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News20 Sep 2006


Beirut marathon rises from the ashes

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A month ago, with a naval blockade still in place, and residual skirmishes on the Lebanon-Israel frontier, it seemed highly unlikely that the BLOM Bank Beirut Marathon would be back on the road before the end of next year. But that was not counting on Lebanese resilience and enterprise. The fourth edition of the event will go ahead as planned, in two months’ time, on 26 November 2006.

“Only a short section of the marathon course, through Dahyeh, is in ruins,” reports new race director, Mark Dickinson. “And the government has promised that the roads will be cleaned and fixed by November”. Dickinson says he expects up to 25,000 people from home and abroad responding to the call to compete.

May El Khalil, the race founder and president relaunched the event under the rubric, Kermalak Ya Loubnan, For the Love of Lebanon.  Responding to the best wishes of government ministers and sponsors, she said, “Cancelling the event as a consequence of war is an option, but that is not for us. Today, more than ever, sport is needed to fill the squares with the public, allowing us to say to the whole world, we can run and win”.

Pat Butcher for the IAAF

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