DAY 8 (almost 7)

In the evening, before I went to bed, I threw on paper a complex inequality about one unknown. That was Ivana's arrival at the finish line. I added to it the coefficient of snoring, peeing, navigation, and it came out that at 10:30 Ivana would be at the finish line. But I figured it was more likely to be longer, because maybe she'd stop for tea and soup on the way. I set my alarm for 7am, and since I don't exceptionally turn my phone off overnight during JIBE, I was woken up at 5:50am by the beep of a message. I ignore it, but check the position of Ivana and Takao, and freak out. My inequality had significant flaws.

Ivana's purple rectangle had moved further than I thought and she was already under Beskydy, 17 km from Havířov. Takao added to it, because even though I knew that he had still put his head in the hotel in front of Svinec in the evening, I hadn't estimated that he would set off in the night and he had 23 km to CP. So again, counting all the known and unknown.

I prepared the CP for Takao's arrival and sent him instructions in Japanese in the translator in case I wasn't there. Fortunately, it's an hour drive to Havířov, so I quickly got in the car and headed out. Ivana wasn't too keen on the asphalt before Havířov, so she had nothing else to do but go. And that's what it looked like.

I have to admit that I broke a few traffic laws along the way. But the goal was clear, to be in Havířov before Ivana. And I did. I was there at 8:50, quickly threw up a banner on the finish curve and sped towards Ivana. I didn't get far. Ivana was scrambling around with her skis on her backpack like it was no big deal. At 9:18 she stopped under the Victory Arch of Havířov, ending her incredible journey from Jablonec in a course record of 7 days and 18 minutes.

"If I hadn't been looking for those socks and the headlamp in the morning. And if you hadn't made me that coffee, I'd be here earlier. I was going to stop on the way for soup, but it was closed everywhere. And during the day, I didn't want to waste my time sitting in a pub. So I just walked until I got here."

Her feet didn't hurt, just a little something on her foot. I was looking at her, watching her closely. Ivana normally looked the same as she did at the debate when I first saw her, no signs of major wear and tear. True, she was a little disheveled compared to the debate, but otherwise she looked as if she had returned from a short walk in the Jizera Mountains. She said she smelled, but I didn't smell anything. I was fascinated. And her modesty and extraordinary ordinariness.... "Oh yeah, so it was a longer trip in the winter, well, I don't like it, some of that bragging."

Ivana's time is absolutely unreal and will surely be surpassed at some point, I have no doubt. But I'm sure that if anything will not be surpassed, it will be the detachment, the self-evidence, the expression and the style with which she overcame the route. That will always remain a record.

In Havířov she washed quickly, ate, and in 50 minutes I was taking her to the train. Just as if nothing had happened. On the way she slept three times on the CP and twice very briefly outside. Two nights she went nonstop without sleeping, because the first and last night she supposedly didn't sleep.

The fact that Ivana caught an early train back home suited me fine, because I could rush back to meet Takao at CP. I was back in time and even ran out to shoot something. Only Takao just got stuck in the shop and I waited for almost an hour and then managed to miss him. But I was already ahead of him at CP and was able to greet him.

Takao was limping and walking quite slowly. He had some acute inflammation in his foot and it was very painful and restrictive. However, it didn't wipe the smile off his face. When I asked him on arrival if everything was ok, he smiled and said no. Because of the inflammation he is going slower so he decided not to rush it and to rest at CP until the evening, then go overnight, stay one more night at a lodge and plan to finish Sunday night.

I was happy, because we had time to have a little chat again and lower the barriers a little bit. I learned that he makes his living running, lecturing and writing books. That he's from Osaka. So I told him he was a "city boy," but he laughed and said no, city boys are boys from Tokyo, but not from Osaka, which is a bigger village (population 8 million). He's going to Alaska next year for the Iditarod. I put on some Japanese funk with his food to make him feel even better.

And behind Takao, Martin Šilhán, a hobo, is walking at his own pace. I last met him at the 300 km in Petříkov and I'm looking forward to having a beer with him here. I don't know much about him, but his spokeswoman (that is, his wife Petya) revealed a few gossip. Physically he's doing well, that's good news. He's a bit sore in the heels, but what would he want after more than 400 km. He bivouacked at the bus stop overnight and in the morning he started to riot the working people waiting for the bus. Then he also amuses himself by talking to the locals and comparing dialect differences. He carefully observes that intonation and singing are increasing and commas are decreasing, well, commas, because the Razovita region is around the corner and there they speak short.

Then I also learned that he had received a supportive message from Tomáš Čada. I don't know who he is, but it certainly had an effect. EDIT: I now know who he is, Mr. Wheel Master, and I am deeply ashamed that my memory goes back so far, sorry Tomas. One thing is clear, JIBE is not giving up here and Martin will finish, I'm guessing on Monday (but my maths is getting tied up). His wife has already picked up the award at the post office and booked a hotel where she will wash him at the finish so he can get in the car.

So we're slowly making our way to the finals.