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Redwane Telha has set a goal: to run the Paris Marathon in April 2021. A tough challenge for an endurance neophyte. Redwane must also achieve this despite his obesity ... and his handicap: the neo-marathon runner is hemiplegic. Yes but here it is, Redwane is " ultra narrow- minded and stubborn ", and he intends to succeed. Meet.
Already a world record holder in the marathon, Eliud Kipchoge became, on October 12, 2019 in Vienna, Austria, the first man to descend under the 2-hour mark over the distance. In terms of racing, " there is no limit, " said the Kenyan.
A priori, Redwane Telha will never compete with the Olympic champion. The two don't really have the same level. But they share the same idea: no barrier is insurmountable. Running the marathon, too big a challenge for Redwane? Chiche.
Straight in his sneakers, focus on Paris 2021
Redwane Telha takes up the challenge: he will run the Paris marathon of April 2021. A very high target for the 27-year-old journalist, who does not have exactly the profile of the perfect cross-country skier. On its last passage on the scale, just before Christmas, the figure fell: another 113 kilos, for 1.78m. " I've been gaining a lot of weight lately ," he says. 113 kilos is a lot for those who want to swallow up the 42,175 km of the marathon. Redwane knows this: to get there, he will have to eliminate this obesity.
The neo-marathon runner must deal with another parameter which cannot be deleted but only tamed. Since his birth, Redwane has been hemiplegic. “ With me, it's a semi-paralysis on the whole right side. I can do all the movements on the right side, but roughly, ”he explains. Roughly speaking: “ It's like in a tunnel, when your phone doesn't pick up very well; you hear scraps, you grab a few things, but not everything. "
Not easy, with this partial paralysis, to imagine him galloping for hours on end in the arteries of the capital. And yet, no matter the handicap, the lame approach or the extra pounds. Redwane does not budge: he will be at the start and at the finish of the Paris 2021 marathon.
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Paris 2021 Marathon: this is the challenge that Redwane has launched! Follow him from November 28!
A publication shared by Cours Redwane Cours (@coursredwanecours_ne) on Oct. 15, 2019 at 2:34 PDT
" Do something that even some athletes can't do "
Endurance, until recently, was not really the thing of the kid from Argenteuil and Saint-Gratien. French of Algerian origin, " bi-national assumed " and proud of its roots, Redwane is rather trendy basketball. As a kid, he got fed with the prowess of Michael Jordan. Among his idols, he also cites Tim Hardaway. Then came the 2000s and " a real big passion " for Dwyane Wade, " something completely crazy ". And impossible to miss LeBron James, " left-handed basketball player who learned to play with the right hand ". The wink is not trivial for Redwane Telha, free on the left but limited on the right.
He and his family never knew the exact cause of the brain injury that caused this disability. The stubborn infirmity, however, could not mute the appeal of the orange ball. Too bitten, little Redwane ended up joining a basketball club. The memories remain: “ It was very hard, especially in the early days, because I played with able-bodied kids. Inevitably, I ran slower, I had less agility than them. But I worked a lot and in the end, I managed to have a level, not great but not ashamed either. I did basketball for ten years. "
Today, make way for the marathon. The journalist, editor-in-chief at France Inter and present on screen on Clique TV, matured this project for a few months. He wanted to erase this installed overweight and, in addition, achieve something important. He thought of climbing Everest, doing MMA, dunker ... And then, the marathon became obvious. “ I wanted to do something that even able-bodied people and some athletes can't do. It was a desire to prove to myself and to others that I could do it, ”says Redwane. After the words, make way for actions: the aspiring runner started his preparation in November, 500 days before the Paris 2021 marathon.
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The recording is indeed launched we are fully with @charlesdecillia the sound engineer & director of @nouvellesecoutes! We can't wait to hear from you! And speaking of that, the trailer for "Run, Redwane, Run!" Comes out tomorrow! 🙌
A publication shared by Cours Redwane Cours (@coursredwanecours_ne) on Nov 20, 2019 at 9:08 am PST
Reconcile with your body
Redwane Telha has teamed up with Nouvelles Écoutes studios to share its challenge in a fortnightly podcast, designed as much for him as for those who want to listen. This project brings him to very diverse meetings, with their lots of exchanges and special moments. “ Telling is what interested me. Some people with disabilities, physical or social, can recognize themselves, ”says Redwane. The name of his podcast, "Cours, Redwane, cours!" ", Is of course a reference to the multi-Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump and the mad race of the character interpreted by Tom Hanks (see below):" It is to run to get better, to reclaim this body, to feel better with it -even. In this individual race, he takes on a lot of people who recognize themselves in him or enter into empathy with him. "
Before becoming this determined fellow, Redwane went through ups and downs. Like almost everyone. He had to deal with this hemiplegia. Disability has long been " taboo ", " complicated to live with ". " I had a hard time accepting myself as a disabled person, " said Redwane. It was only " around 20-21 years old " that he declared himself as such in the eyes of the State. He did not forget: " At Argenteuil, being the son of Algerians, being Reubeu, it is not a difference. Not being a CSP + class is not a difference. On the other hand, the handicap was a real difference which I did not assume. Before the age of 15, "it was very hard, very violent ". " You should not be weak when the handicap was seen as a weakness, " he testified.
