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Issue 26 - 2004 : La Course du Coeur
The Course du Coeur is a 750-kilometer (466-mile) relay race from Paris to Courchevel, located in the French Alps. The goal of the grueling, four-day ordeal is to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. Ten teams of fourteen compete in the four-day, round-the-clock race, including a team composed entirely of transplant patients. This year was the fourth time in a row that the Dassault Group participated. Runners from various parts of the company met at the starting line at dawn in March. Runners hailed from Dassault Aviation, Dassault Systes, Dassault Falcon Jet, Dassault Falcon Service, Sogitec, and Cheau Dassault.  Here, runners from two sides of the Atlantic remember what it was like. First, Brian Foley, Dassault Falcon's Director of Marketing Services, followed by Vadim Feldzer, Dassault Aviation's Manager of External Communications. Brian's Race The first clue that this was not going to be a leisurely jog came from the form sent from France to be filled out by my personal physician. "Runners over 40 years of age" (yep, that's me), "please be advised that participation in this event is of an extreme physical nature, and carries with it the risk of injury or death." A quick call to France clarified the suspicion. "Yes, Brian, it is a four- day event - four days and four nights around the clock!" I guess I hadn't thought through how we'd cover 500 miles. It was now painfully clear. Fortunately, we were a team of 14 who would take shifts during the run. Unfortunately, we'd eventually all get the chance to run a 3 a.m. graveyard shift. After I arrived in Paris, the first stop was lunch at Dassault's ceremonial headquarters in Paris on the Champs-Elysees. Dassault supports its team well with chase vans, running gear, lodging expenses and moral support. Even Serge Dassault and his daughter He were there to greet us and wish us luck. Following some obligatory speeches, we were off and running through downtown Paris at night. The next four days were a blur. Sometimes we ran solo, other times with a group of four, but always with one of our team members manning the trusty support van just behind us. For variety, the event planners peppered the event with short stints of rollerblading, bicycling, and relays. One event featured two teammates alternately running and biking for 20 miles. Both would leave the start at approximately the same time. The bicyclist would pedal two or three miles and then leave the bike at the side of the road and begin running. Eventually, the first runner got to the bike, hopped on, pedaled past his teammate, and then left the bike at the side of the road another two or three miles away. This process would continue to the finish line, with the twist being that both participants had to cross the finish at the same time. In spite of having been to France perhaps 50-60 times in my nearly 20-year career at Dassault, I've never learned and seen more than during these four days. The run took us past medieval castles, terraced vineyards, cobblestone streets, single country lanes and eventually jagged, snow-capped mountaintops. School children lined the streets as we passed through their villages. In wine country, locals shared wine and cheese with spectators and participants alike. The people were consistently warm, friendly and supportive. As we approached the switchback roads of the Alps, a new event unfolded. Knowing that running up the steep grades for any length of distance would eventually exhaust even the best of runners, the organizers had a plan in mind. It would be a relay, to allow runners on the team to run short distances uphill before passing the baton on to their teammate. But how to ascend several thousand feet with only a few runners on a team? The answer was two cars, each carrying three runners. A runner exited the first car and began sprinting to the second car, waiting 100 yards up the hill. Right after the runner exited, the first car sped up the hill past the runner and positioned itself 100 yards in front of the waiting second car. As the runner approached the waiting second car, a teammate got out and waited for the baton. The mountain roads are narrow; there was barely room for one relay car to pass the other. Sometimes the ground for runners to enter/exit the car was only the width of a balance beam. Beyond this was a sheer cliff with the dotted red rooftops of small houses and sheds thousands of feet below. The run took its physical toll. The night of my 3 a.m. running shift left me at 40 consecutive hours without sleep. The Alpine hills and thin, high altitude air all had their effects. A celebratory glass of champagne for our exhausted bodies at the finish at the ski resort of Courchevel (elevation 1550 m, 5085 ft) had the effect of a full bottle, transforming us into giggly schoolgirls. Despite the nagging injuries, our team still made a respectable finish. More importantly, the diverse worldwide Dassault team was able to pull together in support of a good cause. Vadim's Race I recall our arrival in Cuisery at 1:35 a.m, where the temperature was a chilly -5 (23). The