Day 77 – EU – France [Salon De Provence to Martigues]

20/02/20

33km

  From Salon De Provence (France) to Martigues (France)

Europe

10% through the world run, by the Mediterranean Sea again, meeting with a kind supporter

As I set out to run towards Martigues today, I was once again very happy to be back on the road. The new shoes got broken in in no time and the feet felt home and comfy. The road I had elected to follow today, the D16, follows the curves of the Etang De Berre, the salty lake once called the “Sea of Martigues”. This saltwater lake connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the canals of Martigues.

The only challenge today consisted of keeping to the side, as the road had no shoulder. I made a mental note that today was the day I reached 10% of the world run distance – a small step… and the immensity of the world ahead of me!

I reached Martigues fairly early in the day, having run only 33km today. As I ran the pedestrian street next to the hotel, I heard someone call out: “Lootie!”. Surreal…! It was Stephane from Caen (a city in Normandie next to my hometown). Stephane is a keen runner, currently nursing an unfortunate knee injury, who had read about me in the papers before I started the run. Stephane, Sophie and their daughter Morgane invited me for a drink at the local terrasse. What a great way to finish a run! Let’s see if Stephane’s injury will be healed in time for him to join for a few kms before the end of the European crossing 🙂

Meanwhile tomorrow I’ll run towards Marseille and my task today is to find a road suitable for me and BoB.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: