After breakfast, one boys team drove back 54km to where we had finished the previous day ...
... we used a "3 person drop" to get started (that is, having 3 runners on the road simultaneously, enabling the team to cover the distance faster), and I picked up each of the guys as we headed back towards Halls Creek ...
... we were all very glad to have cool conditions but the wind always seems to be directly towards you and never from behind ...
... nevertherless the kilometres flew by as we looked out at the many termite mounds and green Kimberley vegetation ...
... the termite mounds up here are unbelievable: there are hundreds of thousands of these structures. They remind me of little snowmen from a Calvin & Hobbes strip where they advance forward in greater and greater numbers. The little ones are closest to the road and the big monsters sit a bit further back ...
On reaching Halls Creek, we took time out to visit a natural feature called China Wall ...
... we didn't know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by this rock formation that would originally have been part of a bluff, with limestone mixed in – over the years, the softer rock has eroded and collapsed leaving this wall-like formation of harder rock ...
Up ahead, our girls team were enjoying a beautiful day out on the road ...
... the humidity has dropped and running conditions are perfect – we even had a tail wind for some of the way!
We’re still running in the beautiful Kimberley region and the scenery just gets better and better ...
... mountain ranges and winding roads make a nice change from the long straight highways we’ve had earlier on in the Peace Run ...
On the road today we met Ken and Jan, who had been coming across us since Port Hedland and finally stopped to talk to us. We were so happy to meet you both and hold the Peace Torch together!
... we also met John and Bev, who are ...
If running up to – and sometimes over – 15km a day isn’t enough, the girls are staying strong ...
... and flexible ...
The road-trains today came with an accompanying sand-and-dust cloud – we try not to be obliterated!!
Our 3rd team reports: we had several light showers of rain during the night with some quite gusty wind. That, coupled with the local population having Friday celebrations throughout the night, put us in good stead for the day ahead ...
... our team of five drove the trusty campervan ahead 90km ...
... to the designated starting point ...
... another wonderful day on the road. Luckily the weather has settled down a bit. Beautifully cool at 8am for the lucky runners who start first ...
... as we go through our 5km stints, the day slowly warms up ...
... luckily everyone is in good running shape today and we breeze through each of our 3 legs ...
... the country is becoming more interesting after many days of flat running ...
... the undulating road is giving us the occasional hill climb followed by a most welcome downhill cruise ...
In 2008 I remembered our entrance into Warmun and the peaceful evening we spent camped under the stars ...
... coming into the familiar Turkey Creek Roadhouse, a group of young aboriginal children stood watching so we approached them with the Torch and told them what we were up to. They were a little timid at first but soon warmed to the idea of having a photograph taken holding the Torch ...
... we had reached our night's destination quite early so after introducing ourselves to our hosts Rob and Erica (managers of the roadhouse) we decided to cool off with a cold drink and have our well-deserved late lunch. We were seated outside the roadhouse enjoying our rest when passers-by began asking what we were up to as they had seen us on the road during the day ...
... Katie (pictured here with her parents, Tracey and Carmelo) had already held the Peace Torch at her primary school in Perth a couple of weeks earlier ...
... another couple knew the name Sri Chinmoy as their son – then a junior national class athlete – had competed in the Sri Chinmoy Peace Triathlon Festival in Canberra in the early 90s. Bill and Kristine Woontoon said their son Dale still had the trophy he won for his age division. They were very pleased to see us ...
Our girls team have heard a lot about crocodiles in the area and are excited to see some, but so far none have been spotted. The girls have a game in which the first person to spot a certain native animal gets the prize of an ice-cream (we’ve already found and had ice-cream prizes for kangaroos, wallabies, emus and snakes) so when we get to Warmun we try a crocodile dance to attract them ...
Emily tries to get away with this cuddly croc ... sorry, that doesn’t count!
We were really looking forward to arriving in Warmun where Rob and Erica (pictured) from the Warmun Roadhouse – who kindly provided our accommodation for the night – had nominated three of the local community to receive the Peace Run Torch-Bearer Award ...
Chocolate Thomas ...
... Betty Carrington and Patrick Mung were the well-deserving recipients ...
... each of these wonderful people is dedicated to serving their community. It was such an honour to meet you all and we congratulate you for your nominations ...
Betty Carrington’s artwork is featured in the Warmun Art Centre ...
... and so, we settle in for the evening ...
