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VIDEO. Despite her illness, she completes the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
She wanted to show that despite the illness, “you can take on a sporting challenge”. Suffering from endometriosis and Lyme disease, Sabine set herself the challenge of completing the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Brut followed her during her ascent.
(Raw.)
She wanted to show that despite the illness, “you can take on a sporting challenge”. Suffering from endometriosis and Lyme disease, Sabine set herself the challenge of completing the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Brut followed her during her ascent.
Sabine explains: “It’s a project that we had together for a long time. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with two pathologies: chronic Lyme disease and endometriosis.” Despite these health challenges, she embarked on the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), an extreme race of 171 km and 10,000 m of elevation gain around the massif.
Her partner Jean was initially supposed to run the UTMB but decided to accompany her and support her throughout her journey. “We’ll all be going all out. We’re all there, in our little minibus, chanting and shouting ‘Sabine’ all along the route,” he mentions enthusiastically.
Despite the difficulties encountered during the race, Sabine showed an iron will. “I’ll give it my all!” she says with conviction before leaving. Her steely mind helps her overcome obstacles: “I’m less physically ready than some, but I have a mind of steel.”
When she vomits repeatedly due to her endometriosis, her support team remains united. “It’s normal, it’s his body rejecting it, so drink water,” Jean encourages her. Sabine continues despite the pain, determined to achieve her dream.
As Sabine nears the finish, the tension rises. “We are really excited! We can’t wait for her to arrive and we are going to give her a boost,” exclaims her team. Unfortunately, she narrowly misses the time limit, missing the time allowed to finish by 13 minutes.
Although disappointed, Sabine remains dignified in the face of elimination. “I was eliminated in the first dam. But I haven’t said my last word. We’ll see each other again here,” she promises resolutely. Jean congratulates her warmly: “Sabine, I’m very proud of you. We’ll try again, we’ll try again if you want to. But congratulations for everything you do. You’re incredible.”
In a final reflection, Sabine underlines the symbolic significance of her feat: “I think I’ve shown that even when you’re sick or disabled, you can try to make your dreams come true. It’s a victory just to have been there at the start. That’s already huge. It’s not given to everyone.”