Day 49 - Irkutsk to Kaminsk, Russia

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July 19       Photos by Chris Emerick

(Above and below) Jason runs through a village on Lake Baikal.

Lately, the Blue Planet Run runners have been sharing segments, as it affords them time to get to know one another and sure beats the potential boredom of running alone on the endless stretch of the M-55 highway. Today Team Silver runners Shiri Leventhal and Jason Loutitt shared the opening segment. Yesterday's route was rife with beautiful scenery, from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal, but the landscape eastward has turned drabber. The pilot car noted that at one moment they were surrounded by trees and greenery, only for it to disappear later in the day.

Siberia is known for its extreme temperatures, and the Blue Planet Run team has been feeling it! It goes from a balmy 80 degrees F in the day to a freezing 30 degrees F at nightfall. Although it’s cold, the team knows it could be much worse: This part of Siberia experiences extreme subzero temperatures (-33 degrees F) in the winter.

The Run entered the city of Ulan Ude, the capital city of the Buryat Republic and last big city in Russia before the Blue Planet Run team enters Mongolia. The third-largest city in eastern Siberia, Ulan Ude is a significant trade center for Russia, Mongolia and China. There is also an oversize and highly unusual head of Lenin in the city’s central square, which provided a little bit of entertainment for the Blue Planet Run team as they headed toward the Russian-Mongolian border.

TEAM SILVER BLOG, Day 49, July 19, 2007
The Silver "Spirit" celebrated Emmanuel's last day as the "King of Russian." He will be dethroned tomorrow at the crossing over into Mongolia. He is accepting his demotion because he is here to pass on the Water is Life message and will continue to do so all the way around the world. Today was a sunny day of hills, forest and lake views as the team ran around the southwestern shores of Lake Baikal. The train remains our constant companion.

Emmanuel heads towards Mongolia, leaving Lake Baikal in the distance.

Jason takes advantge of his mobile grooming station for a shave roadside on the way to Mongolia.