Here are some thoughts from yesterday by Run Across Palestine runner David W Gardner.

Today was our third leg, approximately 27 miles. We all did very well, that is until the very end. The 6 miles inside Jerusalem was smooth, as was going through the wall. Having never seen the Berlin wall, I can only speculate as to its similarities, but how different can 16-20 ft masses of concrete and barbed wire be? Once beyond the wall Reuters or the AP, not sure, wanted to interview Meryl, and she did a great job.

I think I can speak for us all when I say that running was much better after the wall. Lots of support and encouragement from so many people we passed, literally hundreds, maybe thousands. I’m sure I have never greeted so many people in a day.
As I said earlier the end was not easy. After gradual long climbs and slow descents we came upon a beautiful view from what seemed to be the highest point for miles only to see a very long descent leading to the steepest climb so far.

Thankfully we were meet by some of the people and children of Arura that ran the last leg with us. We were greeted warmly, lots of cheers, hand shaking and good will, even the governor of Ramallah was on hand. The ladies of the town prepared a wonderful dinner of chicken, couscous, and soup, perfect after our run, which we shared with town elders.

Finally, we met our hosts for the night. Josh and I slept at a home even higher up the hillside where we could see the lights of Tel Aviv and the nighttime darkness of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be spectacular in the morning. Before bed we shared good conversation and we were brought to a neighbors house where Josh jammed with new friends.

After 4 days I have learned much, to much to tell it all here, but with absolute certainty I can say there are no invented people here, only real people.

______________________

David was raised outside Chicago, David now lives in Benzonia, Michigan. He is owner of Westbrook Construction, Inc., a small custom homes building company. He has enjoyed athletic pursuits his whole life and recently has taken up jogging on a regular basis. Read about the rest of the RAP team here. 

Randi Lyn – Runner

This morning I felt the same ache in my body that I felt leaving Traverse City airport a week ago. We had gone through so much with this community within a 24-hour time span. It’s an emptiness in your stomach but yet a fullness in your soul with all of these peoples stories, hope, love and spirit. It’s really been such an emotional rollercoaster, from yesterday to today.

Last night was one of the best nights sleeps I’ve had since getting to Palestine. Mousa (which translates to Moses in Arabic) was a great host in his beautiful home. He had coffee and tea for us last night along with heated rooms and warm blankets! His organization shared amazing stories about family and friends along with local farmers and their conflicts with the settlements and the force of the Israeli army.

Breakfast was light this morning with of course some much needed coffee Chris brought from higher grounds! The morning moral was high and very hopeful. We weren’t expecting as many problems as yesterday since we were going to start the run a few kilometers out of town to avoid any conflicts with the Israeli army. Beit Ummar is getting suffocated with settlements so the Israeli presence for so-called security is high, level C.

We had a group circle up with our friends from PFTA and our hosts from Beit Ummar. A time to thank and share our appreciation to each other with of course Arabic and English translators for each other. Another handshake and hug to Mousa and his friends for their hospitality along with our French friend Thomas from yesterdays arrest, kisses, waves, and peace signs goodbye flown through the window as we drove away.

Riding along in the bus we passed at least 6 military vehicles. The last major station Ruzy (Arabic translation to rice-named after his great great grandfather who grew rice), our busses translator asked us to please sit forward in our seats so we wouldn’t draw any attention to ourselves, and we cruised pass (I couldn’t resist, I had to wave to them . At the next intersection the door opened and we quickly jumped off the bus and that was it, we started running just like that. The air chilled us to the bone and the sun warmed the tops of our muscles. I headed to the front of the pack to set the pace (I like to ‘take it easy’). The start was nice, not too hilly, we noticed another runner off of the highway so we decided we would try that road out as well. It looked like the road was the old highway, since it ran parallel, and about a mile into it we had to turn around because we hit a wall of fence to the nearest settlement.  Soon we were at the gate to Bethlehem and the feeling I had crossing into it was a very safe and secure. Cars would honk in the streets as we would run through, people would wave and throw the peace sign back, and Palestinian police who were on the streets were very warm and welcoming.

Bethlehem had a sad side as well because we had to say goodbye to half our team, most of PFTA along with Vivian. We ran around the winding wall, ugly yet beautifully tagged with graffiti and stories of struggle and hope. As we walked through the checkpoint with passports in hand and our luggage on our backs, we watched as a mother of two young girls tried to enter the city. She was a Palestinian UN worker and the officer was not letting her in because of her 10-½ year old not having a ‘pass’. The look on the young girls face was indescribable and as the mother turned out of line I whispered ‘I’m sorry’ as she just shook her head. A terrible feeling that I honestly have no words or experiences to compare it to or describe it more with, because it’s not something I’ve ever had to deal with along with my friends or family.

