Tuesday 19 September

Harwich - Cambridge, 120 km

Our alarms went off really this morning, as we were scheduled to get on the 7 ‘o clock ferry to take us to our last destination in Europe this year: the United Kingdom. We said goodbye to our Dutch friends and hosts and drove off at around 5:30 in the morning. We are very grateful to Stena Line ferries for giving us a generous discount on our ferry tickets.

On the other shore we were greeted by our English hosts Balavan and Devashishu. Immediately the team snapped into action and plans for the miles ahead were being made. The warm sun bathed the charming and rolling English countryside in a lustrous glow and the country itself seemed to welcome us with open arms. What a joy to run through yet another new country!

We saw typical English houses.

At 12:30 p.m. we stopped in the coastal town of Ipswich where we were received by the mayor and his wife in front of the Ipswich Interfaith Group. We then went inside to meet up with the group members. The Interfaith Group consists of representatives from the Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities all working together. They had made a beautiful plaque dedicated to the World Harmony Run, which was revealed by the mayor.

We then had a very nice chat with them and enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by them.

The Interfaith Group shares the same ideals as the World Harmony Run and we were very happy indeed to be able to exchange inspiration with them.

After the meeting we split up the team in three different parts to cover the remaining miles to Cambridge, our final destination of the day.

There we had to say goodbye to our most loyal runner, Mark from Bristol. He has been writing these reports for the last five months or so and has been an invaluable asset to our team. We are going to miss him dearly, but hope to see him again in a few weeks time, when the Run will pass through his home town of Bristol. Well done Mark and thanks for all the good times!!

Mark actually had a funny experience on his last day on the Run, which he will relate here.

Mark’s account of his last day of running - getting lost in your own country.

"Despite currently being injured I decided to run 4 km as it was my last day on the International Team. After nearly six months on the road it is now time to return home to Bristol to get treatment on my injured hip and back, and recuperate for a while.

In the English autumnal sunshine I began running just outside Sudbury and at some point I knew that I had to turn right at a roundabout just before Sudbury. The roundabout came, but the road sign didn’t seem correct, so I thought it must be the next roundabout. I ran into Sudbury which I knew was now too far, but I thought at some point there must be a turning right to get back on the correct route. Unfortunately this never happened, and I didn’t know it until later but I was veering off in the completely wrong direction.

I passed a class of school children coming back from a school visit and they were astonished as I passed them with the torch. I was tempted to do a presentation to them, but I knew I didn’t have time on my side - it began to dawn on me that I may in fact be lost. So I asked people the directions - and yes they confirmed it that I had to run about 7 or 8 miles to where I was meant to be. By this time I had been running for nearly an hour and covered about 7 miles. I passed small Essex village schools, and children and parents waved.

Despite being lost and my hip beginning to ache, I was happy, but I knew Ondrej wouldn’t be too pleased. I asked one driver for directions who had stopped on the side of the road, but he replied, “I haven’t a clue mate, I’m lost as well”. Common sense prevailed as I entered a village called Gesthingthorpe where I asked a lady sitting in a garden with children playing around her, directions. She confirmed that I had been running in totally the wrong direction. She brought out her friends and the owner of the house and child day care centre. I told them about the World Harmony Run, and we all were in fits of laughter about the fact that on my last day, after being away from England for six months, I was completely lost in my own country!

The owner let me use her phone to telephone my mobile, which was in my bag in the van and I hoped Ondrej would pick it up. He did and the owner of the house had to give directions where I was, but as it was so complicated she decided that as her young daughter would be driving into Sudbury she would give me a lift to a petrol station in Sudbury. She gave me water and was very kind hearted.

Her daughter, George, kindly gave me a ride into Sudbury where Ondrej waited patiently and was smirking as the car pulled up at the petrol station. Thank you ever so much for all the friendly people of Essex who tried to help me and their humour which kept me smiling, and a special thank you to George; good luck with your Psychology course.

It was certainly an afternoon to remember, and I’m sure the others will not let me forget it - getting lost in your own country!"

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Team Members:
Abhinabha Tangerman (Holland), Annemijn Schuringa (Holland), Bakul Keaney (Ireland), Balavan Thomas (England), Bhasini Neve (England), Devashishu Torpy (England), Erika Pongracz (Hungary), Marc Shrader (Germany), Mark Collinson (England), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Nurari Merry (England), Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic).

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

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