Our female runners were up before the crack of dawn. They went down to the local beach in St Abbs (which is popular with hardy surfers) and jumped into the North Sea. It was freezing cold, they reported, but not as cold as the North Atlantic which they had tried and tested in Iceland.

Our day started with a run through the scenic 'Borders' landscape and to our first appointment at Broomlands Primary School in Kelso. After making our way to the school, up a hill that the local runners affectionately refer to as 'Cardiac Hill', we were greeted by a large group of students eager to join us for a lap of the school rugby field.

The school is very keen on a wide range of sports, from golf to hockey. After our lap of the field we were invited into the school for refreshments. In order to avoid setting off the fire alarm we had to temporarily blow out the torch. To do this it takes a team effort!

With mutual good wishes, we said goodbye to our new friends in Newton St Boswells and continued on our way. Further up the road we came across a familiar face - none other than Mr William Wallace himself.

The statue stands on a hill with a spectacular view of the valleys below. He faces south, daring any would-be invaders to try their luck. Fortunately, because we come in Harmony and we identify with his message of freedom and justice, he kindly let us pass.

We continued on through some idyllic 'wee' towns and villages.

Our next port of call was Newton Primary School in Newton St Boswells. We began by giving a presentation to a class and answering questions. The students were fascinated by the torch and wanted know its weight, how long it burned, did it survive the rain, had we burned down any of the local countryside....!

They joined us for a run around the school grounds. Again, it was encouraging to hear how they value sports and fitness. One of the girls is a national Judo medallist in her age group.

We were blessed with good weather the whole day. We found ourselves running through quiet winding backroads - utopia for a runner!

We passed by horses, cows and sheep, undisturbed in their fields of paradise.

The countryside here is forever undulating, so that you find yourself running either uphill or downhill - with nothing in between.

At times the clouds moved in, but they disappeared before they could settle. By late afternoon we were entering the outskirts of the beautiful city of Edinburgh. We would like to thank very much Neil Renton and his colleagues Ewan Graham and Caroline McEwan of the Borders sport development Unit for their help insetting up the school meetings.

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Distance: 84km

Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely, Rosta Vagner, Mila Pisanova (Czech Republic), Mathias Eckerle (Germany), Maria Horvath and Erika Pongracz (Hungary) Ieva Kurzemniece (Latvia), Stacey Marsh (New Zealand), Balavan Thomas and Devashishu Torpy (England) Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Tarit Stott and Dhavala Stott (Scotland)).

Harmonemail:
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Gallery: See more images!

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