The St. Petersburg Marathon Team joined us in the morning for a 13km run. They were so happy and it was such a joy to see the St. Petersburg organisers smile at the successful events they had put together.

Sunshine all around! People waving and smiling at us! It really proved that after rain comes the sun... but after the sun comes the rain again. St. Petersburg was determined to bless us with sun, but afterwards during one 6km run the rain was so heavy that you couldn’t do anything but let yourself go, feeling like a little kid amazed with the wonders of nature and the hectolitres of rain. Then the sun, then rain again.

Actually nothing could stop our Ukrainian Natalia from running 60km. The team was sad that Natalia and her brother Dima - both of whom had never ran under 30km a day during their stay - spent their last day with us today.

The welcome in Vyborg was extremely hearty. Vyborg is a 500-year-old town at the north of the Russia, where the scenery looks like Finland. The town actually belonged to Finland 80 years ago. Entering the town was such a joy, and the reception was very warm. There were women in traditional costume and after offering us specially shaped bread, they even danced for us. Each held the torch for a moment before handing it around. Only a spontaneous rain shower could stop the ceremony! After taking pictures we went for a delicious Uzbekistan dinner.

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Distance: 130km

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< Russia 22 July