date: 20.05.2007.
The first “Peace and Reconciliation Marathon” from Grude to Medjugorje (42,195 meters) called “Let’s run to Gospa“ took place on Saturday the 19th of May, 2007. It was organised by the Kup-Karmel Christian Association in collaboration with the Dinamo-Zrinjevac athletic club from Zagreb (Croatia), and Studio Nada D.O.O. from Ljubuški (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The marathon started in Grude and ended next to Our Lady’s statue in front of the parish church in Medjugorje. Ordinary citizens were free to participate in the Ljubuški to Medjugorje 15 kilometre stretch of the course.
The inspiration for this marathon came from Our Lady’s message of the 25th of July, 1990: “Dear children! Today I invite you to peace. I have come here as the Queen of Peace and I desire to enrich you with my motherly peace. Dear children, I love you and I desire to bring all of you to the peace which only God gives and which enriches every heart. I invite you to become carriers and witnesses of my peace to this unpeaceful world. Let peace reign in the whole world which is without peace and longs for peace. I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Robert Rukavina, president of the Kup-Karmel Christian Association explained: “This sports-recreational-pilgrim race should bring together athletes and pilgrims of different nationalities and from diverse social environments and cultures by manifestly promoting traditional Christian values: peace, reconciliation, forgiveness. This race should symbolically provide encouragement for the establishment of peace and confidence in this region as well as beyond its limits. At the same time it is of crucial importance to fully comprehend the meaning of the motto of the race, which is "Let’s run to Gospa!". This is a simple statement about man’s inability to accomplish great things, especially peace and reconciliation, without God’s help and support. For quite some time now the words ‘Međugorje’ and ‘Our Lady’ have been synonymous with God’s call to people to reconcile and live with peace in their hearts, in harmony with themselves, with other people and with God. Therefore we considered it appropriate to choose to finish this marathon at the Shrine of the Queen of Peace in Međugorje under whose protection this sporting endeavour will be held. Furthermore, the very organisation of this marathon is our response to her call of the 25th of May, 2006: “Little children, seek and work with all your strength for peace to win in your hearts and in the world…”
About one hundred participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Spain, Austria, Italy and Ireland participated in the marathon.
Milan Bandić, the Mayor of Zagreb who was born in Grude, also took part. On his arrival, he went into St. James’s Church and prayed in front of Our Lady’s statue. Commenting on this experience he said: “I am so happy that, for the first time in my life, I ran this Marathon to the Mother of all mothers, the Queen of Peace. I dedicate my participation to my mother and to all mothers, to my wife, my daughter and to all the wonderful people here from Grude to Medjugorje, to all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of all to my Herzegovina, to Croatia and to all good people around the world.”
(More about this race: http://www.kup-karmel.com)
