Romania 26 May: Ciucorova - Galati
After a sound night in Topolog, we drove to Ciucurova to resume our run. Ahead of us, about a hundred kilometres to share between the members of the team.
Meeting again former World Champion Elena Fidatov, who brought some young athletes with her, we started our day with the help of the Romanian champions of tomorrow: Diana Pivniceru, 18 (2 min 12s31 for 800m), Anarei Hadalina, 17 (2 min 15s03 for 800m, 4 min 42s for 1500m) and Marius Sava (8 min 27s for 3000m, 14 min 33s for 5000m and 31min 42s for 10 000m).
A few kilometres later, the International Team continued alone on the hilly roads leading to Braila, some 50 km further north.
The temperature was cooler today, due to some big white clouds and a little refreshing breeze. To reach Braila, we had to cross the river Danube on a small ferry.
This was the occasion for all of us to say farewell to the nice policemen who had ensured our safety on the road for the last two days. On the other bank we enjoyed a short lunch break.
Then 30 more kilometres to go with even more horse or donkey drawn carts to see! The temperature was warmer now but still nice. No sunburns today hopefully…
At the gates of the city of Galati, a dozen children were waiting for us. Their age ranged from 9 to 16.
We ran together for 4 km, until we reached the County hall. The County's vice-president and another former 800m Olympic medallist (third place in Los Angeles, 1984), Mrs Fita Lovin welcomed us there.
This was the perfect opportunity to share our hopes and ideas for a more harmonious and united world.
In the evening, many of us wanted to eat something different. So everyone except Petr and Mikael went to an Indian restaurant; the local sport school fed Petr and Mikael.
We were taken care of by Castel, a smiling short boy who practices weightlifting. He did his very best to please and entertain us, plus he was our official translator. Thank you very much Castel for sharing your big Romanian heart with us.
Other special moments that we had in Galati include the sight of an old double-winged plane low in the air and celestial music in two churches during mass.
Distance: 104km
Team Members:
Andrea Kevei (Hungary), Dipavajan Renner (Austria), Mark Collinson (England), Martin Leitner (Austria), Mikael Vilpoux (France), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Petr Machacek (Czech Republic), Sara Cusmano (Italy)
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