This is a video message from the International Peace Run team to the people of Slovakia, the country through which they will be running (virtually) June 1 - 7.
The runners on the Ukrainian Peace Run team celebrate the virtual Peace Run that passed through their country May 25 - 31, 2020.
Last week we ran over 1300 kilometres across the Ukraine. The following pictures are from members of the virtual team who did that run.
Penny lives in Johannesburg in South Africa. Penny reports: Being in the southern hemisphere we are now moving into winter and on Wednesday morning, the temperature had dropped to -0.5 degrees Celsius. Geared up for a chilly start...and oh so thankful for the mask to keep my face warm. For the past 3 weeks we're only allowed out to exercise between 6 am and 9 am and part of my daily route included running past a school
Penny: "Sello (on the right), who guards the school entrance, and I, have become greeting buddies and familiar faces to each other (even with me in my mask). On Monday I told him I was dedicating my runs this week to run for peace, and him and his friend Philemon, really liked the idea and wanted to make a wish for peace. We all adhere to social distancing and here even my shadow makes it into the photo".
Penny: "There's always time to literally stop and smell the roses".
Penny: "There was a morning where I needed some mental coaching to brave the chilly outdoors. And what inspired me was imagining my fellow virtual runners running in all parts of the world along side me, and feeling that for this week, i was running for something more than myself. I noticed that sometimes we just need to step outside ourself, whether it be a small change in mental attitude, to an actual physical step, to be open to possibilities. With seven days of running this week, and virtually running through Ukraine, came seven days of being able to greet each day with a new prayer for peace and happiness".
Penny: "Although it's cold and there's frost on the grass we still have blue skies and glorious sunshine. At this time nature seems particularly beautiful, and almost regal in her dress of autumnal red and brown, interspersed with hues of green...a dose of visual beauty to lift everyone's spirits".
Penny: "This shopping mall and restaurant hub is normally brimming with people but it was a nice change to wonder along the quiet boulevard and footpaths...with perhaps a spot of window shopping along the way".
Peteris from Latvia.
Riga is the capital city in Latvia.
Amaravati (centre) with her parents on a previous Peace Run.
Amaravati reports: "Oneness world heart joy from South of Slovakia. I saw wild deer when running. It felt very peaceful and different - in a way that I could feel I was actually part of a team. Happy happy".
Slovakian skies.
Ricardo in Portugal. This is a statue dedicated to Peace in Figueira da Foz on the Portuguese coastline.
Ricardo with the Atlantic Ocean behind him.
Nha is from Vietnam and living in Dublin, Ireland. She has really enjoyed the opportunity to be part of a worldwide team dedicating their efforts to Peace.
We had two runners from Mongolia on the team this week.
Vananvat (in blue) is one of the team runners.
Oyungerel is the other. Their colleague Niyojita reports: "Oyungerel and Vananvat are so happy that they joined the virtual peace run. Especially, yesterday they were very excited when they run with torch. When they lighted the torch they got the same feeling and joy, they had in real peace run. The people around them came to them asked what is happening. They wanted to run with torch. They were all very excited".
City Hall in Ulaanbatar.
Oyungerel (left) is a nurse. Here she is joined by her fellow doctors and nurses who work at a family health clinic. They are standing by the Peace statue of Sri Chinmoy in Ulaanbatar.
Andrej from Zlin in the Czech Republic.
Each team member spends a few minutes of silent reflection and prayer for Peace, before and after their run.
Moravian forest in the Czech Republic.
Joanna is from Poland, but lives in The Netherlands. Joanna enjoyed the virtual team experience so much, that she wants to join again in a couple of weeks.
Vajin from Christchurch, New Zealand was on the team that ran through the Ukraine virtually.
Vajin came across this inspirational sign on his run.
Toyesa lives in Zagreb, Croatia.
Toyesa works at the Ministry so starts his run each day from there after work.
Vasanti lives in Heidelberg, Germany. She reports: "After almost 30 years, it was a very special feeling to be virtually back in the Ukraine this week, remembering the historic places of Odessa and Kiev, the simplicity and challenges of life in the early 1990ies and the warm hospitality and depth of soul of the people - and imagining running under the vast Ukrainian sky".
The Neckar river runs through Heidelberg. Vasanti: "The Sri Chinmoy Oneness- Home Peace Run is such an amazing way to connect, on so many levels. Across time and space, with your own place and the "virtual" places in spirit, with nature, people (and the team), your soul, even the whole world family".
Vasanti: "Especially at this challenging time I can feel how our running is our soul's prayer - and I sincerely imagine it is helping humanity – slowly and steadily, with ups and downs - to feel and act more as a peaceful world family, and to see our beautiful planet as a oneness-home – like the astronauts do from space! Happy running to everyone!"
Saint Sophia's cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine.
In the Ukraine, a very enthusiastic team of runners from various cities participated in the virtual Peace Run.
This little girl is from Vinnytsa, and she is wearing traditional dress.
The city of Mykolaiv. The runners are standing in front of a statue of Taras Shevchenko - Ukrainian poet, writer, public and political figure. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature.
Ukrainian Oneness with the world.
Peace runners in front of The Odessa National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Odesa.
In Kiev it was compulsory to wear face masks. Note the traditional greeting of bread and salt.
Odesa. Monument to the Duke of Richelieu - founder and builder of the modern city.
A big celebration in Vinnytsa.
Thank you to Vlad (right) for organising the local teams in the Ukraine.
On the three border point between Germany, Czech and Austria a special Peace Run ceremony was held on Saturday 30 May.
Mareike (right) with friends.
The border point is in the hills, so temperatures were lower than most places in Europe.
Mareike running for the International virtual team.
In Bulgaria a significant Peace Run ceremony was held, dedicating a Peace Tree.
Nastya from the Ukraine is running on the American virtual team. She sent us a few photographs.
Olena is Nastya's mother. Olena is on the European team. She reports: "I felt the virtual run to be absolutely real. When there is peace, harmony and oneness in our hearts, then there are no borders or distances between us. Running and concentration help us to bring forward these qualities. They are like birds who carry the message of peace, love, harmony and oneness to the world!"
Nastya, while enjoying the peace of Mother Nature, is joined by a tortoise.
Luciana in Roma, ran 20 kms this week. Paksharupa in Torino has been running more than 50 kms a week for Peace Run. Jatnabhan in Austria ran 51 kms. Niharika from Finland sends her greetings. In Finland runners ran: Jenny 12 km, Bhupendra 24 km, Idhabodha 18 km, Chatarina 5 km, Lilian 19 km, Niharika 52 km. Natashira ran 28 kms in France.
