“Anything…“When they first talked about their project to those around them, no one took them seriously.”They thought we were crazy“laughs Julien, 42, a former member of the Republican Guard,”we were made fun of, especially our wives!“However, month after month, the project took shape, and the three gendarmes of the Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque brigade threw themselves into the water this Saturday for the greatest sporting challenge of their lives: 50 km swim along the Catalan coast.
From Lydia beach in Barcarès to Cerbère, on the Spanish border, the three men will have to travel 50 kilometres: it will take them a week, at the rate of 7 to 9 kilometers per day. “We started training in January, first in the pool and then at sea. Physically and mentally, we are ready. But concerning the weather conditions, there is a slight apprehension“, recognizes Thomas, 26, a former paratrooper who has just converted to a policeman.
For the good cause
Behind the sporting challenge, the objective is to raise funds for the establishment Les Alizés, in Fourques, a medicalized reception center for disabled adults. Thierry’s little sister, 40, lives there. “She is 30 years old, but I still see her as a common child: she has a rare disease that does not bear a name, and which has been classified in the category approaching the disorder of autism.“
“At 40, I said to myself that it was important to invest myself for her and for all the other people housed in the home: the money we are going to collect will allow them to finance their activities. So that they can escape…“
To make a donation
- An online kitty on the Leetchi website.
- By check, payable to “SÉSAME AUTISME OCCITANIE EST”, but to be sent to the Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque brigade: 200 Allée Méditerranée, 66250 Saint-Laurent. The association will send a tax certificate to donors who have paid by check and therefore wish to have their donation tax exempt.