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Just do it. Blind, with my usual trekker friend Philipp, we plan to climb up the Ararat mountain, checking for the Noah’s ark wreck claimed to have run aground on top of mount Ararat. With 5170m high, the Ararat mountain is the top of Turkey, located at the far east, near the Iranian and Armenian border.
An easy way leads us to the base camp, 3200m.  The following day, to allow acclimatization, we climb up to 4200m through a bridle path and go back to the base camp. In the evening, lasting over one hour, a tremendous storm starts, leading to imagine what could have been the deluge! At the sunrise, the entirely cleared peak appears. And the snow fall is gonna make the climb up more risky. After a short nap in the 4200m camp, we wake up at 1:30 am and begin the walk through rocky screes with headlamps. Carefully, step by step, we progress and eventually reach the glacier. When the sun rises, we get on top of the mount Ararat. No Noah’s ark, but a striking sightseeing in every direction. Just the time to shoot some photos and we go down quickly, drifted with an icy wind.
Many thank to Philippe and our Kurdish guide who allowed me to achieve that challenge!
Patrick Goudot
 

Specialized in ultramarathon, Odile Hochard, blind has beaten the feminine world record.
 
This week end, during the event of the 24 hours of Puttelange at the Lacs(57), Odile did not stopped running despite a very unfavorable weather conditions. She left on Saturday June 28th at  15 h, and as encountered very difficult weather including strong rain and thunderstorms.  But despite all of that, at arrival, the meter displayed 161.3 kms for Odile finishing first of her feminine category and second of the race.
 
Incredible outcome for Odile ! Her certification will come in the coming days after having received all of the necessary documents for validation of this record.

Nathalie Cuny, who is visually impaired, recently became the record holder in the discipline, running 150 kms in the 24-hour race in Nice on May 16th and 17th.
Odile Hochard, who is partially-sighted, has also decided to enter the race.
Both will be taking part in the 24-hour race at Putelange-aux-Lacs (Moselle department) on June 28th, and Odile hopes to outrun Nathalie, her rival from the Alpes-Maritimes.
150 kms in 24 hours : will she manage it ? Watch this space….

After a full day of race, 24 hour of Defi (read 24 hours of Challenge) has ended on May 17th at 18:15 at Nice on the well-known Boulevard call Promenade des Anglais.  Launched by the city and the Rotary Club, the aim of the race was to raise consciousness of the insertion of handicapped people in society.

The blind athlete, Nathalie Cuny, 48 years, guided by 22 persons had the objective of running 150 KM in 24 hours.

Mission accomplished!  Enough to enlighten this tired but happy champion, with a last 2 KM lap between the Verdure Theater and the Hotel Negresco.  
“ I had never run more than 42 km. I am very proud to have realized this record”, said Nathalie Cuny.

Nice Matin, May 18, 2014

And Nathalie has decided to break another personal record, in Nice on May 16th and 17th.

Nathalie, crowned several times French handisport champion for the 10 kilometre road race and for the 5000 metres on track, will be running to raise funds for the AVH and the MOZAHRT association based in Nice, by covering as great a distance as possible in 24 hours.

Nathalie, who is visually impaired, has run several marathons and will be assisted by several guides during this new bid.

So, go for it, Nathlie : we hope you’ll be able to make 150, or even 200 kilometres. All the best!

Thierry Corbalan, the « Corsican Dolphin », has started training in Porticcio for a new, extraordinary challenge : swimming in Greenland, in the coldest waters on Earth (-1.8°), to raise funds for Pascal Olmeta’s association “A smile, and hope for life”.

Frank Bruno, the “hopping adventurer”, will be there to assure the swimmer’s safety. Clad in a skin diving suit, he’ll be on hand to step in at any moment. Thierry will be wearing a 7mm damp suit and his monofin. Two children will be accompanying them in their circuit near the North Pole, and meeting the local Inuits.

The challenge will begin on April 23rd, and our friends will be back in Corsica on May 3rd next, to tell us about their adventures.

In Belgium, for the fourth year running, the Spa - Francorchamps racing circuit management team invited the association "The magnificent blind men and their amazing machines" for their annual driving course.

On February 26th, 10 blind and visually impaired people thus had the opportunity of driving on the legendary Formula 1 circuit.

The 6 French and 4 Belgians who came to the final training course in the package proposed by NVDM were not intimidated by the challenge.

Thanks to the generosity of the two partner driving schools and the three experienced instructors, the visually- impaired drivers were able to do 10 laps, or 70 kilometres, either aboard a Polo from the Bara driving school or a Mégane RS from Yanic’s driving school .

In the mid afternoon, Tony was unanimously declared the winner, when he broke the track record with a maximum speed of 145 km per hour.

Our friend the famous pilot José Close took his Mégane RS off the circuit to provide, as every year, rides round the track for the visually impaired participants, at over 230 km per hour : guaranteed to make your head spin!

Meanwhile, Raoul, who had brought along his old open-top MG for the occasion, took their partners, the volunteers, and the blind members for a spin.

To end the day, and to give them proof of his out-of-the-ordinary skills, Luc, a blind pilot, took some journalists from the TF1 TV channel for a few laps at the wheel of the Megane RS 265 CV, co-driven by Yanic, at over 175 km per hour .... A mind-blowing experience !

We would like to thank the staff of the circuit, Pierre Alain Thibault and Chantal Bantz, for their generous hospitality. Our sincere thanks also go to the Yanic driving school, who came specially from Vienne (France) with a Renault Mégane RS with dual controls, not forgetting our historic partner, the Bara driving school from Fontaine-L’évêque, and all of our instructors, Yanic, David and Pierre, all as fearless as the others.

We would also like to thank our volunteers, Michael, Freddy, Benoît Michel, and Isabelle, our photographer for the day.

A special thank you to the intrepid José Close, for spending nearly three hours at the wheel of his racing car, and for giving our blind friends so much pleasure.

And a big thank you to our partners, without whom this would not have been possible: many thanks for your patience.

And see you again next year for more adventures on the Formula 1 circuit of Francorchamps ...

The NVDM team

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At the age of 13, Theo who lost 4 members does not lack of enthusiasm in the effort.

Under the expert eye of his mentor, Philippe Croizon, swimmer in the extreme, Theo does a daily training for swimming.

He has one and only goal, to be the best tomorrow.

The paraolympics games will include his participation in the future.

See the TF1 television extract

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All members of the Ehandicap World Records team wish you a very happy new year – full of challenges and records.
Have a pleasant visit of our Web Site.
“Sportingly yours!”