We woke early to the dawn of a cold day, clear blue skies and a full moon high in the sky. There was a certain freshness and crispness in the air and everyone was looking forward to running in such tranquil, autumnal conditions. Similar to yesterday we were escorted by two police cars as we drove out of Banjaluka to commence our day’s running a few kilometres beyond the city limits. Throughout the whole day we were to be escorted so considerately by police cars, so concerned were they to ensure we would run safely on some of the more busy roads.

With our Bosnian ultra distance runner leading the way and all of us so eager to run at a good pace we soon covered the 52k to the small town of Prnjavor by midday. As the team ran up the hill towards “Nikola Tesla” school we were welcomed with a tremendous roar of delight, and the whole school waving and cheering as the team ran up the steps to pass the torch onto the school principal. He was so delighted as he held the torch up aloft to the cheers of the children. The school choir then sang the World Harmony Song to a great applause. Next 16 children in traditional gleaming white costume with colourful sashes danced to some amazing high tempo Slavic music. They had such energy, moving elegantly and effortlessly to the beat of the drums.

After the speeches the children were very enthusiastic to hold the torch, and were so friendly as they wanted to practice their English and were willing to introduce themselves to the runners. Some of them were so eager to get the autographs of the runners. We ran out of the town to a great fanfare as we waved goodbye to head towards Doboj over 70k away.

Running was a joy as we passed through the countryside of small farms and hamlets, and golden cornfields mixed with shades of autumn. As we approached Doboj our shadows were becoming longer as the sun dipped towards the horizon and an evening chill descended.

After all the runners had a much needed hot shower and short rest, we were ready to meet the vice mayor and representative of the City Council of Doboj. This was another prominent moment in the World Harmony Run, as now handing over the torch to all dignitaries in the Balkans takes on an important significance of harmony, reconciliation and friendship. During the conflict of 1992-95 Doboj was one of many places on the frontline that spanned the country, and there was a great deal of hardship and misery experienced by the people of the city and the surrounding villages. So, as we ran towards the meeting point the torch flame glowed brightly in the darkness of the cold night, and the runner handed the torch over to the vice mayor of Doboj, filmed by the local television.

As we entered the hall we were treated to a really funky pop version of the World Harmony Song, sang by four women singers, accompanied by a keyboard player and two guitarists. The vice mayor gave a speech saying how grateful the city was for the runners visiting the city, and the need and importance of harmony to preserve the resources of the planet. In our World Harmony Run message book he wrote:

"Only human hand and humankind can destroy this planet Earth given to us by God. But, at the same time it can preserve the wellbeing of its inhabitants. For this reason, your mission, the World Harmony Run, is the best project for saving and nurturing our planet. Let all nations of the world live in peace and love exactly as your project tries to convey. And I sincerely from the bottom of my heart want to thank you. May you have happiness."

The singers sang some Slavic songs and also some English pop songs. The final song was a Greek Orthodox spiritual song that was very moving and touched our hearts. So ended another day on the World Harmony Run, as we retired to bed early in anticipation of a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

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