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‘We started the first trial in 2002 and we finished the efficacy trial in 2013.’ Nine years of trials. That was on top of the time taken to develop the thing in the first place. That’s a long time. For Le Mans, the MdS and the Vendee Globe, the finish line is known, fixed; for vaccines, new data may move the finish line at any time. Vaccine development may not be as physically demanding, but to keep plugging away for twenty years surely requires mental resilience.