A start - GrandEs champioNEs

Audray has always spoken of her sister so highly. Has photos of her all over the appartment. Photos of her kids all over the apartment. Talks about those kids all the time. Not just to me but to everyone.

Her sister, though, lives far away from us. In the mythical land known as the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. We rarely get to see her. And even when we do...

The first time she was in town I was invited to family dinner, but when it came time to go to said dinner I was too hungry to leave. Audray suggested I drink a shake, but I knew it wouldn't be enough, besides which I didn't have the exact ingredients required. Something else? There wasn't enough time. And now we were running late and all of my nice clothes were in the laundry...

Audray ended up leaving without me.

After the two kilometre mark, when we got passed, Audray's sister would look behind her.

She would say, I just don't want to get overtaken by my grandmother.

At the three kilometre mark, when they gave us a bottle of water, she refused to throw it away without finishing it. After she was done drinking from it, she ran with it in her hand for awhile before using the rest of it to cool herself down. All except for a little bit at the end which she used to splash me with when my back was turned.

At about the four kilometre mark was when I first saw Audray's sister speed up she gets cheered on. Every time some people, strangers to her, would cheer, her pace would pick up.

She would also pump her fist in the air and cheer along with them.

Entering into a more foresty area near the seven kilometre mark, she said, look a tree!

And another one!

And what's that over there?! It's another tree!

Ahhhh... the beautiful islands.

A ten point six kilometre finish line isn't enough time to get to know someone, but it's a start.

Michel et moi croyions être bien en avance et les rattraper en voiture à environ 6 Km. RenduEs à 7 Km sans encore les voir au loin, nous étions passablement impressionnéEs. À 8 Km sans encore les avoir croiséEs, nous avions assez d'autocritique pour avouer les avoir sous-estiméEs. À 9 Km sans les avoir en vue, j'ai commencé à avoir peur: soit leur course a due être interrompue avant le temps, soit la fin est proche et nous risquons de les manquer. Je les ai remarqué à environ 10 Km. L'arrivée est à 10.6 Km, nous devons nous dépêcher.

Mon cœur battait fort d'excitation et de joie pour eux-elles d'avoir si bien fait. La voiture qui nous précède est trop lente! Allez, vite. Nous les dépassons de peu vers la ligne d'arrivée. Je sors de la voiture encore en marche, m'empêtre dans ma sacoche, le temps de m'agenouiller et de prendre la photo, c'était terminé.

Je les félicite d'un bonheur sincère et pourtant, je suis rapidement envahie par la peine. J'aurais voulu partager ce moment, si puissant, avec toi.