While most of our men's team had taken the overnight ferry, our women's team flew early this morning from Melbourne ...
Meanwhile, after a good night's sleep on the overnight ferry from Geelong to Devonport, the men's team had disembarked in Tasmania at 7am.
Their first event was the Launceston Parkrun, where Ashprihanal Aalto (Finland) and Misha Vasilchenko (Russia) ran the 5km distance.
Participants had the opportunity to hold the Peace Torch both during and after the run. Many praised the idea of the Peace Run and wished the team good luck in the following running days in Tasmania.
Then we joined with the women's team, who had flown across from Melbourne this morning, at the Town Hall in the centre of Launceston.
In a special moment, the Peace Torch was formally presented to the Mayor of Launceston, Matthew Garwood, who warmly welcomed the team on behalf of the city.
The Mayor spoke passionately about the importance of peace and the strength of community, celebrating Launceston as one of Australia’s oldest cities. He reminded us that peace often begins with the small actions we take every day.
The team then visited the vibrant Harvest Market—Launceston’s beloved Saturday morning tradition—where they connected with locals, listened to their stories, and shared the spirit of the Peace Run.
After regrouping with the remaining women’s team members and delivering lunch to the men—along with pointing out some ripe wild blackberries waiting to be picked ...
... the next leg of the journey began. The women’s team took to the road, covering 70 km and running the final stretch into Swansea.
This leg included the historic Old Coach Road, built by convicts during Tasmania’s early colonial days.
The backroad offered a scenic and peaceful route with gentle rolling hills and a few steep climbs, winding through farmland and dirt tracks.
Along the way, the team met friendly local farmers, including Tom, who took a moment to chat and learn about the Peace Run, sharing stories from his day on the land.
As the sun began to set, the team arrived in Bicheno and walked down to the ocean to take in the stunning view of the Tasman Sea.
Meanwhile, after departing Launceston earlier, the last task of the day for the men's team was to run along the Tasmania roads, observing the picturesque nature. The team of guys ran 75km, from Evandale towards Swansea.
On the way, they had a small adventure. To avoid the main roads, the team decided to run on a minor road for about 15km. The road was narrower, but the surroundings became more and more picturesque. Muggi said that the surroundings resembled Mongolia. Unfortunately, after 8 km the road ended at a river, where the bridge was fenced off on both sides. It turns out that we had ended up on private land. The team was stopped by the landowner on one side of the river and at first told to turn back. This would have meant going back 8km. But when the landowner was told about the goal of the Peace Run, he enthusiastically wanted to help the runners and immediately called his neighbour on the other side of the river to ask permission to cross his territory. The neighbour allowed it.
This is how the men's team crossed the river, saved time, and successfully ran the day's planned distance of 75km.
Saint Ashprihanal of Finland, is often depicted bearing the slightly crooked Peace Torch.
This evening, John and Annette generously hosted the group at their rental property in Bicheno, providing a cozy space for a home-cooked meal, some well-earned rest, and a team planning session for the days ahead.
