As a child, i loved the song « happy non anniversary” in Alice in Wonderland, since then I’m seeking every situation to celebrate happiness. Saturday we celebrate my second Spartan birthday. It was awesome and I want to share it with you.

As a sportograf photographer there are some events that we are hyped a little more about, like crazy cycling events or Spartan races. Because we love the spirit of those races, the team behind it and the athletes. My first Spartan race and my first time in the hero tent after the finish line were intense, pushed me on my limits because of the weather but I met awesome people like Kevin. I went to other races, discover other teams in other countries but I received the same love, awareness and we always share the same joy. I slightly felt in love with this event series and I didn’t left the tent again!

The tent is this a special moment I can share with the participants, where they can be proud, excited and loved. I celebrate joy tears and happiness scream with them. I often wondered the power of the emotions after crossing the finish line and the family spirit during the event even if a lot of the athletes race for the championships.

After two years, traveling around, making friends, being part of this event it was clearly time for me to discover it from the deepest inside. It was time to run my first race. Kevin, who became a god Spartan runner, was stocked about the idea to celebrate this birthday together. So we picked a race where I could work and run on the same day, to still have both side of my Spartan career. Spartan circuit Paul Ricard was perfect for it and the night sprint was special enough that I couldn’t say no to it.

Awesome Spartan day as always, with happy runners and a lot of fun and as the sun went down I began to felt the fear and the excitement for the race. Kevin, Boris and Nico picked me up, hyped me up and pushed me through the starting line. Kevin holds his promises, pushed me to run the whole 7km of the race, supported me during my burpees sections. He celebrated every success on the obstacles and told to everybody around that it was my first race. I should probably not tell you that but I asked myself why we were doing it and what it would change in my life during the race. But we went over it, we had fun and most importantly we share this moment with each other. As a birthday should be, we blow up our candles and run over the fire. I was looking forward to this moment and Kevin was the best partner I could have dreamed of to share it. My happiness after crossing the finish line was real and I loved this emotional moment, it makes me understand why we ran und how important it is to celebrate every day victories.

You might think “running a sprint is not a big deal” and I might agree (my muscle would tell you the opposite) but I realized that it was quite impossible for me to do it alone and how many friends it needs to make it possible. My friends at Sportografs office who supported this envy to understand the race better, my friends from Spartan who let me be part of the team, the photographers on the day, who made an amazing job to supported me and all the others who celebrate it with me. I realized that I’m more loved and encouraged to make step out of my comfort zone than I think.

To all my awesome friends and all the other to come, I’ll continue to see you at the finish line! ❤

text by VIC