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Cold Weather

A cool night and 12 degrees Celsius in the mourning made the runners start stage 39 in warm clothing. The weather has changed along with the landscape and mourning temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius seem like a dream.

The competitors run the first few kilometers half asleep and the first sun rays is what really wakes them up. ''After a few weeks you become a machine and nothing can stop you,''commented the ''Slovene Machine'' Dusan Mravlje.

The runners left the vineyards behind and met with the landscape of neverending fields. Anatoliy quickly took control and started to gain advantage. Once he was in a comfortable lead he slowed the pace down and ran the rest of the stage well bellow his average capabilities. Andrei Derxen is running a bit slower lately, but speeds up at the end of each stage. He managed to resist Sakurai's attack yet again. Dusan Mravlje came in fourth in front of Mick Francis, who was all smiles when he finished in fifth place and overtook Mihaly Molnar in the overall standings again. Molnar and Schwerk crossed the finish line together, Bobby Brown followed half an hour later, only a few minutes ahead of the ''flying fossil'' (that's what his mates call him when they're joking around), George Audley. It looks as if the Australian could catch up with Karl-Heinz Kobus on tomorrow's stage and push him into the last position.

Paul Every had an appointment with a physical therapist yesterday and ran a lot easier today, with his foot bandaged. ''My knee still hurts me, but my foot is better now and I hope that this will help me run faster,'' said the German in the finish. Bernie Farmer, the director of the competition, celebrated his birthday yesterday, and invited everyone to a small antique shop (the shop has four motel rooms) in Tarlee, where most of the runners are staying. It was a joyful party and the runners filled their stomach up with steaks, which will make tomorrow's stage #40 even more interesting.

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