Didier Cretin wanted to become the first in the world to run 100 km backwards. Without a bailiff to validate this record, his project is postponed.
The 100 km of Millau had been ticked off in his long-standing calendar. Didier Fretin, 54, from Haut-Doubs, is a regular at the event. “I have been running since 2007, betting on accompanying friends on a marathonhe says. I ran my first Paris marathon in more than 3 hours and lined up for the Millau 100 km for the first time in 2012.”
Personal photo
He will even be a pacesetter in certain editions before attempting, in 2017, the marathon… in reverse! “I took 5:49he recalls. I wanted to be in the top ten times in the world but it was a friend who got the spotlight last year. Guillaume de Lustrac exploded this time in 3 hours 45 minutes in another marathon.”
A record attempt postponed to 2025
So Didier Cretin was planning another, even crazier challenge: to be the first in the world to do 100 km backwards. Estimated time? 5 p.m. Although he trained hard at home, he had to give up a week before the deadline. “I had found a bailiff near Montpellier who was willing to accompany me but it was going to cost me nearly €4,000he laments. Not to mention travel costs, accommodation and my companions. This was a blow to my morale, especially for those who had taken days to accompany me, but that won’t happen this year. The idea would be to find a bailiff willing to play the game for next year.”
In the meantime, Didier Cretin will continue to train with his two guides: his best friend Didier Foucheyrand and another friend, Guillaume Blanc, “the one who makes me not turn around once while running, we have the right but it’s much simpler to stay with our back to the road”.
