So I guess we did this huh? Made it all the way down the canal to its final ending place into the Mediterranean Sea. As we passed the boating house to the lighthouse at the end of the walkway, I watched Ben raise his fists in triumph and let out a loud ‘woohoo’. Isprinted pass him with whatever I had left in the tank with a smile from ear to ear to that said it all. When I got there, it was an emotional moment. Much more than anticipated. I got to my knees and just did quick prayer to the big G O D for watching over us along this journey. There were six people within distance who had no idea what was going and looked at us like ‘what the’. It didn’t matter who was around, because we did epic shit! After our celebratory pics and touched the Mediterranean, we had to foot it into a nearby town (which added maybe another 5k to our awesomely exhausted legs) which was anti-climatic compared to what we just did lol. We were able to get a bite to eat and catch a taxi to the hotel (damn was that expensive. But yolo). Note to France: please get uber or some ride sharing service in the south, thanks!
As I sat in the backseat of the taxi heading into town, I just reflected on my life. How did I get here? Why was I deserving of such an experience? A kid from a single parent household, who got free and reduced lunch shouldn’t be here. The kid who got bullied in third grade for being different. The kid who didn’t end up on the wrong side of statistic (there’s many of those). No matter what stats say or my circumstances, they didn’t stop me from doing this. This is why I am so grateful because I am not supposed to be here but damn it, here I am! I’m so overjoyed by this accomplishment for many reasons and it is an experience that will live forever in me. As my mother’s favorite bible verse goes, Phi 4:13‘I can do all things in Christ, who strengthens me’. I was strengthen repeatedly through out.
There are so many memories that I will take from this experience that I simply can’t put into words. You have to go through it to actually understand what this is like. I am a true believer that some things should go to the grave with us. I have tried my best to put it into words for you to get a feel for it and I’m hoping that you have gotten some visual into these moments. Thanks again to Ben for letting me tag along and thanks to those who supported us along the way. I have no idea what it is like to be a celebrity but YOU reading about this journey sure has made me feel as though I am one. I am humbled by this. Merci
Ending numbers for this experience: two shirts worn, one pair of shorts, four pairs of socks, one hat, around 15 cokes, three bags of Haribo gummies, two water bottles, 252km ran (many more walked), countless memories, and one stronger friendship 🙏🏾 What a week! Thank you Canal Du Midi for welcoming our challenge and thank you France for your hospitality.
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