The weather, sunny again. Our setting is the Garden of Recreation, which is the main recreational area in Warsaw. Our Polish team has organised a sporting event for children here, and among the gathered kids we have the national junior champion for 1k. At 10:00 the program starts with girls running for 1k through mystical forest trails. Then the boys are up. However, a slight mix-up occurs and they run a longer route of 2,6k. Thinking that they have only run 1k the boys are very disappointed that their times are so considerably slower than the girls. Moods change, though, when the reason for this becomes clear. Then follows 7k for everyone, and many a radiant smiling face crosses the finish line.

The children are very spirited and happy during the event, and you can clearly see what a positive effect doing sports together has. Their eyes alight, they are brimming with vibrant energy, and many push themselves to the limit with impressive sprints towards the finish line.

The most popular TV station in Warsaw is there during the whole event. They are having a great time filming, and in the evening we see the very nice report they have done, which a friend of ours has taped.

Races completed, it is time for medals, diplomas, and refreshments. Afterwards our Polish team invites us for a Vietnamese lunch.

We receive letters of support today from two notable Polish personages. The famous explorer Marek Kaminski, 3 time solo conqueror of the North and South poles, expresses that he is very happy about the WHR run promoting friendship and understanding. He says that he knows how important such activities are and how much good they bring. Finally he wishes us lots of success and endurance to realise our goals. The second letter is from Danuta Hiibner, the Polish Commissionary at the EU in Brussels. She also says that she is very happy about the WHR and wishes us good luck and success. Thank you very much for the encouragement!

Today is thus a very easy day for us runners. We do some sightseeing. A highlight is an exhibition where we can see Buddhist monks meticulously arranging coloured sand into a grand ornamental circle called a mandala. Another highlight, revisited several times during the day, is, of course, ice cream.

For the second night in a row the girls sleep at a local friend’s house, and the boys sleep at a Zen Dojo, a tranquil abode kept in perfect condition: pure, clean, the atmosphere laden with serene beauty.

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