town square of this little village, located some ten kilometers from Paris, was the venue for a somewhat unexpected spectacle. Usually deserted at this time of the morning, the village was suddenly brought to life with the arrival of the runners. Since leaving Paris on Wednesday, the teams already had more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) behind them. Over the 40 bike and run stages, varying between 10 and 80 kilometers (6 to 50 miles), the runners would find themselves faced with a series of challenges and struggles. In spite of the splendid landscape, the accumulation of kilometers and sleepless hours was already taking its toll. On this freezing cold night, the anxiety was evident in the runners' eyes as they prepared to set off on another 15-kilometer (9-mile) stage. The whistle blew and the race got off to a rather strange start. Instead of the usual competitive jostle, eventually breaking up as the runners set their own pace, they headed off in a united pack, as if they were all on the same team. The competition only really set in after the first mile, with the most confident long-distance runners taking the lead. The race became almost magical as they sped through the night. At the front, the struggle was fierce. Then the first runners broke away, treading the tarmac at 15 km/hr (9 mph). Further behind, others followed more slowly in small groups. The night was lit up by the headlights of the pace cars and the flashing lights of the Republican Guard motorbikes. The good mood that reigned was more than enough to make up for the lack of spectators. The runners were spurred on by their own teams, the race stewards, and-more surprisingly-the opposing teams. There was one element that no one forgot, and it was more important than the competition itself. The whole meaning of the race is about supporting a good cause. Here, the number one rule is fraternity, to which individual achievement comes second, even though, an hour later, the finish of this new stage would still be keenly contested. Again, the group flooded onto a village square, this time in Vescours, to cross the finish line. Car horns cheered on the winner, who was also rewarded with a welcome hot drink. The runners that took over the next wave were already gathered. It was 2:30 a.m. by this time, and the temperature had dropped even further, yet a new, 19-kilometer (12-mile) stage was about to begin. A glimpse of doubt could be perceived on some of their faces, no doubt with the realization that rest would not come until the following evening. But in the meantime, they cycled and ran through the Burgundy region and its leading vineyards (which wine connoisseurs will no doubt appreciate): Aloxe Corton, Puligny Montrachet, Mercurey, Beaune, and Pommard. The competition within the teams was considerable, and the idea of reaching the finish line increasingly appealing. Everyone gave everything they had. The conditions were right to tackle the mountain on the 3rd day, along with the challenges it would bring. The breathtaking ascent of the Alps could begin! Elements of a Race The sports adventure is just one part of the race. The other reality is the considerable public relations and communications the organizers perform before, during, and after the event. Aside from the participation of the team of transplant patients, who convey an incredible and encouraging message of life to others who have received or are waiting to receive transplants, the aim is to raise public awareness of the importance of donating organs. Ten thousand people need a transplant of some kind each year in France alone. However, only 3,500 will receive transplants, while the other 6,500 will remain on a waiting list. Everywhere in the world, transplant needs greatly outstrip donations, and many patients die as a result of the shortage. The principles and issue of organ donation are still too often shrouded in taboos, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons. That is why the association Trans-Forme, the race organizer, has decided to conduct active campaigns on the subject, both through media and directly to the race spectators. Thousands of organ donation brochures and donor cards were handed out so that everyone can take a stand in the name of solidarity and the fight for life. Because it believes deeply in these values, the Dassault Group has chosen to make a long-term commitment to the race. Therefore, not only does its team take an active part in the race itself, but the company provides technical assistance for their web site (www.lacourseducoeur.com) and with other media communications.  Dassault Group calls its involvement "patronage out of solidarity," and in that spirit has built a veritable integration project, uniting employees from different departments, management levels and geographical areas under the same banner. It was an opportunity for everyone to surpass their physical limits, while strengthening team spirit and their sense of belonging to the group. Running the race means getting involved in a noble cause, one that can quite simply give somebody a new lease on life...
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