After 15,500 km across Europe, marathon runner Lootie arrives in Istanbul

Marie Leautey alias "Lootie" has just completed a crossing of Europe while running; after 15,500 km, she arrived this Thursday, June 24 at the Palais de France in Istanbul, the end point of her journey on the European continent. A small reception was organized there in his honor, in collaboration with the Istanbul City Hall (IBB).

43-year-old Rouen native, financial director in Singapore, Lootie, who "wanted to see the whole Earth", is the 7th person in the world (second woman, after the Briton Rosie Swale Pope) to achieve this equivalent feat at 650 marathons. She left Cabo da Roca, Portugal, in December 2019. After being stopped for a time by the health crisis, Lootie left France on December 17. And the race does not stop there... after Istanbul, it will go to North America, then to Oceania, and finally to South America, to complete the minimum distance of 26,232 km*, imposed by the World Runners. Association (WRA), an organization that will validate Lootie's "race around the world" (with certain rules, such as crossing a minimum of 4 continents from ocean to ocean -with a minimum of 3000 km per continent-, daily downloading of GPS data to report the number of km traveled, end the race where it started, etc.).

Lepetitjournal.com Istanbul/Turkey was able to interview Lootie during his short stay in Istanbul.

In a few words, what state of mind are you in, physically and morally, after these 18 months spent racing on the roads of Europe?

I feel in great shape, physically and morally, with an energy and a desire to continue just as strong as on the first day. It's been 18 months since I left, but I still feel at the very beginning of the adventure, having only been able to cross one continent.

Through your marathon, you have decided to support the cause of Women for Women International, an NGO that provides material and moral support to women victims of war. Concretely, how is the fundraising going?

The NGO helps women in post-war areas rebuild communities. Based on a real educational program combining learning and psychological support, the aid is long-term to be effective and sustainable.

I created an account on JustGiving, a donation platform that collects funds directly for the NGO. This allows me not to be involved in financial transactions. If people want to help me, support me, I invite them to connect to my site, follow the trail of the “Donate” buttons and make a donation, regardless of the amount. My promise to the NGO is to raise $1 per kilometer run.

Initially planned for 2 years, your race had to adapt to the health crisis (closure of borders, etc.). How do you plan the rest of the trip? When do you think you can complete the 26,232 km?

The health crisis has indeed upset all my plans. I am no longer able to cross continents in a continuous direction. The WRA (World Runners Association) granted me an exemption on this. So I'm going to cross North America, then South America. I will then have to wait for Australia and New Zealand to reopen their borders to be able to cross this continent. I think my race will last between 6 months and 1 year longer than originally planned.

You invite people to join you (by running, by bike, by car...) to go part of the way with you... have you been able to meet a lot of people in this context?

I keep track of the people who run or cycle alongside me. To date more than 100 people have joined my race, for a few kilometers or sometimes an entire marathon. My best meeting happened in Belgium in Namur, 2 young people had started for a few kilometers by my side. They had never run a marathon in their lives and their first attempt had been aborted due to Covid. As the conversation progressed, I challenged them to run that day, off the cuff, the full marathon by my side. They did it and it was a great joy for everyone.

You fully self-finance your trip. Have you often been invited to sleep with the locals?

I regularly receive very warm welcomes and great expressions of generosity. It has sometimes happened that my restaurant bill is paid or that my guest room is offered to me free of charge or at a very reduced cost. All of this naturally depends on my openness, sharing, my willingness to engage in discussion and to share my journey with the people I meet.

Alone, you are also ultra-connected, concretely how is a day? Have you been able to establish a "routine"?

There is indeed a typical day. I run in the morning starting at dawn and depending on the mileage and the difficulty I arrive between noon and 2 p.m. I shower then I have lunch. Then I work for about 1h30 (writing the blog, photos, updating the website, social networks, preparing the next day's itinerary in detail, contacting my hosts). I go around the city, or the place where I am. I rest. I shop for breakfast and dinner. I'm going home, dine. Then I read or watch a movie and around 9 p.m., I sleep.

On the European continent, I was able to advance by going from city to city, always. This will not always be the case on other continents. For North America, towards which I am heading, I will have to face long crossings of several days without a city and without places to sleep or refuel. I'm going to start wild camping!

You stay very little time in each country, isn't it frustrating to have to leave too quickly each time?

I ran more than 3000 km in Italy, and more than 2500 km in France and Greece, that's between 2 ½ and 3 months in the country, which is not negligible! There are indeed smaller countries, depending on where I pass through them. I thus crossed Luxembourg in a single day of racing, the same for Bosnia in a single day on the Dalmatian coast. Montenegro was a 3 day affair. But in general, I still spend a few weeks in each country, which allows me to always go through the capital and also see the hinterland. A good window on the country as a whole, that suits me.

What do you carry in your stroller, which accompanies you on your daily 42.195 km?

Not much! There are in my bag: 3 racing outfits, 1 “city” outfit, 1 pair of shoes, 1 computer, cables for my GPS, satellite beacon and telephone, spare inner tubes, toilet and that's it! (In winter I add a fleece jacket, gloves, a hat and running tights).

You entered Turkey on June 16, did you experience a culture shock? How did the Turks react when they learned of your marathon project? Do you have an anecdote to tell about your stay in Turkey?

There are a few countries in Europe for whom crossing the border was an immediate culture shock, and Turkey is one of them. But it is also a good thing, it is clear from my crossing of Europe that this continent is of great diversity, a wealth of cultures, languages, culinary traditions, lifestyles. It's fascinating. I was afraid of shocking in Turkey, being a single woman running around in shorts and a t-shirt with a stroller at arm's length. Apparently, not only is it not shocking, but I get signs of encouragement along the way.

Anecdote: on my first day in Turkey, I went to the city of Kesan. When I arrive, I look for lunch somewhere. I do not yet have the codes to understand and identify the good places to eat. I ended up sitting at a random table, no one speaking English, I used google translate to just ask for their favorite dish. They cooked me delicious and particularly spicy dishes. I sweated a lot eating that lunch! A shock coming from Greece where peppers are not used at all.

At the end of the marathon, do you plan to resume your professional activity? Can we aspire to return to a "normal life" at the end of such an exploit?

Of course, when I finish this world tour, I will be 45 years old. I intend to work for at least another 20 years! I do not yet know what professional activity will occupy me. I think it is entirely possible, even desirable (and above all very healthy) to continue to contribute, through work, to the world around me. I hope to have a different added value and to be able to contribute in a relevant way to a just cause. I know it will be necessary to find a project that is particularly close to my heart, that will be the main thing.

Arrival of Lootie at the Palais de France, June 24, 2021

If you want to help Lootie, contribute to his fundraising by clicking HERE

Follow Lootie's daily run on his website: https://lootie-run.com/

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(*) The circumference of the Earth is 40,000 km and encircles a mixture of land and water bodies. The sum of the maximum width of all the continents is 26,232 km!