Another intense day with lots of running: after a good night's rest we left the city of Melk early in the morning, its famous monastery farewelling us in the distance.

Our group of 30 - 40 runners and lots of cars started out for another hot, sunny day.

Everybody can participate...

An unexpected climb up to the Maria Taferl pilgrimage site got us to our first meeting. The mayor welcomed us and the local priest blessed the torch. We all enjoyed a breathtaking view down into the Danube valley.

Back down in the valley, we ran along the Danube. For miles and miles, we ran on bicycle paths by the river....

In Sarmingstein, something very unexpected happened: the whole team took a boat ride while a local running team from Grein took over the running and carried the torch for some kilometres...

The mayor of St. Nikola treated us to a delicious meal while we enjoyed a delightful boat ride through the "Strudengau"; this part of the Danube is famous for its turbulence and narrowness.

In Grein, we disembarked and rejoined the running team.

Praban and Luke: two fast guys...

In the afternoon we reached Mauthausen, close to Linz. The mayor greeted us and we were given welcome refreshments.

While one group of runners accompanied us out of the city, another group took a side-trip to the Concentration Camp Memorial in Mauthausen, where many prisoners suffered hardships during the second world war.

As we reached Steyregg, the mayor and a group of runners met us at a dam along the river Danube; the group carried the torch all the way to the outskirts of Linz.

Our running day ended with a run up to the Pöstlingberg, where a kind nun greeted our team and gave us a tour through the famous church.

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Distance: 115km

Team Members:
Dipavajan Renner, Pratul Halper and Gerhard Grünstäudl (Austria), Anita Borics (Hungary), Marlin Bernhard(Germany), Jarek Werner (Poland), Svetlana Gorshkova (Russia), Luke Armstrong (New Zealand), Tatjana Jauk (Slovenia), Banu Eres (Turkey)

Harmonemail:
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Gallery: See more images!

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