From the checkpoint we continued another 10 miles into East Jerusalem where Palestine will call their capital to the Jerusalem hotel where we are staying tonight. We were all very excited for hot showers, food, and a cold beer to settle us in after the last couple rollercoaster days.

After a three-hour tour of Jerusalem we met up in the hotels restaurant area where Joshua was able to collaborate with a local drummer for some tunes. (See a shirt video of this jam session here)

This day has been great and a turning point from yesterday. Our muscles may have had a small taste of a long run which they hadn’t had in a while, so bed is feeling great as I type. We rose above the conflicts of yesterday and still in a tasteful manner. And as Eunice had said yesterday ‘Peace is louder’.

Much love Randi Lyn

Randi Lyn was born and raised in the beautiful countryside of Lake Ann, Michigan. After graduating from Benzie Central in 2004, she ventured south to Miami, Florida and received a degree in Travel & Tourism. She found her passion for serving, involvement within communities and encouraging healthy lifestyles, while volunteering with Americorp VISTA organizing youth programs. Randi Lyn now works for Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital as a Fitness Center Tech, Contractor Liaison, and Spin Instructor at Betsie Hosick Health and Fitness Center in Frankfort, Michigan. Randi Lyn started running within the last year with her longest run being a 10k before she signed up for the Run Across Palestine!
Read about the rest of the RAP team here. 

“I can see how the olive tree is so important to the Palestinian people. It is a symbol for them, they say their roots in this land go as deep as the olive tree – which is very deep considering trees live and produce for thousands of years! Purchasing trees for these villages to replace those lost due the occupation gives this people hope and a sense that they are not alone.”
~RAP Runner Claire Everhart in her blog, Six Months in Palestine

Given the tense political situation in the West Bank, we knew there’d likely be some sticky situations along the way in Palestine. What we didn’t know, was just how soon they’d arise.

About 10 km into Day 1 of the Run Across Palestine, the runners were stopped on the road by Israeli officials. Nasser Abufarha, founder of Canaan Fair Trade & the Palestinian Fair Trade Association, was arrested & taken into Israeli custody, along with two French activists who had joined the runners. Read more about the military stopping the run from Jacob Wheeler in the Glen Arbor Sun and get more in the third episode of our web-series The People and the Olive at the bottom of this page.

The run was interrupted for a couple hours, but the team made it safe & sound to Beit Omar. Day 2 of the run will continue as planned. The good news is that everyone is fine and in high spirits, no one was harmed and Nasser has been released. He was however, falsely charged with organizing an illegal demonstration.

It is important to say, strongly and clearly, that we are not running as a demonstration or protest. We are running FOR farmers, FOR trees, FOR peace and truth. We are planting olive trees so they can feed generations to come.

The video to the right shows RAP team member Josh Davis playing his song “The Working Man’s Hymn” in At-Tuwani, an olive-farming village in the southern West Bank.

Continuing the tradition set in the Run Across Ethiopia by musicians Seth Bernard & May Erlewine, Michigan musician Josh Davis is connecting with local musicians – sharing his music with Palestinians and learning theirs in a cultural exchange that will result in an album. On his great blog, Olive Songs, Josh has posted a bunch of photos and observations about the communities so definitely check that out! About the photo to the left he observes:

Incredible respect for songs… In a room packed with guys, everything would silence when a song was played except for singing along and dancing. So much affection and exuberance. I sat there trying to learn the melodies that this oud player kept whipping out. Got the melody, but the rhythm… Not so much. I’m learning. (learn about the oud on Wikipedia)

Media Team member Aubrey Ann Parker put together the montage of photos above. She is right there on the scene, posting photos and writing to her Facebook and in general being our best conduit of up-to-the-moment reports on the Run Across Palestine. She writes that the Run proceeded today:

2:30pm local time in Jerusalem — Back in the bustling Old City means honking cars and hawking on every street corner. Today the runners logged at least 20 miles, with no interference by military or police. We carried our luggage through the Bethlehem-Jerusalem check point/wall, which meant a metal detector (and they barely looked at our passports, though the mother and her two young girls ahead of us was turned away). There have been lots of uphills and downhills (both metaphorically and in reality), but the Run Across Palestine continues.

Be sure to watch the latest video below and use this link to share on Facebook and elsewhere. View photos from the day on our Flickr site and also on the Run Across Palestine Facebook.  Please feel free to share our news release and media kit with anyone who can help tell our story.

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