LAUSANNE,November 11, 2017 - On 13 November 2016, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Haririwas on the start line leading the Beirut Marathon, but on 12 November 2017, theLebanese people will run for him.
When arecord 45,000 people fill the streets of Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday forthe 15th edition of BLOM Bank Beirut Marathon, they will have onequestion in their minds: where is Hariri?
Yes, youread it right.
It has beenexactly one week since the Lebanese people heard anything from their PrimeMinister Saad Hariri who announced his shock resignation on live television fromSaudi Arabia last Saturday. Since then, the rest of the government and thenation have been waiting for his return to Lebanon, without knowing of hiswhereabouts.
Because ofthe highly unusual situation, Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for participantsof Beirut’s famed marathon to run for that cause tomorrow. In front of adelegation of the Beirut Marathon Association (BMA) at the Presidential Palace,Aoun said: “Let Beirut Marathon tomorrow be a patriotic protest of sports insolidarity with our Prime Minister Hariri and his return to his country.”
In the past15 years, only rarely have there been times when the Beirut Marathon took placein ‘normal’ circumstances in the land of Cedars, without political or securityconcerns, yet thiswas never an obstacle for BMA president May El-Khalil, but rather anopportunity to send a message of peace to the world.
Addressingthe president, she said: “We came today, a group of Lebanese and foreign peoplewith athletes from different nationalities to tell the world that we are readyfor the big day and that we are a strong people from whom no one will be ableto strip its will of life, its dignity, its unity and its pride of beingLebanese.”
She added:“For the past 15 years, BMA has written chapters of success and put Lebanon onthe international map and proved that we are able to gather all theparticipants under the slogan of “Love and Peace” and that Beirut Marathon isable to change our lives and that sports can contribute in building a unifiedcommunity.”
For thissame reason, and for the first time ever, LBCI TV, the official broadcaster ofthe marathon for the past 15 years, announced that it would give the free rightsto air the biggest annual sporting event of the country to all Lebanesechannels tomorrow after the President of Republic called for the nation to rununder the slogan of “The Return of our Prime Minister”, a cause that has unitedthe Lebanese people and its politicians, from different parties, even though those who are politically against Hariri’s own party.
Last year’sedition of the Marathon went ahead just three weeks after the election of a newLebanese President after two years of political deadlock and amid the garbagecrisis that started in July 2015 which transformed the capital into piles ofrubbish. And for the past 15 years, Lebanon has seen numerous politicalupheavals and instability. The nation ran anyway.
Chance for a new record
Athletesfrom 110 nationalities will take part of this IAAF Silver Label Road Race andthis year’s course changes have made the chance for a new record possible. The men’sevent record of 2:11:04 was set in 2015 by Kenyan Jackson Limo while the women’srecord of 2:29:12 was set in 2014 by Ehtiopia’s Mulahabt Tsega.
Setting anew Beirut Marathon record would earn the winner a further 3000 USD in additionto the prize money of 10,000 USD and should the men’s time come within 2:10:00and women’s within 2:28:00, the first-place prize will climb to 15,000 USD.
Ten different races willtake place this year starting with the 42.195 Km Para-athletes, 42.195 Kmmarathon, the 42.195 Km Relay Race, the 21.1 Km Half Marathon, the 8 Km Race, the 8 Km Para-athletes, the Fun Run 8 Km,the 5 Km Youth Race, 5 Km Mentally Challenged and the 1 Km Run with Parents.Out of them all, it is the Fun Run 8 Km that gathers the most NGOs and companies and which hasalways had the biggest number of participants (over 30,000) who wish to raiseawareness for a certain cause.
A total of 188 NGOs and 4400 volunteers will contribute in this year’s Beirut Marathon edition,anticipated to be a huge success, when Lebanese will, once again, take thestreets of their beloved capital to express solidarity despite the turmoiltheir country is going through.
Follow Rayane Moussallem on Twitter @RioMoussallem
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