An Aussie running across France

Now for a real early morning (normally it was breakfast at 5AM followed by the run at 6:30) as today being our last day was 3AM breakfast and 4:30 start !!!.
Anyway interesting start to the day in the confusion of early morning myself and Jim miss our truck (and get a lift with some of the crew), however first thing i do is accidentally kick a stone in the town square and the body being how it is just can't do something like that, leg reacts really badly with feeling of numbness not really a good start.
Probably one of my worst mornings, just can't get moving at all (thoughts of day 16 race through my mind) as i fall back to last again, shame i never gave a thought a but wearing my headlamp as it was pitchblack (no street lights on the roads here).
Finally after 20 odd K's i can finally feel my legs and am starting to pick up people, alot happier now although still over a marathon to go.
Hit the canal paths now, certainly was happy to run against the odd barge, and was running with Bernard and Phillippe for the most part, strange detour was up to the railway line over the bridge and then down a hill with steps (steps are not the thing at that point), keep on ploughing on to bustling down town Narbonne, a big town and just in time for traffic (at least it's Saturday), just could not run and follow arrows though so let Bernard pass me and follow him, very happy to get out the town and into a little road i know somewhere the beach (and end) is there.
Starting to feel good as i know i won't be doing this tomorrow, and pass him and see Hans-Joachim in the distance, starting to get the old racing feeling, pass him and then a great sight a flock of flamingoes in a lake one on the side and Gruissan in the distance. Finally hit the final path and then through the beach town and the beach, finally it's all over. 14th in 8:57 and at this point i've slipped to 11th overall (eventually Don comes in 40 seconds later than the time required to beat me in to tenth maybe now he regrets lending me his shoes ??).
A quick dip (and now to toss the water i have carried from the English channel into the Mediterranean) and words can't express how i feel.
Even get to have a look around the old town (the castle in the picture is from the 1200's and has heaps of steps but who knows whether i'll ever get there again so i had to see it.
Hope you've enjoyed my tale.