Dreams on the road, completed in 27.5 hours
7:00 AM, May 25
In the early morning of Avallon, France, 188 teams gathered at the starting line. Among the crowd, four team members clad in full Gore-Tex® gear stood out with their spirited demeanor.
“We Chinese believe that ‘if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools,’ so we started preparing half a year ago. Since we all have day jobs, we made the most of our evenings for workouts and weekends for training hikes. Over these six months, we climbed Mount Haba, trekked in Mentougou, and barely missed any 100-kilometer races,” said Cai Yingyuan, a media professional and team member. “Besides, our Gore-Tex® gear was far superior to that of most other participants.”
Their thorough preparation gave the team an early advantage. At the start, persistent rain and dropping temperatures posed challenges, but the durable, highly breathable three-layer Gore-Tex® jackets kept the team protected from branches and rain. “I didn’t expect it to be so cold in late May in France. We had checked past weather data, but this year was unusually harsh. Luckily, we had the three-layer Gore-Tex® jackets—otherwise, it would’ve been really tough!” said Su Ziling.
The early stages went relatively smoothly, but after the second checkpoint, the muddy paths increasingly tested the participants.
“About a third of the trail was pure mud—it was extremely difficult to move forward. At one point, I accidentally stepped into a puddle, and my shoe instantly turned into a ‘submarine.’ But when I pulled it out, the inside was still dry!” Cai Yingyuan recalled with excitement. “Although the temperature was low, the constant movement kept us sweating. Thanks to the high breathability of the three-layer Gore-Tex® fabric, we barely noticed it—we could only see sweat on our faces.”
11:00 PM, May 25
As the race progressed to the middle stages, the initial excitement faded, fatigue set in, and worse, several team members began experiencing injuries.
At the 40-kilometer mark, female team member Sha Lu suffered from iliotibial band syndrome, with her knee throbbing in “excruciating pain.” She nearly broke down, describing it as “being lucid before dark, but afterwards, I honestly don’t remember how I got through it.” Another teammate, Zhao Xin, also experienced severe foot pain due to fatigue-induced swelling. The checkpoint physiotherapist told them this type of pain was untreatable. “At such a critical moment, even the smallest factor could lead to a total collapse. From the beginning, we agreed not to talk about quitting—and we all stuck to it!” said Zhao Xin, a civil defense worker and team member. “When your body is severely exhausted, every extra burden feels magnified. Fortunately, our Gore-Tex® gear was lightweight, reducing the load. Later, when the rain stopped, we could even scrunch up our jackets and stuff them into our backpacks… Based on my past experience, long-distance hikes like this usually require changing clothes midway, but this time, we wore the same gear the entire way. Even after crawling through thickets, branches, and rocky terrain, we emerged completely unscathed.”
With just 5 kilometers to the finish, female team member Sha Lu suddenly burst into tears. Her teammates said nothing, simply supporting her as they moved forward slowly but resolutely.
At 10:39 AM on May 26, 2013, the four “Trailwalkers” crossed the finish line together, completing the course in 27 hours and 30 minutes.
Next dream goal: Join Trailwalker events worldwide
With this, the French leg of the Oxfam Trailwalker, supported by the Gore-Tex® brand, came to a close, and the dreams of the four team members reached a fulfilling conclusion. Reflecting on the French event, team member and media professional Cai Yingyuan said, “Although we faced pain, doubt, denial, and moments of breakdown during this challenge, what we gained in return was the joy of success and the thrill of achieving our dreams. Our next goal is to take part in Trailwalker events around the world, spreading the spirit of self-help and public service.” Perhaps this is the true allure of the outdoors.
Zhang Jingwei, General Manager of Gore Beijing, stated, “Our strong support for these athletes stems from our consistent respect and encouragement for outdoor dreams. The dreams and perseverance of these participants perfectly align with the Gore-Tex® brand’s philosophy of ‘Testing the Limits.’”
It is reported that in addition to sponsoring this Trailwalker event, the Gore-Tex® brand has been organizing the “Testing the Limits – Gore-Tex® Outdoor Dream Realization” campaign since 2007, dedicated to “making every outdoor dream come true.” To date, six editions have been held, collecting 13,705 outstanding travel proposals and engaging nearly 160,000 participants.