Day 3, Part 1: The day of the Medoc Marathon To the stage Pauillac – 2014 Medoc Marathon Diary No.4

For a while now, I’m going to be writing in a diary style in my so-called blog posts.

We will be setting up a separate fixed page (as in WordPress) to develop detailed summary information about the Medoc Marathon. Please wait a little longer.

事前準備に関しては、こちらにまとめています。

Date: September 13, 2014

Now, finally, the day of the show. I’m sure this will be a report in several parts. It was the end of February when I made up my mind to participate, so it’s been almost seven months since then.

I woke up at 5 o’clock in the morning on this day. Breakfast at the hotel seemed to be too early in the morning, so I had bread, cheese, and orange juice, which I bought at a supermarket in the city the day before, in my room.

なお、ツアー等での申込の場合はほぼ例外なく宿泊先で普通に朝食がとれるようです。もしかしたら私のホテルも可能だったようなのですが、いろいろ細かな事情もあり信用できなかったので、自ら準備しておいたという次第です。まあ私の語学力が疎かったせいでもあるのですが…。

I wonder if there were any contestants at the hotel I was staying at….

We then left the hotel just before 6:00am and walked to the « Rue Ferrère », where the official premium buses of the Congress depart, about 5 minutes away.

The contact is too appropriate and are you sure the bus is safe? Please see the previous entry for the story.

事前にネットで調べたところ、どうせ朝6時頃に街を歩いているのは、メドックマラソン出場者くらいだし、みな仮装しているのでそんな人達についていけばすぐわかる、なんて情報がありましたが、ほんとそのとおりでした（笑）。

So, I followed some groups of people and arrived at « Rue Ferrère » safely.

And the buses were stopping a lot just like that. This was a relief.

On the way to the bus, we were guided to the bus by the attendant. I got on the bus without any problem after showing my bracelet which I got at the registration site on the previous day. For more information about receiving the bracelet, please refer to the previous entry.

I’m a worrier, so I came to the bus stop a little early, but even so, a lot of people were already on the bus, and even though I was in the first car, I had to sit in the first seat of the few remaining seats.

By the way, it is a bus, but it is the same to and from. This will also be recorded later on the summary site. Don’t forget the color (bracelet) and number of the bus.

ポーイリャックでのバス待機場所は行きに到着した場所と全く同じ。荷物も車内に置いておくことができます。ただし貴重品は避けたほうがよいでしょう。

Well, we left almost on time at 6:30am. As you can see from the picture, it was still before dawn in Bordeaux at this time.

The night opens on the road. Just near the Margaux area. Very beautiful scene, it’s going to be hot today!

The road from Bordeaux to Pauillac is exactly the same as the route I drove myself the day before. Well, it’s almost a straight road. Of course, there was no traffic jam. We arrived there in about 1 hour and 15 minutes even by bus.

Here’s some information about bus parking + more in Pauillac.

It’s a bit chilly, but I think you’ll be fine in just your running clothes (or fancy dress, if you prefer). This was my fourth full marathon, and the last three were in the winter, so I was a bit worried about how I would survive the cold, but my fears were completely unfounded when it came to this area in the early morning of September.

Well, all the members of « Team Hatsu Ten » to which I belong arrived safely, and we gathered near the bus stop parking lot and headed for the starting point.

It looks like the runners are slowly gathering.

The cityscape tinted by the morning sun is very beautiful.

The starting point is already in festival mode with loud music playing.

ここで一旦区切ります。（次回に続く）