For Standa, his first run with the torch happened in Seattle, just for one day, in 1997. "It was a great experience for me with huge ceremonies and lots of runners," he declared enthusiastically. Since then he's been hooked.

There have been many runs in Europe and the USA in which he has taken part. By participating in this year's event in Australia, Standa feels he will experience something special by running around this vast multicultural continent – "a bringing together of people from different cultures, nations and beliefs, so we can all live in a more tolerant and loving world, with no barriers between us. "

"And," he adds, "I will lose some weight too!"