• Paraplegic since 2020, Carla will participate in the Paris marathon installed on a hippocampus (wheelchair for the race) with her godfather, Nicolas.

  • The pair is preparing for the marathon at a distance, because she lives in Hyères and he in Paris, and has trained only twice together.

  • A solidarity has been created around them to facilitate the organization of the race and support them in this project.

Only two joint training sessions before the Paris marathon.

Nicolas Gavault, 37, will accompany his 14-year-old goddaughter Carla during the Paris marathon this Sunday.

He will run 42.195 km while pushing the hippocampus, a wheelchair adapted to the sport, on which Carla is installed.

Having become a paraplegic after a car accident in 2020, the young girl looks back on the day when her godfather offered her to participate in the marathon: "I said yes but I was a little surprised when I learned the distance to Browse.

“His positive reaction did not surprise Nicolas: “She has a form of recklessness and naivety that allows her to go for it.

»

This duo has already participated without preparation in the Algernon of Marseille in October, a race between valid and invalid.

They had traveled 10 km under the admiring eyes of Nicolas' mother and sister.

“Seeing them cross the finish line brought tears to my eyes.

“Despite this success, the lack of training was felt: “We didn't have the same rhythm, explains Carla, I often asked her to slow down.

“During the exercise, they therefore had to learn to communicate: “As soon as there is a climb I tell her to let me do it or during a descent that I need her,” explains Nicolas.

The pair trains individually

Carla and her godfather had the opportunity once to see each other in Hyères (Var) to run 25 km.

“I had pain in my shoulders, we realized that it was possible to lower the handlebars to prevent this pain”, says Nicolas while describing with his hands the operation of the chair.

He also adapted his sports routine by adding two muscle strengthening sessions in order to support the weight of the hippocampus.

However, this is not his first marathon and knows the difficulties of this race.

“There will be the unknown 42 km.

What scares me is the distance, the fact of not knowing after how many kilometers it will get tougher.

»

From Hyères, Carla is also preparing for the race, but differently.

Between the physiotherapy sessions and her 3rd grade lessons, the young girl follows adapted physical activities, swimming and trains with her racing wheelchair every Saturday.

The latter has always been very active, sport was for her her means of expression.

“She was a Kin-Ball bronze medalist when we lived in Munich,” says Audrey, her mother.

A solidarity was created around them

“More than the race, Carla will retain this dynamic around her,” says her sponsor.

As soon as the project was announced, their relatives and strangers mobilized to facilitate the organization of the marathon.

An Instagram account managed by Carla's nurses has been created, but also a kitty which has enabled the family to collect 4,865 euros to date.

The association "Un exploit pour Lila" also lends the hippocampus to the young girl during her training and the event.

For Sunday's race, Audrey lists the tasks she takes on to relieve Nicolas and Carla of the logistics: “We have to get the seahorse, find a TGV, a hotel and a specialized taxi.

With the approach of the marathon, the schoolgirl still does not realize while Nicolas is planning: "My dream is that this race has a positive impact on Carla, that we remember it and why not make the mother, also affected by the accident in 2020, to participate one day.

»

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20 seconds of context

20 Minutes

is a partner of the 2022 edition of the Paris Marathon.

  • Sport

  • Paris

  • Ile-de-France

  • Marathon

  • Disability

  • Jogging

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