On Saturday, May 26, I left for the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid. The final days of preparation have been rather hectic, and I am not sure on how many more gadgets I can learn to use or will be able to carry or to operate, and which of the other training sessions have occurred already and in what order. Nevertheless, Lake Placid turned out to be the perfect place to prepare for our journey. At least there was a bit of time left to go out for a few runs (5:15 am which usually is NOT exactly my best time of the day) and briefly visit some of Lake Placid's historical Olympic sites.

The sheer amount of preparation appeared exhausting, but certainly parallels the significance of the Blue Planet Run for the millions of people around the globe who may benefit from our efforts. Not very often one comes across an opportunity to truly make a difference in the life of so many people. That alone also means to be well prepared for making the best possible effort. I am very much looking forward to the next couple of weeks, and I am sure that there will be plenty of stories to share...

June 1st, NYC – and the big day has finally arrived. After a quick breakfast we walked over to the UN building which was only a few blocks away. It turned out to be a beautiful morning for the very first “Opening Ceremony” for Blue Planet Run. The event itself was very moving. Actress Hilary Swank delivered the opening remarks, followed by Jin Zidell, Amir Dossal (United Nations) and Andrew Liveris (Dow CEO). After a countdown from 16 to zero (one for each country along the route) Mary took the first ever Blue Planet Run on the road. The media coverage was incredible and we spent plenty time afterwards talking to various news teams.

My personal highlights of the day (besides getting another big hug from Hilary…) however, were several encounters with a group of kids from the Bronx. The kids had done some fundraising for the Blue Planet Run on their own and – incredibly, they were able to hand Jin a check of more than 3400.- USD!!! Our team (YELLOW) had the day off, and we again met up with the kids later on our way out. The kids had us sign their T-shirts and promised to follow us along on our journey. I sincerely hope I will be able to see some of the kids again on my return. This is just another sign of how many lives this event has touched already – and we have just started out.

On Saturday we put in our first full day of running from 9 to 3 pm, about 10 mi each. I got to run the fourth leg, meaning going on the road at 1:30 pm. Still struggling with a head cold I prepared myself for a tough opening – the weather also looked not very favorable. With the temperature in the mid 90’s I got on the road on time, and it turned out to be also a section with major hills – in short, I had to dig pretty deep on my first day. After a short beak we were on the road back to JFK, stopping at a motel for a shower and headed straight for the airport. In time we left for Shannon and arrived at around 8:30 a.m. next day in Ireland. At the airport we met our European team and headed for Limerick where we spent the day resting and sightseeing. For Monday our team is scheduled to begin our journey across Ireland. The change in scenery can hardly be more dramatic. Just one day ago we left the UN through the blistering hot, congested streets of Manhattan, and only one day later we are in the beautiful Irish countryside.