It was slightly overcast as we commenced running at 7 am and shortly afterwards it began raining lightly.

Before we knew it we were in Richmond where a kind friend of the World Harmony Run, Mark Smith, a chiropractor treated all the runners for free.

We were all ever so grateful for this selfless service as it will help us immensely as we have many high mileage days ahead.

Although we had no ceremonies today you are always meeting people along the road, and usually these events are the most endearing and special. They are unplanned and people just connect with the torch. The reactions we get from people are heart warming and inspiring.

As we stopped to wait for the runner we met a family from Guatemala and the young girl was so sweet and she was so pleased to see our runner approach.

We also met representatives of K95 radio who mentioned us on their live show.

Also later in the morning we met Mark Klodzinski who is doing a 9 month walk around America for Patriot Walk USA. He is currently six weeks into his journey.

Like us he was also on a special journey and one that would inspire others and he and us would be inspired by so many wonderful people we meet. The people that we meet along the route make the World Harmony Run.

Mark

Somehow we took a wrong turning coming into Petersburg, but luckily I bumped into Jerome who's local knowledge set us back on the right road. There were plenty of opportunities to meet the friendly local residents.

Further down Route 1 we found a cheering squad waiting for us. Pastor Tammy Hayes of the New Creations in Christ Church had got a call from a friend who had seen one of our runners out on the road and wanted to let her know we were coming.

So when Surya finished her leg she got an unexpected but very enthusiastic greeting.

We talked about our run, passed the torch around the group, and the children even did a mini Harmony Run of their own with us.

Pastor Hayes ended this delightful impromptu meeting by inviting us all to share a moment of prayer together. Thank-you for taking the time to come out and greet us and sharing your enthusiasm for oneness and harmony.

Finally, at the end of a long but fruitful day, our Russian crew members took a little recreational time out in between grocery shopping!

Kokila

Just south of the city of Richmond there are a series of small towns along Route 1. At the start of my run there I had a very tight muscle in my upper leg. I was struggling just to finish my two mile section in a series of ‘leap frog’ runs that we sometimes do.

Just then a local man, Percy, in a pick-up truck was pulling out of a parking lot in a remote area with very few people around. Looking quite surprised, he asked if he could take a photo of me on his phone/camera. He was so delighted, explaining that if he just told his friends that he saw me running past with a lit torch that they would never believe him.

Soon a friend of his, Roy, stopped by and joined in on the photos.After that five minute exchange my leg felt much better as the joy and harmony we shared definitely helped me to finish that section at a quicker pace and with a bigger smile. I hope they send me the photos so I can share them here on our website.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Sleep Inn, Henderson for providing our night’s accommodation for the whole team.

George’s Restaurant kindly provided the team with superb pizzas. Thank you so much for the delicious food and friendly service.

– Arpan DeAngelo

Distance: 93 miles

Team Members:
Arpan DeAngelo (USA), Atulya (USA), Yuyudhan (USA), Gabriel (Canada), Mark (England), Drsalu (Austria), Vladmir (Moldova), Kshetragna (Russia), Surya (Russia), Prakhara (USA)

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