This morning the World Harmony Run team wakes up to the very real challenge of running across the top corner of Africa. Over 7 days, we will be running to many of the major cities of Morocco. We will meet great champions of Moroccan sport, and children who hope to one day join their ranks.

The day before, we had driven from Tangiers to Rabat. It will probably prove to be one of our last quiet travel days. We sightsee along the way, and without the pressure of schedule and distances to run, take in much of the amazing Moroccan landscape.

We are the guests of the IRFC in Rabat. It is a community in which athletes in many different sports train, with the hopes of one day joining the international ranks.

In the morning, while exploring the grounds we see rugby players and swimmers. On the beautiful tartan track, we introduce ourselves to a small group of jet skiers who are doing land training. They explain to us that they all have seen much international competition in their sport and one says he is second amongst Arab nations.

Our conversation is limited, due to their lack of English and my questionable grasp of French. But the torch, as is so often the case, speaks for us all. We smile and share the torch and pose for pictures.

A large group of very young school kids is also making use of the track. The kids set off around the oval in well-ordered groups. We ask to join them as they run, and immediately enthusiasm brightens across their faces as they take turns carrying the torch. They are happy to run with us on this, our first running day in Morocco.

At noon the run officially begins, in the main square of downtown Rabat. We are welcomed there by the President of the Rabat community district, and there are lots of kids' groups and media.

One of Morocco’s greatest female athletes, Nza Bidouane is here to light the torch and start this portion of the African run. She has been in 3 Olympic games and won 2 gold medals in world competition.

Nza has retired from competition now but is still very involved in Moroccan sport, being not only on the Olympic committee but also working in promoting women's sports. Today she still looks as though she could compete at the highest level, and apologizes for not being dressed in sports clothes so that she could run with us out to the edges of the city of Rabat.

She mentions how the carrying of the Olympic torch draws communities and nations together. She feels that we are doing the same in our run, passing through over 100 nations. She says of the World Harmony Run that for her, we "represent peace and friendship” .

She carries the torch down the street with us, along with a large group of young athletes. Our enthusiastic bunch, with the help of numerous police cars and motorcycles, makes its way south, out of the bustling city. Soon we find ourselves out of the throng of the city and on a quieter road, with the Atlantic on one shoulder and the great continent of Africa on the other.

Running by the ocean is dramatic in every way. The beaches are wide and the sand spreads out around us for what appears to be mile after sandy mile.

One can easily see that with warmer weather, the beaches would be filled with sunbathers and the seas filled with surfers; on this day we have it almost deserted and to ourselves.

The air is teasing us with rain and a fresh wind blows in off the ocean, cooling the runners on what could be a much hotter day. Soon it is just one runner at a time carrying the torch and making the 67 kilometres to our final destination of the day.

For someone who has not been on the road in this way in many years, it is a powerful and poignant reminder of how much people driving on an open highway enjoy seeing the torch and runner. Horns are honked often, and cars slow, and drivers lean out of open windows and give waves, and thumbs-up signs, and smiles that would sweeten even the darkest heart.

In late afternoon, the threatening rain blows in across us with restrained fury. We run in a zone that is not drenched, yet not dry. In Mohammedia we are warmly greeted by the local Pasha and are grateful to be given accommodation.

We sing our song in English and they smile. We sing it again in Arabic and their pleasure is measureless. We all feel that we are now truly in Arab Africa, where hearts open easily and the road ahead of us will lead to many planned and unexpected adventures in the days ahead.

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Distance: 67km

Team Members:
Utpal Marshall (Canada), Ondrej Vesely, Honza Minarcik and Mila Pisanova (Czech Republic), Mario Komak, Rasto Ulicny and Martina Madarova (Slovakia), Vladimir Balatskyy (Ukraine), Patricio Rodrigues (Portugal)

Gallery: See more images!

Morocco 20 March >