Getting Off Track

Suppose one good thing about getting a colonoscopy is that I needed a few hours of rest after the procedure to get my brain back…which afforded a rare spot of time to finally start paying attention to facets of this adventure beyond running.

There is much to do.  Beyond learning French and pinning down someone to tag along (if not to run with me, just to be around and share the exploration of a new world), simply deciphering plane flights is a challenge.  Getting to Reunion is a long haul and with so few carriers servicing this remote destination, there aren’t many options at first glance.

Started off using my travel “search engine” of choice, kayak.com, which suggested Air France as the sole carrier servicing Reunion…and at some pretty steep fares.  I was already expecting to pay dearly to get over to Reunion, but because I was trying to recruit Paul (who naturally voiced cost as a concern with the upcoming wedding), sent Air France an e-mail seeking assistance towards the fund raising drive.

I honestly shouldn’t harbor any ill will towards Air France, for who knows how many crazy requests they receive to score discounted fares, but was disappointed with a lame response to my inquiry and this unjustified displeasure led to a deeper search, ultimately  revealing an actual Reunion-based carrier, Air Austral.

Better yet, Air Austral’s flights depart for Reunion from Charles De Gaulle airport in France, where most of the US carriers land.  I had been further discomforted by Air France because their Reunion departures disembark from Orly, an alternative Paris airport (they do offer bus service transfers from Charles De Gaulle, but this still presents another wrinkle if you are attempting the long trek).

So what’s the coolest part of researching flights to Reunion for my ultra-marathon?  Well, guess what the three-letter abbreviation is for the airport located in St. Denis, Reunion?  RUN, of course!  Yet another wonderful coincidence to help me embrace the adventure.

Now the plan of attack is to coordinate a flight to Paris on USAir, using frequent flyer miles to the extent possible, and then Air Austral the rest of the way.  This is not an easy itinerary and it looks like I will need to invest a day-and-a-half for travel time in either direction to the island…so I will definitely need two weeks of vacation time to make the effort worthwhile and afford time to prepare + recover from the run.  Next steps are to identify dates which make the most sense, ensure I may take the time off from work, and then start talking with USAir and Air Austral to get some tickets!