Day 7: London

After a late night in Oxford, the ever-cheery Blue Planet Run team arose at 06:00 GMT to prepare for the journey into London centre for the major exchange-point event at Trafalgar Square. The BPR team made a real impression in the Tube, with our bright orange shirts, backpacks and jackets! Rudy and Heiko even made some connections on the Tube, handing out stickers and telling two teenagers about the Run.

The setup in Trafalgar Square was a sight to behold. The large inflatable Blue Planet Run arch was perched atop a stage placed right in the middle of the square, flanked by media and runners’ tents. Crowds of Londoners and folks from Dow swarmed the area, itching to speak with runners from Team Yellow, who came to offer their support to their teammate, Paul Rogan, who was chosen to run into Trafalgar as a representative of the U.K. Paul had the brilliant idea to ask his daughter Kirstie to accompany him, and watching the father and daughter run triumphantly down the large stone steps, around the fountains and statues and up onto the stage to the roaring applause was truly magical. The media had a field day, shooting endless photos of Paul, his wife and three daughters. After the baton handoff, David Christof took off through London.

After London, the several members of the Blue Planet Run team rode planes, trains and automobiles to reach the ferry from Dover to Calais, France. The run in Calais will begin 03:00 GMT+1.