Last night the winds blew dark and heavy with rain off the Atlantic. From my window, I could see the bright red Moroccan flag with its green star, standing out stiffly, flapping from the pole. The palm trees at the far edge of the compound swayed, wet and glistening green all night. By morning, the winds had tired and the air was fresh and promising.

We set off south from Mohammedia with the sky a varied mix of cloud, billowing towers of both dark grey and white. Every so often holes appeared in the mix, exposing bright patches of fresh blue sky.

Today we had a 30 kilometre run into Casablanca. Our route follows a flat road that skirts the Atlantic and draws us ever-closer to one of Morocco’s fabled cities, Casablanca.

There are some far-off, exotic places in this world that, when their names are mentioned, immediately inspire a kind of wonder; they can invoke a magical flood in one’s imagination.

If I hear the name Timbuktu, I picture a distant place that holds unimaginable secrets and to which the journey involves a trek of great difficulty and risk.

The name Casablanca holds for me this same sense of mystery and of magic. It could just be because of the movie I enjoy, which bears the same name.

"Casablanca" is a spellbinding black-and-white film, set during some of modern history’s most turbulent times, the early years of the second world war. People and armies are on the move across Europe. The dispossessed are seeking peace and safety in a world tumbling into chaos. The city in the film is quaint and exotic, a melting pot of refugees from across the breast of Europe.

For us on this day, on our run into Casablanca we have but a clean flat road ahead of us and, other than the showers that are sweeping across our path from time to time, the way will not be difficult at all. Nor will we be seeking refuge, just a reception.

On the way there, the countryside begins to quickly transform from farmland to "factory-scape" and the small flocks of sheep, once so omnipresent in shaggy, nibbling bunches, disappear altogether…

…as do the donkeys and cows, which for most of our journey dotted the rich, farming landscape.

We do come across groups of kids almost everywhere.

They are sometimes drawn from their small houses near the road by the flashing lights of the accompanying police car and ambulance.

Then they see the torch and the runners, and their dark Moroccan eyes grow large with interest.

We often slow and stop, to meet kids just like this.

They are happy to hold the torch for just a while, to say "bonjour" and to receive a little Harmony Run sticker, which they apply immediately to clothes or hands or foreheads, or even to the back of a friend’s head!

Then they give a wave, a shout of "bon courage!" or perhaps a sweet smile as we leave them by the roadside, and move on to the next little group drawn to our team of World Harmony runners, moving down a flat, black highway made wet by passing showers.

The kilometres slip away and our goal becomes not just a dot on our maps but very real office towers and apartment buildings, minarets, and a lighthouse, growing ever-larger on the horizon. Soon we are on wide boulevards and our convoy pushes ahead with little traffic to impede its progress.

Men in cafés smoking cigarettes and sipping tea spontaneously applaud. Car horns are beeped with excitement and more children run up to the curb to celebrate and join in.

The buildings press ever-tighter and reach ever-higher into the sky as we near the heart of the city. The sound of our convoy and the encouraging calls of spectators echo in the canyon created by the apartment building and office towers. There is no mistaking that there are 6 million people living in this busy industrial and cultural city. And then we end our day’s journey, in the political heart of Casablanca. There are fountains and impressive stately buildings, and flights of pigeons burst into the air as the World Harmony Run team takes a few final strides.

We find ourselves with many kids around and about us, young people who are inquisitive and curious and interested in our little community of runners from many lands. We are greeted there by city officials, who then take us to a nice hotel in the heart of the city.

After that, we are treated to a traditional Moroccan meal. We are brought to La Sqala, which at one time, several hundred years ago, was an old fort on the edge of the Medina and beside the sea. Now the harbour has been pushed far away and roads and buildings fill the place where waves once splashed against the walls.

The owner, Mr. Aziz, not only proudly tells us about the history of his building, but also takes the time to show us his kitchens and demonstrate the preparation of many traditional Moroccan dishes.

Those who have never been on the road for weeks on end and experienced some of the challenges and limitations of road food, cannot possibly imagine our delight with such a feast, prepared with such culinary skill. When lunch on the road can often be a loaf of bread in the back of the car, a meal at La Sqala was like being in heaven. At the end of our meal, we thanked Mr. Aziz with a plaque and the World Harmony Run Song .

That evening we are invited to visit one of the world’s great mosques, the Hassan the Second Mosque. Completed in 1993, it has some modern touches yet was built with all the skill and artistry of artisans from centuries ago, using only Moroccan materials.

It is huge and colourful and we have arrived here at an auspicious time. It is the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed and this mosque is the centre-piece of the celebration and prayer taking place across the Moslem world. We are invited inside and walk in the great hall that can hold 25,000 worshippers and has a roof that can open up to the sky and stars.

The sun is dropping away and the evening grows dark. We drive to another spot for photos and the great minaret, while quite far-off, is still an impressive, illuminated backdrop. We pose for pictures with our guide and city officials. Our torch burns bright as the skies darken even more into night.

In the distance, a lighthouse spins its light round and round, out to sea and then back towards us. The moon hangs heavy in the sky. Tomorrow our little World Harmony Run team will move on. Tomorrow, for me, there will also be less mystery about a great bustling city called Casablanca. Tomorrow, mystery will have to be found in another town or city on the road ahead, not yet traveled.

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Distance: 30km

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!

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