Today we have a really great start of the day with 4 schools in the commune of Gnesta. In the town of Gnesta we have an elementary school with 300 pupils and a secondary school with 500, and in Stjärnhov and Björnlunda we have two more elementary schools, which together makes about 1000 children. The children are so great, bright-eyed, cheerful, and especially the younger ones are super-enthusiastic.

The teachers also are commendable, because they are very cooperative, and very cheerfully so. To be sure we get excellent receptions at all schools, and between all of them we have runners joining us.

For the first interval we have a bunch of children leading the way over the hills. For the second one also a group of children join for the most part of a 10k stretch, and we have one athletic pupil who runs with a charismatic local runner the whole way to Welandersborgsskolan in Björnlunda. Between the last two schools lies 10k of road, too. Here again many children spontaneously start running with us, but are soon called back by their principal after a few kilometres. However, we have two cheerful local runners who run all the way with us. One of them is the author Christer Lagergren, who has written a book about why swedes are the way they are. In the last school in Stjärnhov we are invited to a good Swedish lunch.

Now we have 100k of road to go till Norrkoping. It’s a lot, but the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration of all our new friends has more than charged us in front of this task. The weather is good and the nature is beautiful: mixed forests, the foliage creating a glittering, undulating verdure sea in the wind and sunshine. The sun also gilds the many beautiful and serene lakes which line our path. On the way a reporter from Flen stops our runner to interview him.

The majestic city of Norrkoping opens up to us, traversed by lakes and canals. At the square in front of the soaring, grand two-towered red-brick city hall we get a warm reception by the municipal commissioner Li Teske and a friendly gathering of people. They are really happy about the run and also run with us for a few decametres, and provide us with refreshments. A reporter is present to record the event and take some interviews, and we make a new friend with who’s cooperation the dream of a national Swedish run for next year could bloom into reality. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. We are provided with good accommodations in the form of a youth-hostel in scenic park-laden surroundings.

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Distance: 125km

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