Eiffel Tower on My Back

Eiffel Tower on My Back, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

i expected to witness some pretty strong emotions as i photographed (a
very small part of) the Paris marathon today. What i didn't expect was
that those emotions would be my own.

i was twice overcome by tears as i watched these brave idiot-angels
shuffle-hobble by, some still smiling, some elsewhere.

Opposite me was a guy with no camera, no kid in tow and no agenda who
was quite simply and genuinely encouraging each and every athlete.

'Allez Monsieur, c'est très bien' - 'Super Madame, c'est formidable!'

And i followed suit, clapping and cheering these brave people, testing
their limits, and mine.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I'
photo blog)