Our new team member: Nataliya from Ukraine Нашиот нов член: Наталија од Украина

We were treated to a tremendous breakfast prepared by Ane and her mother that included lovely freshly baked bread. Before our running we had time to visit Ane’s health food shop in Veles called ‘Aronija’ that has only been opened for two weeks.

By 10:00 the sun was already very hot and running commenced by a steep 3 km climb (7% gradient) out of Veles.

Бевме почестени со огромен доручек направен од Ане и нејзината мајка во кој беше вклучен свежо испечен леб. Пред да почнеме со трчање ја посетивме продавницата за здрава храна на Ане наречена Аронија која беше отворена пред две недели.

До 10:00 часот веќе беше многу топло, а требаше да трчаме по угорнина долга 3км со нагиб од 7% - на излезот од Велес.

In the heat it was energy sapping, but once at the top, the view down towards Veles and the surrounding mountains were breathtaking. The countryside was full of vibrant colours, and along the road there were many red poppies, purple thistles, and yellow and white daisies, surrounded by long green grasslands.

Беше многу напорно во тие жештини, но кога стигнавме на врвот, погледот кон Велес и околните планини беше восхитувачки. Природата беше полна со живи бои, а покрај патот имаше и многу црвени булки и други жолти и бели цвеќиња никнати во долги зелени полјани.

At the side of the road we found some tortoises. We were not much faster than them running up the hill!

Покрај патот видовме и некои желки. Не бевме нешто побрзи од нив трчајќи по угорнината!

At Lozovo, we had great fun watching and participating in some Macedonian traditional dancing. Holding hands children and adults danced in a circle to the music and some of the International Team held hands with the children to dance with them, to much applause and amusement from the local people.

Во Лозово имавме можност да гледаме и да играме македонски ора. Млади и страи се држеа за раце и играа во круг на музиката, И членовите на тимот играа држејќи се за раце за децата, а тоа предизвика ракоплескање и одобрување кај постарите.

The representative for the mayor and children gladly ran with the torch with us. We were all so excited like children when we received some big bars of chocolate and some tasty sandwiches from the town. We simply had to eat them promptly, else they would have melted in the heat of the van!

The countryside was so beautiful, with the mountains on either side surrounding rolling fields. The communities in this region of Macedonia have a simple, rural way of life, and one can feel the ‘earthy’ way of life that revolves around the seasons. We also met some vampires on the way, but they were quite friendly.

In the city of Stip we were met by the mayor, local runners, television camera crews and the local newspaper reporters. He wanted to ensure that the Run returned to the city every year, and off camera he spoke from the heart commenting that he had no doubt that by running our actions would achieve harmony.

Во Штип бевме пречекани од градоначалникот, локални тркачи, телевизиски екипи и новинари. Тој сакаше да се осигура дека Трката ќе поминува низ Штип секоја година, а откако камерите се исклучија тој продолжи да ни зборува од срце дека не се сомнева дека трката ќе предизвика акции за постигнување хармонија.

As we ran down the steep hill towards the city centre we were met by children from Vanco Prke School. This meeting hadn’t been planned, but the International Team were more than happy to tell them about the World Harmony Run. The children were so eager to hold the torch that at one point they were treading on our toes as we were speaking to them.

We said how sport can bring people together. This was especially the case as Mark talked to the children about their sports and they discussed the likely outcome of the European Champions League football final, of Barcelona versus Arsenal. We were invited back to the school cafeteria for some much needed refreshments, and chatted to the Director of the school, and more children.

In the heat of the afternoon it was like running in a sauna, but we were so happy to be running in typical summer weather. As we approached Cesinovo the countryside changed, where on either side of the road there were rice fields, and in the distance the mountains rose up steeply with rain clouds hovering over the summit.

The scenery felt more Oriental or Asian than European. If you hadn’t known it you could have been in Pakistan or China.

As we approached Cesinovo cyclists riding towards the runners joined us, and mayor with children greeted us.

We were also met by Ivan Ristov, a marathon runner, who has an amazing marathon personal best of 2.17, which he ran in 1997. One of the cyclists was a young man called Joze Jovanov, 4 years national champion (2 years juniors, and 2 years cadets).

At Kocani we were overwhelmed by the number of people who had come to welcome us; it was if the whole city had come to a standstill. Over 300 children joined us to run into the city centre. The mass of children was full of colour with eight different sports clubs being represented – the sports represented were cycling, football, karate, The Mountain Club, and Federation of School Sports. The torch was received by the President of the City Council.

After the ceremony Ondrej and Mark gave an interview to national television. Whilst they were giving the interview the torch was handed to Angelco Kirovski, national wrestling champion. What happened next was a bit of a surprise, as we had anticipated that our running for the day was at an end – well, anyway that’s what Zoran, our Macedonian country co-ordinator informed us. As children amassed behind Angelco Kirovski there was a sense of anticipation from the crowd, as Zoran said, “Guys, prepare yourself for running, something is happening”. Something did happen as torch sprinted out of the city towards the mountains. When Mark and Ondrej finished with the interview, torch and runners were nowhere to be seen. Everyone was finally u nited as we sped in the van to catch up with the runners.

The greatest surprise was that the road led to our splendid accommodation for the night in the – Hotel Gradce , 4 km north of Kochani in the Osogovo Mountain by the waters of Lake Gradce. Our hotel accommodation was kindly provided by the city and all the runners were so grateful for the city’s generosity.

In the mountains the air was so fresh and there was a positive energy in the atmosphere. There was peace and tranquillity all around. Our fabulous day ended by enjoying the company of our friendly policemen and the President of the City Council for a delicious evening meal. We said goodnight to our three policemen who will escort us from the hotel tomorrow.

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