Let the morning begin with a ride through the country in an RV announcing the World Harmony Run. Doesn't get any better than that.

We met this man from Seattle who also saw us (Jagadhata) running there. It was really a nice coincidence to see him in the middle of nowhere in Montana.

Photo-journalist from Missoula.

Just before I reached Belgrade a group of cyclists waved at me to come over. They belonged to the Texas 4000  cycling ride, the world's longest annual charity bike ride, leading from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. The ride allows to raise money for cancer research. All the bike riders were young people, full of inspiration and energy! They passed the torch and offered encouragement to us. Many thanks for spotting me on the road and good luck on your ride.

For the most part, we all had about the same mileage today, between 8 and 10 miles through such natural beauty that I felt a bit of a kinship with John Muir, add a torch and running shoes and you're almost there.

On a personal note, I run because I must. There is an inner force that compels me and others on the team to run. The weather doesn't matter, the sore muscles don't matter, only the running and the torch matter. The torch manifests its promise in the people we meet, the stories of hope we hear and the experiences we have. It changes the air, the vision and the very appearance of the world. It embodies all that we stand for, and hope to see manifest in this world.

We finished our run in Belgrade a bit earlier and while we were waiting we found a very nice coffee shop named Spotted Horse. I often use coffee shops to get online to check for any messages and check our pages. However, here we learned that they do not want to have WiFi and people to use computers. At first I wondered about it but then I noticed how much more enjoyable the stay there was. They had an excellent blend of coffee, played an excellent country music and people who came greeted the owner and each other very cordially. Much of this atmosphere is absent in vast majority of coffee shops where people just stare at their metal machines. Here is the owner of the cafe with the torch.

We arrived in Belgrade, MT to run a few of our daily miles before attending a ceremony sponsored by the Heart and Hands Montessori School and Middle Creek Montessori School from Bozeman and arranged by Nancy McNabb and Annette Crosiar. 

It was an exceptional experience for me since we ran with a pack of very enthusiastic and excited young kids who were truly happy we were there. We started in a park and ran to a pole emblazoned with the message May Peace Prevail On Earth. It was placed there by the schools and their six affliate montessori schools.

The program of the ceremony offered by the runners was similar to many in the past. The children themselves wanted to give us something so they sang three songs that spoke to the promise of peace in our world and in ourselves.

Their third song was a familiar tune for Americans, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. I found myself teary eyed a number of times by the sweetness and charm of these young souls. Their young lives appear to hold all the promise of what our World Harmony Run stands for, hope, love and harmony for the world family. When asked if anyone had questions, the children asked many that were unusually insightful including 'What do I need to do to become a Harmony Runner?

One child wore a tee shirt that said 'Cuteness comes easy for me'. She meanwhile had a permanent smile plastered on her face. There were a number of local news reporters there including Channel 6 news, who interviewed Atulya.

After the ceremony, we continued our journey toward Big Sky. It is not a stretch of the imagination to understand why it is called this. The roads are long and open, the sky is vast, you can see the cars coming for miles, which lends itself to waving at oncoming cars. I found myself pondering the quirky waving styles and wondering what all those people must think of what we're doing.

We offer our gratitude to the River Rock Lodge in Big Sky for hosting the whole team in outstandingly beautiful rooms in a stunning location. (sorry for the small shot. The torch shot was lost due to a faulty flash drive.)

– Rupasi, Jagadhata and Atulya

Distance: 97 miles

Team Members:
Atulya Berube (San Diego), Jagadhata Amrhien (Chicago), Drsalu Gruenstaeudel (Austria), Vladimir Salnacov (Moldova), Mark Collinson (England), Kokila Chamberlain (England), Surya Smolennikova (Russia), Kshetragna Ulanova (Russia), Dima Grygorievski (Ukraine), Sukhada Korshunova (Russia), Michaela Pokorna (Czech Republic), Moni Neradilek (Seattle), Rupasi Young (Seattle), Jwalanta Voelckner (Germany)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!