We are delighted to announce that Teclib’ will be supporting our associate Christian Osorio Bernal, member of the Club Sardines Triathlon Marseille, in the Half-Marathon in La Grande-Motte, France 💪
As you’re aware, Teclib’ stands behind the aspirations of our employees! Let’s recall! In August 2023, Christian competed in EmbrunMan alongside Teclib’, serving as his official sponsor!
This year, we’re continuing this tradition to champion and back Christian, not only our colleague but also an outstanding athlete!
We wanted to know how Christian was feeling previous to the race and he shared with us:
“I am extremely happy to be able to run again under the Teclib – GLPI banner! The renewed confidence and support for 2024 set some very exciting goals throughout the year.
In 2 days, I’ll be wearing my first bib for a Half-Marathon in Grande-Motte with the aim of beating my personal record and achieving 1h26! It won’t be easy, even though the preparation over the past 2 months has generally gone very well. The last two weeks have been challenging, but the work is done, the sessions respected, the heart rate adjusted to the target pace of 4’07min/km … however, the course of the race still presents many relaunches and turns that will need to be negotiated with caution, muscles will be called upon to be present and ready to endure these intensity variations!
This Half-Marathon aims to improve my speed and undertake smart preparation for the two main goals of 2024! There will be a cycling race on March 9, the stage of the Paris-Nice Challenge. With these first two races, the goal is to remind the body and mind that on July 25 and September 1, it will need to be ready!
Since the EmbrunMan, the enthusiasm and love for pushing boundaries has known no limits, So I’ve decided to go for a marathon under 3 hours! I did the Valencia Marathon (Spain) in December 2023 with a time of 3h09! One of the most beautiful races I’ve done and experienced, so for the sub-3 hours, I’ll go to Colombia to run the Medellin Marathon, at 1500 meters altitude, after 9 years without returning! A moment that promises to be rich in emotions, sharing with my family on the other side of the Atlantic, the love for sports and the Marathon!
But in the meantime, we haven’t forgotten the triple effort, so with Teclib – GLPI, we’ll be present at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon to face a demanding race due to the elevation gain, altitude, and heat on July 25, 2024! An objective that will see 82 Sardines present, an international race and one of the most beautiful in France! Another Triathlon is scheduled for early October in Cali (Colombia), but this will depend on my recovery status from the Medellin Marathon!
So, 2024 promises to be rich in emotions, with athletics, cycling, triathlon, and a sponsor who commits once again to this adventure, but this time throughout the year. A heartfelt thank you for this important support throughout this new year!
See you soon with the race stories”
After the race, he told us:
“The excitement was high for this first race with a target time of 1h26. I had apprehensions due to several days of accumulated fatigue, a sleep debt that had already impacted my recent training sessions. I must be honest… I hesitated to start when I saw the weather forecast indicating rain throughout and gusts of wind up to 55km/h. These were not optimal conditions to enjoy a race, let alone perform well. Doubt lingered, but the joy of competing and the excitement of running for what I had trained for quickly took over.
First bib, first great joy of the year!!
Certainly satisfied with the result, but not forgetting to mention the flooded parts of the course, the mud, the ups and downs that had to be negotiated with caution to avoid further muscle trauma or risk of falling. Shoes completely soaked, my water bottle lost at the 10km mark… it was not looking good!
But the EmbrunMan and Marathon experiences reminded me that the greater the difficulty, the more beautiful the end!
So, I gathered myself, mentally adapted to the conditions, asked my body to follow my instructions, and give its best once again.
It was there for me again, connecting with the mindset now ready to set aside the difficulties and embrace the joy that the Half Marathon brings!
My condition at 17km was akin to that of 36km into a marathon! That’s the goal indeed, the Medellin Marathon (Colombia) on September 1st.
The new objectives added to this race have become resilience, endurance, and determination.
The result is not bad at all, 1h28:52 sec, despite not achieving the 1h26 goal, I equaled my time record, considering the weather conditions, as in October 2023, I had done 1h28:32 secs at the Semi-Marathon de Vincennes.
A big thank you for taking the time to read, see you soon for the next race on March 9, 2024: Challenge Paris – Nice (140km/2800D+) in Nice, France.”
Keep track of the race calendar and remember to support Christian by following us on social media!
