Posted by Jon Adams on May 02, 2005 at 14:58:45:
The World Harmony Run is a global relay, seeking to strengthen international friendship and understanding. As a symbol of harmony, runners carry a flaming torch, passing it from hand to hand amongst members of thousands of local communities, on a route spanning 70 nations.
The World Harmony Run will come through Mobile on Wednesday, May 4, 2005, and stop at Bienville Square for the Brown Bag Concert. They will travel across the causeway into Mobile and proceed out Springhill Avenue to Moffet Road to the Mississippi line. Come and show your support for world harmony at Bienville Square from 11:30 to 1:30 for Brown Bag and a special ceremony for the runners to honor their efforts to harmonize the world. Any area runners who would like to join the World Harmony Team are welcome to join them at any point of their trek..
This is a true grassroots event. Each relay team is made up of runners from all walks of life, dedicating their time to serve a cause they believe in. The teams visit schools, community groups, and running clubs, as well as local and national government organizations. There they celebrate the goal of world harmony, and recognize individuals working for harmony within their own community.
The World Harmony Run does not seek to raise money or highlight any political cause, but simply to create goodwill among peoples of all nations, while transcending political and cultural boundaries. Many well-known figures have offered their goodwill and support to the World Harmony Run. Amongst the friends of the Run are President Mikhail Gorbachev, and 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Carl Lewis.
You too can be a part of this unique event, bringing your own hopes and wishes for world harmony. You could run with the team, carrying the Torch for a few steps or a few miles. You can join local school children, celebrities, and government officials in one of the many welcoming ceremonies along the route. The Run is about sharing inspiration and enthusiasm for world harmony, so everyone can participate, even by simply greeting the runners as they pass by.
The World Harmony Run is organized by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team - the largest ultra-distance running organization in the world. This international volunteer network sponsors more than 500 athletic events each year, including races from 1 mile to 3,100 miles. The inspiration behind the World Harmony Run, is 73-year-old sports enthusiast, athlete, philosopher, artist, and poet, Sri Chinmoy, who has dedicated his life to serving the ideals of world harmony.