By Luna G, Grade 9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For forty-two hours, thirty-four minutes and ten seconds, Ms. Sarah Ford, the Director of Student Life at MIS, had been waiting for her husband, Mr. Anthony Constable\u2019s arrival. The HOKA UTMB Mont Blanc, a grueling 174-kilometer race with a 9900-meter ascent, was not for the unprepared, nor the faint of heart. For three years, they had been preparing for this one race, having to do well in two big races to qualify, along with a 65% chance of not attending. Ms. Ford took on the cooking for her husband, allowing him to focus on running. The training plans, the roads she drove to pick up the exhausted Mr. Constable, the waiting she did while he ran his races; all these establishments just for this one moment, the most paramount yet challenging race of them all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she saw Mr. Constable crossing the iconic finish line of the UTMB Mont Blanc, she felt herself tear up. The tension, emotion and pride overrode whatever worry or fatigue she felt, and before she knew it, her hands wrapped around her husband\u2019s body. She found herself telling her husband at the end of the hug something she didn\u2019t really mean, a string of words formed through the relief and worry. \u201cDon\u2019t do it again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She herself hasn\u2019t run since December 2022 due to an injury to her back, so she was ready to help her husband complete the \u2018World Cup\u2019 of trail running. The tents were full of people from all over the world, huddled up in sleeping bags or sitting on benches, waiting and supporting their runners. The relentless weather didn\u2019t make their jobs easier, runners and supporters like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know how he was getting on\u2026, but what I did know was (it was) really, really raining, snowing at the top of the mountain, really, really cold\u201d, said Ms. Ford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After we interviewed Mr. Constable, we were told he suffered from hypothermia due to the severe cold on the first night. Between 10pm on Friday and 7am on Saturday, there was a blackhole of time where Ms. Ford was unsure of what to expect. \u201cIs he saying, do you know what, Sarah? I\u2019m not going to be able to do it, and everything\u2019s come to an end. Or is he saying, do you know what, Sarah? It\u2019s going to be fine. I\u2019m going to carry on. I\u2019m going to make it\u201d, she continued, explaining her inner monologue in detail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only baggage she was allowed to carry onto the premises was a 30-liter bag, containing clothes and shoes for Mr. Constable, ready to be used. Unsurprisingly, the pair was well prepared and had already planned beforehand when at what resting point they would meet and change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms. Ford was only allowed to access a third or so of the stops, as the rest were atop mountains or in an area inaccessible to the supporters and spectators. The next morning, she reunited with her husband and the worry dissipated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact that he was telling me that, \u2018and then I warmed up, and then carried on, and so and so on\u2019, just kind of restored my faith, really\u201d, she would then continue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Constable\u2019s figure finally greeted the waiting crowd in Chamonix, worn out, sleepy but victorious.On Sunday, Mr. Constable spent his afternoon in a relaxing jacuzzi followed by enjoying a big pizza meal, rightfully deserved! \u201cA couple of weeks later now, I think it was the weekend, he said, I\u2019m starting to get that feeling that I just want to be in the mountains\u201d, mentioned Ms. Ford at the end of the interview, so perhaps, after some justified resting, Mr. Constable will be braced for a new, heart pumping race. We, the journalists, hope Ms. Ford will continue supporting Mr. Constable throughout his running career and for Mr. Constable to run with heart and never give up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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