Cardiff - Bristol - Bath - Chippenham

Caerdydd, Cardiff, Capital of Wales, welcomed us last night at the Temple of Peace and Health. There were two performances of spiritual songs that created a serene oasis, and it seemed that mood lasted through the night and into the morning as another glorious day dawned.

We made our way to Pontcanna Fields, close to the heart of the city, where the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Delme Bowen, began the World Harmony 5k Race. Local running clubs were out in numbers – some 60-70 runners.

People came from all over South Wales - Barry, Bridgend, Pontypridd, Merthyr - to join the World Harmony Run in this inaugural race. The weather was ideal, and the early morning run along the River Taff was perfect.

The field included two notable Welsh runners. Lynn Hughes (left in photo below) was the first person ever to run 40 miles in under 4 hours, which he achieved in Cardiff in 1967. Also present was Abichal Watkins - current Welsh and English record holder over 3,100 miles - who has joined the World Harmony Run team for the British relay. (middle in photo below)

The Deputy Lord Mayor awarded the medals and spoke effusively and positively about the need for harmony, bidding farewell to the run as it made its way through the city centre and out along the old road to Newport. We covered good ground out across the English border and over the old Severn Bridge to Bristol.

When we ran to Bristol the sun really started to shine - the hottest day of the year so far, I am sure. As we came to Bristol city centre it was very busy with people shopping or just out enjoying the weather. It was a real joy to run through the city today. When people saw a group of runners with a flaming torch running down the street you would often get a mixture of reactions: surprise, shock, but always joy! Children would point and stare with open mouths, parents would shout encouraging words, drivers would honk their horns. We felt like mini-celebrities! It felt great to be sharing our joy with the public.

At Brandon Hill we met where we met the Lord Mayor, Simon Cook, who ran some way with the torch. There is a beautiful view from there all over Bristol. So, we bought some ice creams and admired the view for a while before continuing our run to Bath and eventually Chippenham. The traffic at Bath was very bad so the runner got ahead of the support vehicle and had to continue running until we caught him up. At Chippenham we called it a day, and what a beautiful one.

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Distance: 120km

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