Our day began early ...
... with a welcome for the whole team to the Kakadu National Park by elder Ryan Baruwei, who performed a traditional welcome to the Jawoyn land which incorporates the southern portion of Kakadu National Park ...
... putting his scent onto us meaning that we are accepted by the land and ancestors as part of his tribe as we run through their traditional lands ...
... Ryan is also Chairman of the Board of Kakadu ...
... also present to welcome us was Tracy Diddams, representing the staff of Kakadu National Park ...
... we felt completely embraced by the people and the land, and more than ready for the wonderful day which lay in store ...
After the welcoming ceremony to Kakadu, one of the boys teams returned to our campsite at Mary River Roadhouse to pack up and prepare lunch for the rest of the teams ...
... while the girls were straight into their stride ...
... running through the Kakadu National Park with its quiet tree-lined roads, makes such a nice change from the highways ...
... covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres of exceptional natural beauty and unique biodiversity, Kakadu National Park is one of very few places World Heritage listed for both its cultural and its natural values. Kakadu National Park is managed jointly by its Aboriginal traditional owners and the Federal Government's National Parks ...
Today we met some lovely people on the road. First were Riet and Fritz from Holland, who are travelling around Australia ...
... then we met Grant and Jeannine and their three children Ryley, Fin and Griffyn, who are from Pasadena and are travelling around up north before heading back down the centre of Australia ...
Our first boys team was very happy today to welcome a special guest runner who will be joining us all the way to Darwin, where he now lives ...
... Rowan Beggs-French, formerly of Canberra, is a past winner of the famous Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, one of the toughest all-day endurance events on the Australian multi-sport calendar ...
... besides being an elite athlete, Rowan is also one of the nicest, most kind-hearted folks you will meet, so his presnce on our team was a tremendous boost for our spirits as well as for our tiring legs!
Rowan seemed more than ready to run as far as we would let him ...
... 20 more km? No problem ...
Sukhajata – who has also completed the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon as a solo athlete – joined Rowan for about 20km today ...
... while most of us have found the running in these parts a bit taxing, these two just couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces ...
... the rest of us had our chance to run whatever distance we liked ...
... runners return with some surprising 'finds' from the road sometimes!
Sukhajata is very much enjoying his newly acquired 'deckchair' ...
... from which he can cheer on Amalendu as he completes his leg ...
... we witnessed a lot of the controlled burns currently under way, which are jointly managed by the Aboriginal Rangers and officers of Kakadu National Park, who have a very harmonious working relationship, learning much from each other ...
Passers-by are often curious and interested to know about the Peace Run ...
... and Amalendu is always more than ready for a chat ...
... the girls by now having finished our kms, were able to stop at the famous Yellow Water Billabong ...
In the stunning green wetlands we saw many varieties of birds ...
... and also met Nerrissa and Phillip.
... by the time our boys who had been preparing the lunches got on the road it was 9am and the temperature was warming up.
We passed the other teams and delivered their lunches then went on to our starting spot about 51km out of Jabiru ...
... I remember being here in 2008 and enjoying all the wonderful sites, rock pools, billabongs, Aboriginal rock art and the rugged landscape. It was good to be back ...
... as the day warmed, so did the runners ...
... the Mongolian boys seem to cope best in the heat, while our Latvian friend Kaspars definitely prefers it cooler ...
... as our team started last, we finished in Jabiru, and having an hour to spare decided by chance to go for a swim (as you do) ... there being no-one around, we made use of the space by throwing a rugby ball around and making spectacular catches in the water (well, we reckoned they were spectacular, anyway) ...
... the whole team gathered at the outskirts of Jabiru ...
... with a little while to relax ...
... and prepare to run in to the reception together ...
... after the long long miles of solitary running in the outback, it is a great feeling to come together and run as a team into a warm-hearted reception ...
... no doubt about which way to go. The whole community here were really well prepared for the arrival of the Peace Run ...
... the welcome ceremony was at the amazing Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn ...
... where we were graciously received by the Manager, Paul Flett and his friendly and helpful staff ...
... they had prepared scrumptious refreshments ...
... and organised a reception with some of the local community ...
... Valentine represented the local councillor who was not well. He accepted the Torch from our 'runner-of-the-day', Rowan ...
... and gave a very nice introduction speech ...
... National Peace Run Coordinator, Tavishi Matthews introduced the runners and gave a description about the activities of the Run ...
... quite a few other locals arrived to join in the celebrations and stayed chatting for some time ...
... while the Torch was passed around to everyone ...
... Emily found some young friends to play with ...
... who decided she needed some 'refreshing' after her day's running ...
... perhaps they had not counted on finding in her another kid just as high-spirited as themselves ...
Tracy Diddams, who had been there early this morning to welcome us to Kakadu National Park, was here again, this time with her two adorable children ...
Valentine's family were also there ...
The 'crocodile' theme is pervasive here at the Gagudju Crocodile Inn ...
... right down to the shape of the hotel itself!
We are really grateful to Paul Flett, the manager of Gagudju Crocodile Inn for his extraordinary generosity in providing free rooms for all of our team tonight. We very much appreciated the many comforts of this amazing hotel, especially after spending the last week camping. We were really happy to present Paul and his staff with a Certificate of Appreciation as a small token of our immense gratitude ...
... we leave you this evening with just some of the remarkable collection of artefects and artwork on display here ...