" It's been much better in recent years, " says Redwane Telha. The journalist worked on himself. Age, work, meetings have done their work. "Run, Redwane, run! Is a step in addition to his own exploration, shared with the public. Implicitly, Redwane aims for a " total reconciliation " with this handicap which also constitutes his identity, the man he is.
Play it like D-Wade
The 2021 Paris marathon is still a long way off. Not surprisingly, when Redwane presented his project to his loved ones, there was skepticism. It is that among the Telha, the marathon is not too much on the list of usual hobbies. Especially when you limp. But the preparation advancing, the doubts are gradually raised. “ When you think about it, they think that in fact it is possible. And then, they know that I am an ultra stubborn, stubborn guy, that I am very blissful towards myself , "smiles the apprentice marathoner, who can notably count on his wife Assia to push him to to surpass oneself.
Be careful however to the first inevitable sores - the machine is not used to such stress - and to errors. “ Before, when I was playing sports, my handicap was my first opponent. I always tried to fight it and make it fold. And quite often I hurt myself , ”notes the aspiring athlete. Bad idea. Bilal El Atreby, his coach, understood the character well. And he found the right words and good examples: " He told me to watch what Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, D-Wade were doing ... Their injuries are part of them and they live with them. When they train, they take their injuries into account to still have the most optimal performance. My coach told me that I should consider my handicap as a constraint, not as something to fight. And since then, it's been much better. "
Redwane Telha also called in a physiotherapist and a dietician. This is to prepare as best as possible to swallow the target marathon in less than six hours, the time limit. With progressive training and work, the body gets a little stuck and exhaustion is on the lookout. There too, there is a balance to be found. The first results are nevertheless encouraging: despite some physical glitches, Redwane has already made progress. At the very beginning, the lungs and legs said stop after only a few hundred meters; a month later, he can " run 30 minutes without any problem ". With scheduled weight loss, performance should improve. The next important test will be a 10 kilometer race.
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Today I present the Redwane relou, daredevils, narrow-minded, stubborn, who does as he pleases, ... ⠀ Coach @limited__quantity told me not to run this weekend. Or run 2km max if I really wanted to stretch my legs. ⠀ But this morning, I got up with the desire to run 5km. So I ran 5km. And I have some left under the sole. ⠀ We thought we would do it in early January. We will have to find a new goal for the first days of 2020 😤 ⠀ (The worst being that I ran without a microphone so I will be smoked by @limited__quantity AND by my director @charlesdecillia 😂) ⠀ Pray that I will not have no pain tomorrow in training.
A publication shared by Cours Redwane Cours (@coursredwanecours_ne) on Dec. 15. 2019 at 1:33 PST
" Failure is not an option "
Discouragement does not scare Redwane. Already, this is not the type of man. And then, the echo of his challenge is too important and positive. The messages follow one another. “ There are parents of hemiplegic people who tell me that they are being boosted by the podcast, messages from overweight people who recognize themselves in the testimony, people who come from complicated social backgrounds and who tell me that if I can get started in this kind of thing, they too can have the strength… ”, he lists. So, with this audience and this expectation, no risk of faltering. " I can't let go. It is not an option. Since the first day, failure has not been an option, ”insists the sportsman, who is now used to getting up at dawn to sweat in the streets and sports halls of Vanves. He laughs: " At 6 am, we see who the real ones are! "
Redwane's " big flip ", in fact, is the injury. His preparation for the 2021 marathon is calibrated. After a month and a half, he is a little ahead of his schedule. But if a serious injury intrudes, the challenge may be adjourned. So distrust and caution. If his body spares him too many detours, Redwane Telha will be well on the starting line in a year and a half ... and especially on the finish. " Even if I can never walk again, I will finish, " he promises, obstinate, a bit extremist but faithful to his leitmotif: "Run, Redwane, run!" "
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This week, I really messed up. ⠀ The lack of sleep, the problems with the taff and the RATP strikes almost finished me. ⠀ I could have given myself a weekend off but you know what? I think I'm getting addicted! ⠀ 👀👀 @ k.mbappe
A publication shared by Cours Redwane Cours (@coursredwanecours_ne) on Dec. 22. 2019 at 11: 42 PST