At the start of our day we visited a school in Thiva. It proved to become the best meeting so far in Greece! As we entered the school yard the kids were already waiting for us. Some of them were lined up holding pieces of carton with a letter written on them, forming the words harmony run in Greek.

After a short speech the princeple of the school took us inside where we watched the World Harmony Run video with the kids. We made a short presentation and played the 'language game'.

We spoke in our respective languages and the kids had to guess where we were from. Runar, being from Iceland, was of course the hardest one to find out for them. Then we went for a short run around the school yard.

The national television was also present and they took Dipavajan and Susameepa, the local organizer, with them to an local TV studio. For ten minutes they were live in a breakfast show of the third biggest greek television station!

Meanwhile the other members of the team had a great time with the kids. We chatted, discussed soccer teams and showed them the World Harmony Run website in the library. Then we all went outside and played sports on the schoolyard. Some of us played basketball with them some football and others volleyball.

We were having a great time and made many new friends among the children! Nick, Vangelis, Panajotis and all the others, thanks for the joy you gave us. Maybe one day we'll be running together again.

At about eleven o'clock we left the school to resume the run where we left yesterday. It was only a little less than forty kilometers left until the famous municipality of Marathon, the end of the first Greek part of this years World Harmony Run. In Marathon more than 2000 years ago there was another famous battle between the Persian and the Greek army. The Greek defeated the Persians and according to the legend one soldier took it upon himself to run to Athens to tell the people in Athens that they had won. He ran all the way to Athens and brought the message: we have won! But because he was running in full armour he was so exhausted, as the story goes, that he died on the spot. Later they made this distance an official event on the Olympic Games.

It is a thrill for any long distance runner to run to Marathon. Furthermore the road was nice, climbing up slowly with nice trees on both sides. In Marathon we went to the memorial and stadium for the marathon event. In the Athens Olympic Games of 2004 the marathon started also here at the stadium of the city of Marathon. On the road there is still the blue line that the runners had to follow all the way to Athens.

The afternoon we enjoyed a little rest and went to a restaurant together. It is good to relax a little bit since tomorrow we'll be leaving very early for the airport to take the plane to Cyprus. We'll be having a two day running event there. Considering the smell in the car it is also high time for some laundry this afternoon!

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Distance: 75km

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