From Kriva Palanka we only had 13km of running to the country border but it consisted of a steady uphill climb. At 10.30am we crossed the border into Bulgaria and were welcomed by our Bulgarian co-ordinators and runners. The Bulgarian runners were full of excitement as they ran the first kilometres down long stretches of road. Throughout the day we had a hectic schedule. By leapfrogging we covered 20km in 40 minutes and arrived in Kyustendil.

There a lively group of kids scampered along with us. They even scampered off with us after a nice presentation. Immediately we set off to cover some distance in order to keep on top of the schedule.

The police escort hadn’t grasped the method of leapfrogging though, whereby there can up to four runners on the road at once, each one covering a different section! At one stage I was running, with the torch in hand of course, and our two vans passed by. On seeing this one of policemen pointed towards the back seat as if to offer me a lift!

Sweeping through rocky hills we reached Radomir a little later than planned, as was the scenario for the day.

The ceremony consisted of a wonderfully graceful dance performance by a local group in traditional outfits. A huge freshly baked cake of bread was passed round as we enjoyed the spectacle.

We followed the highway to our next meeting in Pernik but things went a bit wrong. As our two vans waited in the town centre we were informed that a town representative was waiting for us, but we couldn’t figure out where! Luckily a police escort took us to the Town Hall.

While the ceremony was taking place one of the vans covered some ground towards Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city. The road surface changed to dark cobblestone as we converged on the city centre.

As always we ran as a group, and we always encourage onlookers to join. On this occasion a teenager, who was just waiting for the bus, decided to run with us right into the centre. In total we ran approximately 9km until we reached the ceremony.

We presented the World Harmony Run on a colourful stage in the centre of a large plaza, and were followed by traditional Bulgarian singers and dancers. The singers dressed in vivid reds, greens and yellows, sang ensemble. It was a totally unique style of singing with soaring voices piercing the air. Next children dressed in multicoloured clothing skipped and twirled across the stage. We ended the ceremony and a big day of events with a strong rendition of the World Harmony Run song.

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Distance: 130km

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