East Timor: “Run for Peace” in Dili

East Timor: “Run for Peace” in Dili

20 June 2011, Dili - Over 5,000 people gathered in the streets of Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, on 20 June to participate in the country's inaugural 7-kilometre "Run for Peace". The aim of this exceptional sporting event was to celebrate the country's social cohesion and national unity after years of violence and crises. The Run for Peace got underway right after the start of the 42-kilometre Dili Marathon, which attracts Timorese and runners from around the world. Colonel Martin Dransfield, Chief of the Military Liaison Group of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) came first among the UN Marathon runners. In this story, UNMIT’s long distance runner contemplates the past and present of Asia’s youngest nation.

By Martin Dransfield

Each day I awake to the sound of the rooster who reminds me that I am a long way from home and I have important work to do.

Many mornings, as I prepare for work with the international news in the background, I think that now more than ever peacekeepers need to make a difference. The news reflects the reality that many people in many countries continue to live in conflict and many mothers round the world still suffer the preventable death of a child. But this morning is different. It is the day of the Dili Marathon and a morning of great hope. I rise at 5 a.m. and prepare to meet the challenge of Dili’s heat and dust. As the marathon’s starting time approaches thousands of children seem to appear from nowhere. They add a wonderful sense of excitement to the day. Some sprint in preparation for the race. Others giggle at the sight of me, for I am very strange in their eyes. I hear police sirens in the distance as they draw a cordon around the event. The President announces “good luck”, in Portuguese. The siren sounds and hundreds of feet begin to pound the city streets, their owners motivated by the satisfaction of being able to say "I did the Dili Marathon." Thousands of spectators line the streets. Some cheer and admire. Others don’t understand why we run in the heat. And others, mainly young men, are seemingly not impressed.

I run for a couple of miles with a disabled Timorese man who cannot speak and has difficulty with one leg. I am amazed and inspired by his courage. As I draw away from him, I feel euphoria. The lonely practice runs are paying off for me: I am feeling stronger than I imagined I would and am running faster than I planned. Suddenly I am joined by thousands of children doing the 7-kilometre peace run. They scream, shout, sprint, filling me with a sense of wellbeing.

Here, in these streets, not so long ago, Dili witnessed terrible scenes of violence and destruction. Scenes similar to those I witness each day on the international news. But now everything is different. Instead of hate there is joy. Instead of violence there is peace. I am running with the next generation around me. They are the leaders of tomorrow and they are running for peace.

At this moment, I realise we are making a difference. In this tiny corner of the world violence has been replaced by hope and I am proudly running in the marathon that has been aptly named the world’s Peace Marathon.

ENDS

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