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This Sunday, March 2, Simon Chuinard celebrates his thirtieth birthday. On his only day off this week, he could have planned a get-together with friends, set up a buffet and celebrated in the most conventional way. But with just a few weeks to go before his departure from Saint-Barthélemy, the young sports coach preferred to devote all his energy, on this very special day, to promoting an essential association on the island: Handi-Relais. In an unusual way, Simon Chuinard will be taking on the challenge of running around the island over a distance of 42 kilometers. In other words, within a few dozen metres of a marathon.
On January 19, Simon and his company took part in the Handi-Relais Handi-Color (JSB 1600), a solidarity walk involving several hundred people between Saint-Jean and Gustavia, which inspired the sportsman. "I already had in mind the idea of running for my thirtieth birthday, so I contacted the association," explains Simon.
An online kitty
Eager to put a "spotlight" on the organization and provide support, he hopes to contribute through his action to bring in some funds for Handi-Relais. This will be done via an online fund-raising campaign on the Leetchi website, under the heading "Je cours un tour de l'île pour Handi-Relais" ("I'm running around the island for Handi-Relais"). Simon insists: "I was touched by the association's objectives. I wanted to link my challenge to their cause. "
On Sunday, Simon will set off at 4 a.m. from Grand-Cul-de-Sac, not far from the Rosewood Guanahani hotel where he works. He will set off with the aim of covering 42 kilometers around the island before returning to his starting point. It's a distance that doesn't frighten the runner, as he's no stranger to it. Last November, he won the Saint-Martin marathon. His passion for running and trail running comes from his aunt. "She's been trail running since before I was born", says Simon, before adding: "On Sunday, it would be great to set a time of between 4.30 and 5 hours. "To achieve this, he will have to spare no effort.
His route will be as follows. Departure from Grand-Cul-de-Sac, nature run at Toiny, back on the road towards Grand-Fond, then Saline, Lurin, Gouverneur, Gustavia, Public, Corossol, Colombier, from where he'll take a tour of the coastline to Petite Anse, where he'll finish in a few minutes.te to Petite Anse, Flamands, Anse des Lézards then Anse des Cayes, back up to Saint-Jean before racing to Lorient, Camaruche, Pointe Milou, Marigot and, finally, the finish at Grand-Cul-de-Sac.
So that the association can observe his progress, Simon will be posting a live feed online (which JSB will also broadcast). "Perhaps there will be a few members of the association at the finish," Simon hopes. Even early on a Sunday morning, there's no doubt that he'll have a welcoming committee worthy of his performance and his commitment to solidarity. Besides, it would be a nice way to wish him a happy birthday on his thirtieth birthday.
