TEAM A

Wow…another wonderful day ahead. Today we start in Sparwood, it is a very nice little town that was build decades ago to offer shelter to the workers from the coal mine, so they do not have to travel long distances to get to their work.

The first thing that I realized after I left our hotel this morning was the amazing fresh air, surrounded by the beautiful mountains, the mornings are definitely cooler and very fresh.

Today we had even some rain; therefore we could not see the spectacular beauty of the mountains covered up in clouds. Even thought we did not see, we could feel the majesty of the nature.

We are extremely grateful to the manager and the stuff of Causeway Bay Hotel, because of their generosity they offered us accommodation for the night.

To get to our first ceremony we did not have to go too far, only few steps to the Visitor Center in Sparwood right next to the world’s largest truck.

We had a nice ceremony with the Mayor David Wilks and quite a few enthusiastic and wonderful locals. Some of them joined us for quite a few kilometers. (see photos below)

They were so inspired that they would like to join the run for quite a few weeks next time the run comes to Canada. We always get lots of joy and inspiration meeting new people along the road.

I think every little boy would like this big toy. It is the biiiggest. Apparently the miners used it in the mines.

Funny, funny funny…

Our next stop was Fernie where we met with the Mayor Randal Macnair. We really enjoyed his cheerful presence. He did not run with the torch in the rainy weather, but we found out that he use to run Sri Chinmoy races in Victoria about 25 years ago. That is pretty neat.

Our run continued through the windy roads in the colorful valley.

Life is great!

Hi-hi-hi-hi…

Our next stop was Elkov, where we met Mr. Neath Slee with his wife and few locals. They gave us very warm welcome on this cool day. I am amazed how many wonderful people we get to meet every day. Mr. Slee ran with us around the block, he ran his 3km for the day in the morning.

The valleys were surrounded by beautiful orchards the closer we were getting to Creston.

The grand finale of the day was run through this lovely town with the local runners and walkers. The locals prepared a wonderful ceremony.

It is that pumpkin season!

-Gautumi

 

TEAM B

We started the day in the burgeoning mountains of Eastern British Columbia, a marked contrast from the expansive flatlands of the Canadian Prairies.

 

Shortly thereafter, in Jaffray, we were greeted by Heath Slee, the regional administrator for Jaffray Township at Jaffrey Elementary who proved to be a very enthusiastic runner.

Adhiratha and Heath ran through town and we all stopped and had a great muffin and coffee at the Coffee Perk.

Following that, Heath continued to run another 2K down the highway.

A few more kilometers down the road we were met by Rob Gay, Heath's counterpart in the Wardner township,

Rob Gay walked with Wilf and the torch down the highway. As they walked, he talked about the need for good health in our lives and he was heartily endorsing the athletic aspect of the Run.

In Cranbrook we met councillor (and soon-to-be Deputy Mayor) Angus Davis who was incredibly enthusiastic and jovial.

He welcomed us with open arms and gave us a lot of good laughs and great stories as he offered us his warmest wishes on a very successful run.

We then continued along the river valleys, letting our eyes savor the picturesque landscape with its rolling hills capped in clouds and the trees resplendent in their changing colors. It was an incredibly beautiful setting and when the sun started to break through it was breathtaking.

In Creston we were met by students Morgan and Reina and Constable Daniel Buck.

 

Running through the town brought a chorus of supporting car honks and at the midway point a huge group of local citizens joined the Run. Included in this boisterous group was Alex Nielson who roller-skied across Canada in 2005 at the age of 70!

Also proving that age was no barrier was Joe Meers who is still doing Judo at age 90. Other participants included Terry who was a member of the Peace Caravan that toured the U.S. and Europe in 1984, as well as locals

Nicole

Bob,

Serena(left), Christine (right),

 

Enid,

 

At the community focal point of Spirit Square, we were greeted by Mayor John Snopek who escorted us into a lovely ceremony.

The event was organized by Alan Burt (from nearby Yahk)

whose band gave us a lively welcome.

After we thanked the mayor and the citizens for an incredibly warm reception, the ceremony was capped by the performances of First Nations drummers whose sounds echoed throughout the town.

Then Alan's band gave another rousing performance and the festivities were concluded by a song courtesy of Peanut Butter and Jam.

PB & J continued to play on as the event took on a wonderful homespun feel with everyone milling about and sharing lots of stories, experiences and laughs.

The town showed us such kindness and each of the runners was incredibly inspired. Back at our hotels we happily gobbled up the pizza that was supplied to us as a treat by town of Creston. Everything was wonderful!

- Anvita

– Medur Wilson

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Distance: 127 km

Team Members:
Abichal Neil Spencer (Wales), Adhiratha Keefe (USA), Amy Liberson (Canada), Anvita Winter (Canada), Blazej Neradilek (Czech Republic), Elke Lindner (Germany), Greg Hilton (Canada), Medur Wilson (Canada), Prapti Jensen (Canada), Sevati Bondanza (El Salvador), Tanuja Konecna (Czech Republic), Wilfred Rupp (Canada), Yuyudhan Hoppe (USA)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!

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