackets. (Sherry McLean photo)
	Canadians dig in at Friday evening's Pasta Party at the Salle Omnisports.

Team Meetings

Jerry Jackson did a great job of filling the team manager's role when Ean Jackson was unable to make the trip.	Tall Paul Slaymaker and the crew from the Kitchener - Waterloo area: Alex, Jenn and Kim.
Victor Hickey passed along advice to team members based on his previous international experience.	Herb Phillips listens intently.  Judy Phillips is in front, Suzanne Gagnon behind.

	Maria Vellieux (second from right), a languages teacher, capably handled the French - English translation for our team meetings.
	Victor Hickey demonstrates how to pin numbers on both sides of a singlet.

Parade: The parade on Friday afternoon was one of the highlights of the weekend.  Each of the 28 national teams marched in procession from the Town Hall to the Race Site, a distance of about 1 km. A group of children, one a sign-bearer, led each of the teams.  At the race site, each delegation climbed the stage and was officially welcomed. 
 

Andy Milroy wrote this about Team Canada:  "The large Canadian team of six men and six women, plus almost as many more runners in the open category, is the most visible in the beautiful host town of Chavagnes en Paillers. Their bright red and white team uniforms are conspicuous everywhere they go."

 

	Children getting ready to lead their respective national teams in the Parade.
	Ready to march
	I am posing with the Canada standard-bearer.
	The Parade was led by a Marching Band from Bordeaux.
	The Band was accompanied by these smartly attired women marchers.  They did great can-can dancing too!
	Canadians march down the main street of the town.  Deanna Lindsay carried the flag.
	View from behind.  Michel Voyer of Jonquière, QC carried the Québec flag.

In the country of High Fashion, Ryne Melcher had no difficulty making his own fashion statement.	Child watches parade holding a Canadian flag that team member Suzanne Gagnon had given him.

	The girls on the left are holding Canadian Maple Leaf Pins. Our own "Miss Canada", Sherry McLean, passed out hundreds of them.
	The finish line area where each national delegation mounted the stage and was presented to the audience.
	Canada's turn on the stage!
	New Zealand and Poland
	Aimee Runge adjusts her camera as the Japanese and Mexicans come in.
	Italian team
	Canadian crew
	The 21 Canadian competitors: 24 hours later we had all finished the distance!
	The Official Canadian teams: Men: Herb Phillips BC, Jozef Frank AB, Victor Hickey ON, Paul Slaymaker BC, John Remington ON, Mark Bomhower ON Women: Suzanne Gagnon QC, Aimee Runge ON, Ghislaine Beaulieu QC, Sherry McLean ON, Deanna Lindsay ON, Deborah Askew CA, USA

The Race: The course consisted of a small loop of 2.4 km, then 4 repeats of a large loop of 24.4 km.  I carried two single-use cameras during the run on Saturday.  My intention was to shoot the top runners as they lapped me.  I didn't get many of them but I did get these shots:

	We started the race in the dark at 5 am but as the light began to break a beautiful fog covered the landscape.
	Dawn breaking as runners continue
	Early morning sunrise
	Many of the French Centbornards (100 km runners) ran with their clubmates, at least in the early going.
	Leslie Nigh of Toronto
	Leslie enters the Forest of Gralas
	In the Forest of Gralas
	A Canadian Support Crew: Diane Boyer, Judy Phillips, and Helena Slovakova - Helena was from Slovakia but was in France supporting her brother Jozef Frank of the Canadian team.
	Crew Captain Theresa Kirby and Célyne Couture at the Les Brouzils Aid Station
	Michel Careau, Canadian multi-day star, waves at the Finish Line.  Spectators and French runners would give the Canadian runners special encouragement, calling us "Mes cousins du Canada."
	Exuberant Canadian Crew members Kim Ward-Campbell (front) and Jennifer Webb at the Finish Line Aid Station
	Finish Line Aid Station
	I had just passed 25 km a few minutes before when the lead van pulled up beside me.  World Record holder Takahiro Sunada (6:13) of Japan is about to pass 50 km in 2:54.
	Sunada lapping me.  He would falter in the last half but hung on to third place in 6:26.
	In the tiny village of Besnaston about 2 km from Chavagnes, residents kept the bell ringing in this little church for at least 7 hours.
	The bell ringers at Besnaston.
	All the villages and communities were impressively decorated along the route of the 100 km course.

Theresa's photos: Theresa Kirby took these shots as the Canadians came by the Les Brouzils aid station.

Sherry McLean	Clear the track! Victor Hickey laps a few more runners as he approaches the aid station.
Maria Vellieux	Suzanne Gagnon

	Ryne Melcher
	A wink from Paul Slaymaker

Party Time

	Boys at play: Randy Hunter, Ryne Melcher and Ed Lawrence.(Sherry McLean photo)
	Aimee Runge lines up a shot at the Les Arcades Bar where many of the Canadians spent a lot of their recreation time.
	Charlie Upshall, Victor Hickey and Ed Lawrence in serious conversation.
	I am giving Maria Vellieux a foot massage on the patio outside the Les Arcades Bar.
	My friend Milan Furin (left) of the Slovak Men's Team and I pose with the Slovak Women's Team.  World Champion Anna Balosakova (7:33) is in the white jacket.

Goodbyes:
Well I really didn't get to say them properly. After partying at the bar until the wee hours Sunday morning we shuffled on to the bus for Paris at 3:30 am.  In Paris we scattered here and there.  I climbed the Tour Eiffel with Maria, Charlie and Ed.  After seeing Maria off on the train to the airport Charlie, Ed and I did a little more sightseeing.  I stayed one night in Paris and left the next day for Brussels.  I visited a few days in Belgium before returning to Toronto.  It was pleasant but the vivid memories of the three great days in Chavagnes en Paillers were still on my mind.

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