20km of Brussels 2018 with GAIA! (my experience)

Running 20km, especially with such a big mass of people would have been a radical no for me 10 years ago. I’m not sure I would have been able to physically run it, quite too much incertitudes in that and the spotlight for my ego is way too big for such an event. I would create myself a lot of ‘what if’s’ and finally not do it.

So why do I participate now, what has changed?

I feel that I can do better, that I can change something and get some attention to a subject that I find important. In the meantime with my changing food habits, my appetite for sport and energy levels increased a lot and contributed positively to this.

The fact that I feel way better my body, know what it is capable of and what not, provides me a much better sensation to go for new discoveries like this.

Why GAIA?

As a teenager, well I just turned 20, I still remembered the news from 1998, when 3 cattle dealers, hit very hardly at the cattle market of Anderlecht, GAIA chairman, Michel Vandenbosch. It was big news, and it appeared to me like (with everything I heard around it, no facebook, no twitter…) what a crazy guy that Michel Vandenbosch was. He should better keep quiet if he doesn’t want to get hurt like this and he is really annoying the people who try to work.

It unfortunately took me some time to get rid of all my influences, and I’m really happy that my food changing habits accelerated this for me in the last years. I was very happy to see that GAIA is still around, it looks very colorful, they have a very positive attitude, they make it accessible for kids and Michel is still at the head of it.

Today I realize what a special person Michel is, what he has done for all the animals over time and creating a better world to live in, for all of us. At the end of the 90’s with hardly any internet or other communication then post letters and television, it requires a hero like Michel to hold on, continue to do with he felt he had to do and all this against all hard opposition he received. Beginning of the year I looked to their 2017 overview and it is amazing what they realize.

It took me quite some time to get there, it might take others some time as well and everybody should know that GAIA does definitely much more than just the ‘faux gras’ with what they are pretty famous.

To spread this message is why I run for GAIA!

How was the experience?

Check it out! (agreed, next year if I still film, I’ll take a camera with stabilizer....)

Someone in for a social run for next year? (if so, please do reach out, it would be a pleasure)

I want to run slower, speak more, party at the events, enjoy Brussels and get more attention to the t-shirt I’m wearing.

Thanks to all that provided support, encouraged, send messages and that made it directly or indirectly an amazing experience!

#peace #goodfood #nature #fruitsandvegetables #wholefood #freedom #giveupfear #running #20kmofbrussels #gaia #MichelVandenbosch #fauxgras