With boundless kindness, hospitality, willingness and enthusiasm the Balkan countries remind us runners of what we are actually running for. Here in Bosnia we feel a real, pungent and urgent hunger for harmony in its peoples. With beauty and simplicity they shower us with everything they have to offer. It’s a funny world, where the people who have the least seem to give the most, eagerly, without any inhibitions. Just taking a look at the number of people gathered at any one ceremony will give an impression of these peoples’ dedication to healing the world. In us runners something is deeply moved in our hearts, and our minds slowly move towards a new awakening as we continue to traverse these illumining lands. For by having experienced such a total lack of harmony, these people really and truly understand and appreciate the need for it on a deeper level than most, who have grown up in outwardly more peaceful surroundings.

The entire first hour of a big local school in Banja Luka has been reserved for a very special World Harmony Run program, starting at 7.30. Running in we meet light orange and light blue runners who join us through an alley of cheering kids, into the school, through the narrow corridors and into a gym hall, where our eyes are stunned by a huge organised assembly of children, waving flags and peace doves, wearing costumes. At the far end a huge World Harmony Run poster has been hung. We enjoy singing, plays, poems and great speeches by the teachers. Above on the grand stand the rest of the school are seated. The effort and preparation that has been put into this is amazing. Running out many of the kids spontaneously decide to join the track-suited children to accompany us quite a way out of the city.

Ziejlko, our good-hearted Bosnian runner is a veritable asset to our team. He recently won one of our marathon team’s 24 hour races in Bosnia with 200 kilometres. Not only does he run far but fast, too, and always with tremendous keenness and cheerfulness. Today he covered 58k. He is also a light in our ceremonies and the kids love him. We’re learning a lot from him.

We’ve been running at quite good paces towards our second ceremony, a school in Zenica, so when eager children set up for a relay get hold of the torch, our runners are left behind running their 5 minute pace as the children, bursting with energy, sprint up the steep hill to their school. We squeeze into a classroom to enjoy performances by the children before we do our presentation. We are then invited for good refreshments.

The nature is spectacular: hills flourishing with green and slightly autumn-hued forests envelope us. Still, our route is mostly flat today, but tomorrow we’ll be hitting mountains.

It is already dark as we enter Sarajevo. The city is luminescent with a warm orange glow, and the places we see down-town are quite beautiful and charming. Since the run’s last visit 6 years ago the condition of the city has really improved a lot. Two local runners accompany us into the city, a bright girl and a man who held the Bosnian marathon record 30 years ago with a time of 2.15. Quite a flock of people have gathered at the ceremony place in front of a beautiful church, where the already familiar drum-beating accompanies folk dancing. Again we hear some very good speeches.

The ceremony ends and the people disperse to their homes, we hope with new inspiration and strengthened hope for the future.

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