World's largest relay brings harmony to Cd'A
COEUR d'ALENE - The World Harmony Run, billed as the world's largest relay, is making its way to Coeur d'Alene.
Runners are encouraged to help welcome the torch-bearing relay run when it streams into the Lake City at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The Human Rights Education Institute is inviting athletes of all ages to join the relay from Northwest Boulevard at Interstate 90 into downtown Coeur d'Alene where the institute will host a reception for the runners from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
"The World Harmony Run echoes the goals of our Human Rights Education Institute. And they are right," said Marilyn Muehlbach, president of the institute's board of directors. "True harmony begins in the heart of an individual, spreads into the community, then across the world. It takes each of us and all of us to make the shift from anger and frustration to a willingness to live out the peace we want to see."
The runners will arrive from Spokane on the Centennial Trail.
Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem will be at the human rights institute to welcome the runners to the city. The relay runners will talk about their experiences and share their inspiration and enthusiasm for the goal of world harmony.
Participants in the 10,000-mile, USA World Harmony Run are carrying a flaming torch to symbolize their goal of harmony through sports.
The global torch relay was founded in 1987, and has blossomed into a worldwide event. This year teams of runners will carry the torch to six continents, logging more than 45,000 miles through 140 countries.
The welcoming reception in Coeur d'Alene coincides with the opening of the Human Rights Education Institute's next six-month program.
"Pause 4 Peace" features an international timeline exhibit that celebrates moments of peace from 1850 to 2010.
"The timing couldn't be better," said Rachel Dolezal, the institute's director of education. "This tangibly links our peace and human rights program with the larger picture of ongoing efforts for peace around the world and provides an opportunity for our community to participate in a global cause."
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