“I've been told a lot: 'When you stop the 800 m, there's no longer a walker,'” laughs Dominique Gueguen, departmental master distance champion (2'23''10). I feel completely alienated from other people my age. We are not at all in the same dynamics. »
Mother of two boys, the professional chemist explains her attraction to short distances in particular through logistical questions. “To increase distance, you also need time. And I don't have time. My daily life is timed, the shorter sessions allow me to train at lunchtime. » Beyond the simple attraction of the discipline, the member of Trégueux-Langueux Athlétisme enjoys fighting with her young opponents. “I manage to follow the 15-20 year old girls and tease them a little. It's my little personal pleasure! »
“It’s a pride to be in front of young people”
“Beating young people, of course it’s nice! », shares Yves Thomas, third master at the Départementaux over 3,000 m (9'11''10). “I’ve been doing track for over 20 years, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000m… We want to stay with our first loves. The long distance will perhaps come when I have lost my speed qualities but, for the moment, we must continue to work on it, it is the basis of athletics,” says the 43-year-old cross-country skier.
Master since this season, his clubmate Sylvain Le Bourhis (2nd over 3,000 m in 8'34''47) is tempering. “It’s a pride to be in front of the young people, but is it only age that comes into play? I don't know, because there's a lot of training, analyzes the 34-year-old Pays de Paimpol member. We train a lot and we continue despite our age. Do young people do the same? Or more? I think it's more a matter of miles than age. When I see Yves, if he performs enormously, it's because he gives himself the means. At any age, we have the opportunity to give ourselves the means to do well. But for us, it’s true, it still gives us pleasure to be in front of young people. »
