Do you remember the first time you crossed a finish line? Was it a Marathon, Adventure Race, or Ironman? Maybe it was crossing a finish line for a charity run? No matter what race or how long it took, you always remember the first time you crossed that line…

As AW covers the upcoming all-women off-road rally raid, the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles we decided to catch up with a team of first-time competitors to get a glimse of their perspective on this unique évent and take a look as they prepare for the unknown.

Meet Marie-France Bélisle and Josée Beaudry from Montréal, Canada. By day, Bélisle is a representative for a urethane foam insulation company and Beaudry works as a commercial kitchen designer company. By night, in addition to the searching for sponsors, gathering equipment, and securing a truck, Bélisle puts on the driver’s hat to research and learn the terrain from afar, while Beaudry takes time to understand the navigational aspects of the rally.

AW: Have you ever competed in a road race or adventure race before?

JB: Nope. But riding with Marie-France is quite an adventure!

AW: How did you hear about the Rally?

JB: From a story of someone who participated. Here in Canada, there is always someone who knows somebody who did the Rally.

AW: How did you choose your partner?

JB: It was during a conversation between Marie-France and I when the subject of the Rally Aicha des Gazelles came up. I do not know what hit me but I told Marie-France that I would like to participate one day and she would be the person I would like to do it with… Too much wine? Who knows? It was out and too late to take it back because she said YES. It became our crazy project.

AW: What are your goals for 2010’s race?

JB: Of course we want to do well! Winning would be wonderful! But most importantly, we want to enjoy it and try to appreciate every moment of the Rally. We want it to be a good experience and most importantly, we want to come back home and still be good friends…

AW: Any other comments?

JB: When you participate in such an event, it takes a big part of your life for a year or two. The whole experience brings you more than a Rally. You get surrounded by such positive energy. You pay more attention of all the good people that surround you, helping you, encouraging you and are always present when you organize fundraising activities. There is also the companies that sponsor you. They believe in your project and always have a nice word of encouragement.
To be so fortunate, we wanted to do something good to others. We decided to donate part of the money raised to CHILDREN’S WISH FOUNDATION, a Canadian organization, who’s mission is to provide children with high-risk, life threatening illnesses, the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish.
We could call that the power of a dream…

To follow Marie-France and Josée visit gazellesb2. To learn more about Rallye Aicha des Gazelles please visit rallyeaichadesgazelles.

About Rallye Aicha des Gazelles:

With over 130 teams (260 competitors) representing 30 countries, the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles travels through the mountainous terrain, riverbeds and dunes of Morocco. The race isn’t won with the fastest speeds but in the shortest distance. With over 50 checkpoints to hit, it is a unique event, only allowing teams to navigate with outdated maps, compass, and ruler for over nine-days of grueling competition – no GPS, no phones, no computers, and no support teams.