Day 84 - LaPorte, South Bend, & Warsaw, IN

Runners pose with Mayor of South Bend Stephen Luecke and Jim Williams of Water for People.

There was a lot of activity during HOT and HUMID Day 84 in the “Hoosier” state. In South Bend, the runners enjoyed another lively exchange point at the College Football Hall of Fame. The Mayor of South Bend, Stephen Luecke, spoke at the event; there was a lot of media coverage, for example, Ian Sinbelt, the chief photographer for Fox 28 News and a reporter from Mail Journal, a local Warsaw newspaper, were present. South Bend is the home of the College Football Hall of Fame and the world famous University of Notre Dame. Before this exchange, the Rotary Club of Roseland presented Team Silver and BPR staff with a generous donation over lunch.

After the South Bend exchange, Will's mother picked up some of the runners to go to his hometown where they stopped by and surprised a high school cross country meet! The cross country meet was at a middle school in Portage, MI near where Will grew up, Vicksburg, MI. They brought the stage and balloon set up, and tons and tons of stickers and t-shirts, and had a blast talking to the kids, cheering them on as they raced, helping distribute water to them as they finished, and stickering everyone in sight. It was definitely a lot of fun and stickers have never gone so quickly! Afterwards the whole team went back to Will's for some home-cooked food and a night's sleep in something other than a hotel.

A young girl points out the present location of the run for the foundation's Rajesh Shah on National Geographic's map of the Blue Planet Run Route and Water Projects.

Not only are the runners impacting the people they meet briefly on the road, they are also changing the lives of those that are on the Run with them. Rob, one of the drivers (who sadly will soon have to leave the Run), has started running and plans to train for a marathon. Just last night, he completed his second 10 mile shift in one week!

Sunila takes advantage of a shady corner for a quick nap out of heat of the day. At this point in the run, the runners and crew have become masters of cat naps, relying on every opportunity for sleep that they can get.

Finish line of Portage, MI cross country event near Will Dobbie's hometown.

Jason Gross, back up runner and driver, looks at the GPS on route through South Bend.