Rhythm, Rivers, and Remarkable Hospitality

Daily miles.:33.01 | Total miles: 10,959.92

I woke up after a short night of sleep, ready to enjoy India to the fullest. A morning stretch on the balcony, a cold coffee, and off I was.

Today I tried not to stop every single time someone spoke to me, but instead to find a rhythm and keep running. Of course, I still stopped now and then, but the intention was to keep moving forward. Around mile seven, I met a biker who waited for me about a mile down the road, and we shared a coffee together. Shortly after, a car stopped and a group of young men jumped out, full of excitement about my run. One handed me a bottle of water, another gave me a coconut—already opened, with a straw. These gestures never stop amazing me.

Running so close to the ocean, I crossed many rivers today. At times the wind picked up and became pleasantly breezy. It felt good to move alongside the water, feeling both the heat and the cooling air.

When I arrived in Melinmirjan, Harish and Gopi picked me up just a couple of minutes later. From that moment on, the program began. Harish is a friend of Eswar from the Run Addict group in Bangalore, and Eswar had organized hosts for today and tonight. Eswar, this is incredible. Thank you so much.

I’ll keep the program short, as I really need to rest.

First, we found a storage space in Melinmirjan to store the buggy overnight. I loaded my essentials into the car, and off we went.

Next, we visited a plantation farm where I met the people working there. We walked around the property, visited the temple on the land, met cows and a dog, and shared a “Kachai,” a Karnataka specialty, sitting together.

After that, we went to a nearby beach and enjoyed the beautiful evening atmosphere.

We then stopped at a school where I had the chance to address the students and share my journey, my motivation, and my hopes. It was wonderful to meet the principal, the teachers, and of course the students.

Next, we stopped by Gopi’s home to meet his family.

After that, we visited Harish’s shop.

Finally, we drove to Harish’s home, where the family was waiting to serve me dinner and truly spoil me.

It was an absolutely wonderful evening—meeting so many people, sharing memorable experiences, eating unbelievably delicious food, learning new things, and feeling so much love and warmth from everyone. Thank you, Harish, and thank you to everyone in Kumta for this incredible evening.

Thanks for checking in, and see you tomorrow. Andrea