From Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June, more than 10,000 runners and walkers will be treading the coastal paths around the Gulf of Morbihan for the Ultra Marin. For them, 1,500 volunteers work in the shadows. Ronan Le Doridour is one of them. He is the conductor of a team based in Arradon where the last refreshment point is located, at the Penboch campsite, 15 km from the finish at the port of Vannes.
Ronan spends three days and two nights there, sleeps like crazy for three hours, but his eyes sparkle with happiness at the idea of being part of the adventure once again. “These people who run the Ultra Marin make me dream, I look at them like a kid because I am incapable of doing that, so I like to share this moment with them through volunteering,” says the former field hockey player and now running enthusiast.
Those from the second night, I call them the broken ones, they are no longer athletes, they are warriors.
The broken ones of the second night
We were particularly interested in the atmosphere of the night. “It’s really my time, very different from today. As soon as the sun sets, time slows down. At this aid station, there is just a small street lamp for lighting. We are a bit of a beacon for the runners, it is a landmark for them as they move forward with their headlamp. They are in their world, with this perimeter, and we enter it when they come towards us.” In the quiet of the night, the volunteers are very attentive to each participant. “It’s important, we must be kind, attentive. We always ask if everything is okay, we can advise them on diet, sometimes we force them to eat or to rest because their body has become a machine and they don’t see the side effects. Some people start with the idea of spending one night and not necessarily a second. Their goal is to finish. The ones from the second night, I call them the broken ones. They are no longer athletes, they are warriors. They no longer have a sense of time, it’s one foot in front of the other,” says the 47-year-old Sinagot.
There was one who saw a big fly in his glass of water even though there was nothing there.
Les hallucinations
Some runners talk and laugh, others not at all. And then there are those who hallucinate. “Last year, for the second night, there was one who saw a big fly in his glass of water even though there was nothing there. Another told me he heard his grandmother cheering him on the course as she passed away.” Whether with the runners or the volunteers, Ronan Le Doridour loves these moments of sharing.
If the finishers have a medal, that of the volunteers is to hear the “thanks”, to see smiles towards them. ” It is heartwarming. I find that there is a family spirit. These are fleeting and enriching encounters and moments of life. For me, it’s a privilege to experience it,” assures the man who spent four days organizing the schedule of each volunteer on his team.
Four to ten hours at a time
Some of “Team Penboch” are on the course as marshals. The time may seem a little long to them at night. It’s sometimes difficult not to take a nosedive. “When you sit for two hours without seeing anyone, you get a little sleepy. I always try to pair up at night to avoid falling asleep. I organize 4-hour blocks, between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. and between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.,” explains the professional manager. “At the refreshment point, the volunteers can go and rest in a bungalow because some stay there for up to ten hours at a time. »
