Dearest people of www.kup-karmel.com,
I've just applied for the "PEACE MARATHON 2008", and you system say I'm the applicant number 2.

But since I think I was wrong entering some data, I'm now re-sending my correct data via this e-mail message (at the end, below my signature): the most important thing is that I was applying for the MARATHON and not the CITIZEN RACE :)

Anyway, I want to share with you a little "story" about me and the marathon.
First of all, I've first heard about your marathon last year, unfortunately on the race day: a friend of mine from Medjugorje just rung me and told me ... hey, there is a Marathon arriving here today! Too bad I did not know with 1 or 2 days in advance, or I would be travelling overnight to come and race it!

Why this? Well, actually this is a quite long story, but just to summarize it, back in the 1990s I had a dream in mind to one day run the NewYork Marathon, expecially the y2k one, but for several issues with my legs and hips, year by year I had to say: will try next year.
Doing so, Year 2000 arrived, and my health was in a such condition that I could not run for more than 2k without serious pain in my right leg and hip, and with doctors telling me to avoid any sport or activity with even the smallest jumping, and that in the future I was going to have serious problems even for walking.
So I turned up to God, basically telling him: Hey up over there, I'm 30 and I'm in this situation, doctors in Terni just understand nothign about me? What to Do? ... and more or less the answer that came from above was sounding like "Fasting and Prayer".
At that time I did not know about the medjugorje messages, but I started fasting and praying, and within 1 year and few months I was able to re-run my first 10k in 45 minutes ... so I told myself ... maybe I can do it.
In that very year I came to Medjugorje (December 2001), and since then I started praying the Holy Rosary in ANY of my training, and on November 3rd 2002 I was able to run my first NY Marathon in 3h 45mins.

The story is actually longer and full of little signs from the Heaven, maybe I will be able to share it with you when I come to Medjugorje for this New Year Eve, but basically from that day I went around running with the Gospa image printed on the back of my running T-Shirt and a sentence written : "I WAIT FOR YOU IN MEDJUGORJE" ... and also had in mind a "crazy" idea to be one day organizing a running event in Medjugorje.

Imagine my surprise when last year I found out that someone already did: Thanks God I finally knew I was not a crazy one :)
Unfortunately last year was an overbusy one for me, since my father had a serious accident and I had to stay home to help me, and was not able to come in Medjugorje so frequently as I usually do, but I will be bringing a group of pilgrims on Dec 28, and I will try to reach you somehow.

I'd like to talk with you a little bit about my story, and then see how can I help for this event ... 
Consider that I'm not only a Runner and a Triathlete, but also a prayer group leader and pilgrimage guide: on the next 16/17/18 november, or better later this week, in Loreto we will be having the Italian "Medjugorje Prayer Groups and Pilgrimage Guides meeting" and I'm part of the organization, and there are chances that I will be organizing next year meeting myself.

What I can do this weekend, is advertising the race and the event to about 120 Pilgrimage guides, so that they know and can spread the message.
I will immediately also spread the news on the two bigger Medjugorje Mailing Lists in Italy, and will try to coordinate feedback from the people in order to organize a group of runners to come with me ... not sure about the feedback, but I think and hope there will be some.

Anyway, if you think you can be interested in having an "helping person" from Italy, for anything regarding the race and helping Italians somehow to get to Grude and run the Race, just let me know ... I will come and visit you next December, and see if and how I can help.

I wrote this message in English because I thought it could have been better for you to read it, but I obviously can speak a perfect Italian :)

Greetings from Terni/Italy (somewhere not to far from Rome), thanks for organizing the race, and Ave Maria!