BELLE FOURCHE—A group of runners carrying a message of peace and goodwill made a stop in Belle Fourche on the morning of July 10. Participants in the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run were welcomed by community members during their visit.
The group stopped at the Belle Fourche City Hall and were greeted by Mayor Randy Schmidt, his wife Rhonda, police officers, city council members and others representing the community. “It’s so beautiful here and we’ve had such a warm welcome—which has been so nice. We just had a big meeting with the mayor and some of the community members at the City Hall,” shared Harita Davies, co-director of the American Peace Run.
Following the City Hall stop, Mayor Schmidt and Rhonda Schmidt joined the Peace Run and escorted the runners through town to the Roundup Rodeo Arena where the 60th Annual Butte County 4-H Rodeo was taking place. The group was greeted on the way into the rodeo grounds by Butte/Lawrence County 4-H Educator Audrey Pruitt. Mayor Schmidt carried the Peace Torch into the rodeo grounds and handed it off to a few of the rodeo kids who were competing that day.
Coming to a rodeo was a first for many on the Peace Run. “Most of us have never been to a rodeo before and the kids on the horses are so cute,” said Davies.
The Peace Run aims to promote goodwill among the people they meet along their journey. The team running through Belle Fourche was made up of 11 people. “The team changes all the time, and so over the course of the four months that the run will be happening, there’ll be about 60 people from around 30 different countries,” explained Davies. “Everybody volunteers and people just come for however long they can.”
They run relay style, handing off the torch every few miles. “We all take turns at running, each person runs around two miles—three or four times. So each person runs like six to 10 miles a day. The whole team covers about 60 to 80 miles a day,” shared Davies.
The 250th anniversary of America’s independence makes this run extra special. “This year we’re going to all 50 states for the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country, and so I really wanted to be a part of that,” shared Davies. “I felt like that’s something so important right now in the world, and right now in America—just to do something that’s unifying and sharing—bringing forward that spirit of the founding principles and the things that make us Americans.”
The cross-country journey began in New York, NY, in April. They have already made it across the southern part of the United States, all the way to California, and are now making their way back to New York City through the northern states. They will finish the run in August.
For the Peace Run, the Peace Torch is an important part of the experience. The torch is passed from hand to hand, from person to person as they travel the world. “It was founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1987. Really with the vision of sharing the message that world peace starts with each one of us and that we all really play a significant role,” explained Davies. “And for me, it’s a blessing and a privilege to share that message because it’s so important to remind people that everybody really does count!”
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