She leads a simple life, she plays sports but not too much. Carin is in her fourties, and she choose to get into running only three years ago. She does it for herself, for her well-being and for stress relief. But she also does it for her mother, who developed an orphan disease that made her lose the use of her legs. For Carine, it makes complete sense: "I run for those who can’t. That’s my mantra." Since then, she has been leading her life as a mother, a manager and a sportswoman. At any occasion, she will get on her running shoes: in the Gers, the region of her family, perfect for some elevation running; or in the European capitals she goes to with her job. Carine also loves rugby, she loves her two children, Axel (11) and Zoélie (8), and she loves brunches with her friends after a running session.
Trail heads : story #1
Carine represents a new generation of female runners. Humble and spontaneous, she agreed to give us an honest profile interview.
The story
The beginning of Carine’s relationship with running was chaotic. Here first race? Odysséa, with her company. The cause defended by the event’s organizer – breast cancer research – was a good purpose to run all these kilometers. It also gave Carine the motivation to run on a more regular basis. She switches from 10 to 20km. But she has a tough time practicing a lot. "Once or twice a week, that’s my maximum." As the races get harder, the young woman gets fiercer. To the point where she signs up for a marathon in May 2017, which she would have never thought she would have a few years before. And to start her preparation, she decides to take part in the 18km Trail of the EcoTrail Paris. "Some colleagues told me to run this race as a challenge… So I said yes immediatly. A little to quickly, maybe…" The elevation running sessions in the Reuil-Malmaison forest, where she lives, will be her preparation. Until she finds herself at the start line, on March 17th, in Meudon.
18km of all-out running
It was her first trail. A major moment. A total discovery. To relieve some stress before the race, Carin tries to reassure herself. "To forget about the bad weather, I thought about those who were going to run the 80km. Then, I went on autopilot. The organization took it all in charge." Her only fear: slip and hurt herself, thus jeopardizing her participation to the marathon. To control the situation, Carine decides to walk in the hazardous areas and to go all-out running the rest of the way. The strategy paid off, as she got to the finish line at the Domaine de Saint-Cloud in 2 hours and 3 minutes. Just in time to leave for the U Arena, where her favorite rugby team, the Racing 92, was playing against the Stade Français. It’s no secret: motivation is key. And Carine doesn’t lack motivation at all. She will come back to the next EcoTrail. She doesn’t know if she will go for the 30 or the 45km trail yet, but she does know that she will cross the finish line.