Our team started this morning with a nourishing breakfast at our favourite vegetarian cafe in Adelaide, Joy-Discovery in Bent St in the centre of the city. Sipra Lloyd (holding the torch), the proprietor of Joy-Discovery, has coordinated the Peace Runs in South Australia since the Run began in 1987.
After breakfast, we headed through Adelaide towards the municipality of Charles Sturt. A local youth group, "Charles Sturt Youth Actvities Centre" joined us for 5 km.
Cassie (left) ran all the way with us, while Angela (with torch), who vounteers at the Youth Centre, ran most of the way ...
Local running legend Ron Hines also joined us making it not just a transcontinental run, but also trans-generational.
Ron ran a sub-3 hour marathon in his 60s, and still ran some of us ragged now that he is in his 80s! A few times, we had to ask him to slow down ...
Charles Sturt Mayor, Cr Kirsten Alexander, presented Ron with the Peace Run Torch-Bearer award.
Ron is an inspirational figure who continues to inspire runners many years his junior.
We also exchanged letters of greeting with the Mayor from our National Patron, ACT Chief Minister Katie Gallagher.
The youth group accepted our Certificate of Appreciation ...
... and sang Sri Chinmoy's Peace Run song for us, which sounded great!
A few new members have joined our international team today, for the upcoming section through to Perth and the run across the Nullarbor Plain – including Ion Frunza who flew in from Moldova last night ...
... Antara-Prabhat Kalajian, from Seattle via New York ...
... Adrien Medina, who has joined us from France ...
... and Grahak Cunningham from Perth, winner of last year's Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race held in New York, and Australian record holder for the distance.
After our meeting, the Mayor ran out with us for about a kilometre ...
... then it was time for lunch!
Next port of call was Salisbury ...
... where we were greeted by Mayor Gillian Aldbridge and about 100 Bhutanese who are now making their home in the region.
In the Bhutanese tradition, we were presented with blessing-scarves for our journey ahead.
A number of our Bhutanese greeters shared with us poems they had composed about peace and happiness, in their own language and in English.
This was a colourful and touching ceremony for us, connecting with such lovely people from what is to us a remote corner of the globe ...
Our running today took us as far as Gawler.
In Gawler we were met by the jovial, energetic and magnanimous Mayor Brian Sambell, in his full mayoral regalia.
When we told Mayor Sambell we had met earlier in the day with Mayor Kirsten Alexander from Charles Sturt, he remarked, "I bet she had a smile from ear to ear!" – which she did.
Mayor Sambell was kind enough to run a few steps with the Torch.
There was just time for a quick Mongolia vs Moldova frisbee game ...
Then in the evening it was back to Adelaide and Joy-Discovery cafe for the last time ...
Our South Australian coordinator, Stacey Marsh, has done a magnificent job organising all our meetings and schedules so far. From here to Perth, she will also take over the role of Team Captain on the road.
Hastakamala Diaz flew in from Perth this evening, and will join the team tomorrow to run home.
We now have 3 Mongolians on our team – Baigal, who flew in from Beijing last night, has joined Oyungerel and Bayarkhuu who have already run with us from Melbourne. These 3 are with the team now all the way to Perth.
We would all like to thank the Adelaide Sri Chinmoy Centre who have hosted our team with such overwhelming kindness and generosity for the past three days. Now we leave the city lights behind and head back to the open road ...
